Readers write: Letters to the editor, April 21, 2016

Last month, the House passed a bill (HR 3016) that included a 50 percent cut in the monthly Basic Allowance for Housing allowance provided to children who will have their parent’s earned Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit transferred to them. Now similar legislation is being considered in the Senate (SB 425) that would put the hard-fought benefits of 2.8 million post-9/11 veterans at even greater risk.

I am standing with my fellow Non-Commissioned Officers Association members in opposition to these cuts to the GI Bill, and ask you to stand with us.

Please pledge to preserve the benefits promised to all new veterans and their families and oppose all attempts to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill as a piggy bank to fund other government programs.

Nearly 1 million post-9/11 veterans have benefited from the Post-9/11 GI Bill, making it one of the most successful veterans programs in American history. Please email NCOA at advocates@ncoa.org and pledge to fight against any attempts to cut education benefits for military members, veterans and our families!

— Tommie Baker

Anchorage

Another year another extended legislative session. While Alaska faces the challenge of our budget shortfall you legislators decide to waste valuable time on “issues” of no merit like sex ed and open carry gun policy on our university campuses. Now you continue to rob the people of Alaska, purposely dragging on past your 90 days filling your pockets with extra pay and extra per diem and we are still without a budget. You steal from the people of Alaska when we are at our most vulnerable. You should be ashamed of yourselves, but I doubt you are.

— Brody McNeill

Anchorage

I have a suggestion, which I know you will love, for all U.S. senators running for re-election this year. Let’s disqualify all 34 of them from voting until after the election. As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell might say, let the voters decide. We’ll call this the McConnell U.S. Supreme Court succession rule.

And, of course, since 24 of the disqualified 34 are Republicans, the majority will swing back to the Democrats, but who cares? We’re standing on Mitch’s principle, aren’t we? I am sure Lisa Murkowski will support this, fair-minded as she is. Won’t she?

— Argil C. Jeffery

Anchorage

Thank you to ENSTAR for promptly sending an employee to my home after I reported a slight natural gas smell outside. A small leak was found and quickly plugged. I am so glad I called 277-5551.

— Wendy Robbins

Anchorage

Surely Mr. Pfeffer is aware of the old adage, “If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” When he inked the stinky LIO deal with Rep. Mike Hawker did that adage cross his mind? It would be good for him to ponder that now as the tenants make haste for the state-owned Atwood building.

— Ken Flynn

Anchorage

I think I have an answer for what to do about Alaska’s Republican-led, do-nothing, obstructionist, backward-thinking, self-indulgent Legislature: This fall, when we all go to vote, wherever you see on your ballot, next to a candidate’s name, the terms “Republican” and “Incumbent” — simply vote for one of the other candidates. Any other candidate will do, as long you don’t vote for a “Republican-Incumbent.” It’s that simple. If enough voters refrain from voting for any candidate that is described on next fall’s ballot as a “Republican-Incumbent,” we Alaskans will then wind up with a new Legislature, with a “get-it-done” attitude. How cool is that?

— Stephan Paliwoda

Anchorage