Cant ignore Trump anymore
I have been trying to ignore Donald Trump for years. Now it is important to say out loud that I disagree with the things he has been saying. Humanity is one. Our brotherhood and sisterhood are real. And a wonderful thing.
— Christine Reichman
Anchorage
Will Legislature step up?
Will the LOCS (lack of courage syndrome) legislators kick the can down the road? The best single predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Given how the legislators have failed to address the level of income and level of expenses, will they meet the challenge of increased revenues, or will they pass? Given their history, it is a pretty good bet they will advance the "cut-the-budget" approach until the voters in their district complain. Then it will be back to drawing down the savings accounts and passing the buck to future LOCS. Place your bets on which way they will go! … Increase the revenue or draw down the savings?
— Lee Piccard
Anchorage
'Try doing the opposite!'
I was struck by the arguments put forth by Dermot Cole in his recent "Obamacare" column.
Despite the innumerable flaws in the ACA and our current $18 trillion national debt, Dermot believes a few tweaks here and there will smooth things right out.
Similar to the behind-the-scenes deals Obama et. al. cut with insurance companies originally in this fiasco, Dermot allows the insurance companies again to explain the current problem:
"The lack of a large enough pool to spread the cost of care for those individuals is the overwhelming driver of the rate increase."
Therefore, a new tax, Dermot concludes:
"There are no numbers yet on just what this would do to other insurance rates, but spreading the burden over tens of thousands of people is bound to help."
After chuckling a bit seeing such ironically sage advice, a number of other classic canards came to mind:
"So Be It," "It's the Right Thing To Do," "Spread The Burden," "Bound To Help," "Think of The Children."
I wonder if Dermot has ever considered a health care system based on the free market and libertarian principles? Here's my advice for Dermot: Whatever it is you think you are doing, try doing the opposite!
— Chris Nyman
Anchorage
Liquidate the Permanent Fund
The simple solution to our state's budget shortfall is to liquidate the Permanent Fund. Give half to every eligible man, woman and child. Divide the remaining half between every city, town and village based on population with the instructions to spend it wisely as future state money will be extremely limited. Let communities determine their priorities.
Families will have the financial ability to leave Alaska to go back where they came from or plan for their future here. People don't move to Alaska because they like long, dark, cold winters and often short, rainy summers. Tens of thousands will leave Alaska, reducing the cost of education due to fewer students. There will be less crime, we will see reduced crowding on our roads and along our fishing banks. The shortage of affordable housing will disappear overnight. With thousands fewer residents, the size and cost of state government will drop to manageable levels.
Once the Permanent Fund is liquidated, the state should go to a yearly zero-based budget, allowing legislators to spend whatever income is collected that year. It makes no sense to consider getting one check from the state each year only to turn around and write another check back to the state for income tax.
There is zero doubt one way or another legislators will get their hands on the PFD. At least this way everyone wins. Those who love Alaska will stay. Those only here for a free yearly handout will leave. Fewer residents will solve all our problems.
— Richard Rhyner
Anchorage
Death with dignity
The subject of this bill is very important. I feel it should not even be in the public arena, but it is. This is a very personal subject, the agony of which I have been through. I watched my 90-year-old mother die over a period of many weeks, begging to be given something to end her life and suffering with a broken, gangrenous leg. She was too weak for any medication to take effect. I have nightmares of looking into her pleading eyes. We would treat animals better.
There is a great benefit for a suffering individual to know that when the pain and agony get too bad, they have the right to end it. That gives peace of mind, which allows some relief to those who so deserve it.
I support this bill and the freedom it provides. The record shows that in states where it is an authorized medical practice, aid in dying works as intended, and is not subject to abuse.
— Susan Arthur
Juneau
Disconnect among legislators
Three headlines in the paper on Dec. 16 caught my eye: "Abuse of Alaska kids even worse than stats suggest," High school graduation rate among worst in US" and "GOP legislators eye health, education for cuts."
Am I missing something, or is there a serious disconnect among the legislators? How do they dare suggest these cuts with headlines like these?
— Alex Young
Anchorage
Alaska can't afford delay
Thank you, state of Alaska, for 35 years of no income tax. For the lifetime of my youngest child, we have enjoyed a place where we pay little for our shared services. In addition, we have been given money for many of those years, dollars that we could use to pay the small amount of taxes that have been levied.
Now, however, we must become responsible citizens. We must become citizens who pay for our education system, for our protection and for the care for others less fortunate. I don't know when it became popular to think we should get public services for free, but tax is not a four-letter word, to be avoided at all costs.
Thank you, Gov. Bill Walker for having the courage to recommend some paths to fiscal responsibility. Now all we need is courage from the legislators. Perhaps a first step would be to accept salary and per diem only for the 90-day session that voters have decreed while working to finish this difficult work within that time.
Elected leaders, take a courageous, albeit unpopular, stand. A balance sheet requires income as well as expense. Alaska cannot afford to delay these difficult decisions.
— Patricia Chesbro
Palmer
KCC: ASD's 'crown jewel'
Many thanks to Channel 11 for an interesting interview this week with Lou Pondolfino on the King Career Center. KCC is the crown jewel of the Anchorage School District. KCC partners with the Anchorage business community to provide students with hands-on training in practical skills like construction, auto repair, computer skills and cooking. These are valuable skills that students can use to make a living, whether or not they choose to go on to college.
Surely we as a community can find a way to support and retain KCC as we work through how to do with a much smaller state budget. It would be interesting to know what the graduation rates from KCC are. I'd bet that they are much higher than the 71 percent average recently reported in the ADN.
— Mary Miner
Anchorage
Time to get real
Kudos to Christopher Michl for his letter on Sunday. It's true — we have to start paying for things and I don't mean the extras. I want decent roads and enough police and firemen to take care of business. I want well-equipped schools whose focus is teaching the kids who could grow up to be our doctors. I want shoveled sidewalks, timely plowed streets and a cleaned-up city in the summer. In other words, I want a city that can take care of itself and for which we should pay.
Those of us who were up here when the Permanent Fund came into existence never thought of it as our due for the rest of our lives. Nor did we rely on it, for as quickly as we got it, we realized we could lose it. We're not entitled to a Permanent Fund dividend check every October, and reducing government (more?) means our city will get shabbier and shabbier. So I'm behind Gov. Bill Walker and his plan. I just hope our elected officials are mature enough to deal with this and for once support our governor.
— Laurie K. Dunnagan
Anchorage
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.