Readers write: Letters to the editor, May 5, 2016

We voted to return to the original tax cap. Apparently some of the new Assembly members plus others decided they don’t work for us. I made the mistake of voting for Weddleton, who voted to raise the taxes. Unless he has a darn good reason, I won’t make that mistake again.

— Cathy Guay

Anchorage

As a 10th-grader at South High School who is passionate about protecting our environment and informing others about environmental issues, I am writing to express my concern for the lack of involvement I see in young teens in Alaska. The problem is that most teens and young kids don’t know how to become involved. They may care, but have no knowledge of how to help and act on issues that they care about. Just being informed about serious environmental issues affecting Alaska and beyond, and understanding how they affect our present life and our future can help.

In the past few months, I have attended public forums that have opened my eyes to different points of view and have allowed me to take part in protecting my community and the values we care about. May 2 was the end of the public comment period for President Obama’s offshore oil and gas leasing plan. This plan has the potential to keep fossil fuels in the ground through 2022, which is what we need for a stable climate and safe future.

— Roxanna Reynolds

Anchorage

I will vote for any black or white, man or woman in the GOP who can readily beat Hillary Clinton, or any other Marxist-Leninist liberal, and prevent another four or eight years of a disastrous liberal presidency, and restore America back to its constitutional principles, even if it is Donald J. Trump.

— John F. Jansen

Palmer

All right! It appears that the ASD has hired a well-qualified, new superintendent for our schools. And reading between the lines, I see our budget woes must be over. It wasn’t long ago that there was talk of laying off teachers and initiating new taxes. But the new super will be getting a 31 percent raise over the outgoing super. The position now pays better than the vice president of the United States! Woohoo! Happy days are here again in Alaska!

— Carey Cossaboom

Anchorage

As a former Alaska state senator, I participated in the Rasmuson Foundation’s well organized gathering of 40 former Alaskan legislators, to share thoughts on how the current legislature might address the state’s fiscal crisis. It was fascinating to think of the wisdom and keen insight gained from literally hundreds of years of legislative experience gathered in one room for one afternoon.

Our gathering included Vic Fisher, not only a former legislator but also a key framer of Alaska’s Constitution. As you might expect with such a diverse group the goal was not to develop a unified set of recommendations. Though the general consensus seemed to be that a state income tax is much more feasible than a state sales tax. There seemed to be little agreement on what to do with the Permanent Fund dividend, though it was unanimously agreed the corpus of the fund should not be touched.

As I sat there looking over the FOSSILS, (Former Old Senior Statesmen in Legislative Service) as we refer to ourselves, I was struck by the fact that three were former candidates for governor. Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, also a former legislator, moderating our discussion; Sen. Ariiss Sturgulewski, and Senate President Chancy Croft. These three-individuals represent, in my opinion, the finest of public servants, and I found myself thinking about how different Alaska might be today if each of them had won their elections for governor.

— Dr. Terry Stimson

Anchorage

This morning, I had the pleasure of being a student in a pediatric clinic. I spent my morning asking parents safety questions, such as “Do you use a rear-facing car seat for your infant?” and “Does your child have a safe place to play?” The families I spoke with described all the things they did to keep their children safe, from childproofing their outlets to supervising their soccer games. Then I took a lunch break to run some errands. It was a beautiful day, and I was in the Huffman neighborhood, so I decided to walk.

As I walked the five minutes to the post office, I quickly ran out of sidewalk. I cut across the grass in my dress shoes, thankful that the grass was dry. I noticed that once I got off of Huffman Road, there were no longer any crosswalks, so I looked both ways and then jogged across the road. On my way back from the post office, I noticed a young woman pushing a baby in a stroller. She was headed toward the bus stop, but the sidewalk ran out before she got there. She was forced to push her baby for 20-yard intervals in the (fortunately empty) oncoming traffic lane of Huffman Park Drive.

The irony of spending a morning counseling parents about safety and then watching a parent be forced to push a stroller in the street was not lost on me.

I’ve lived in South Anchorage most of life. I remember going to high school at South and feeling nervous to walk or ride my bike down Huffman because of the lack of sidewalks. With all the new construction and development in South Anchorage, can’t we afford to put in more sidewalks to keep children safe?

— Elizabeth Conway

Anchorage

For the record, I would just like Bob Bell to know that I waved signs for Hollis French because of Bob’s shady musk ox hunt, and his statement as a member of the State Board of Game that trappers should be allowed to trap the estimated six wolverines left in the Chugach, because they were elusive animals and sightings of them were rare. What a shortsighted opinion. It had nothing to do about a newspaper story about VECO that I don’t remember ever reading.

— Michael McKinnon

Anchorage

Thank you ConocoPhillips.

You have been a good Alaskan neighbor. You will be missed in our small corner of remote Alaska. It escapes me how long you operated the Beluga River gas fields. I do recall that when ARCO passed the operations to you there was local concern, as ARCO was a class act. It proved to be warrantless. Your employees couldn’t have been more friendly or more caring.

Many times, I have seen firsthand the way this huge oil company treated the locals. Thank you for sponsoring the Fourth of July BBQ and parade every year. The steaks and burgers were just the beginning. The freezer full of ice cream was far from the ending. You brought the community closer together.

I suspect the field has been a marginal one for years. It has not stopped your company from always having a minute to jump start a truck, air a flat tire up or pull someone out of the ditch. Your contractor, Peak Oilfield Services, has also been there with a loader or snowplow to get a local back on the road. You and yours have shown that you care.

I believe this attitude must come from the top and is carried down thru the ranks. Money talks in Alaska. Actions speak louder than money to us little guys. If this part of your operations is indicative of how you treat the rest of Alaska, then thank you from all Alaskans. I wish you well in your future endeavors. I hope the new field operators are as community-minded as ConocoPhillips has proven to be. Thanks again.

— Kevin Degler

Beluga land owner

Anchorage

Re: Sitka’s new cellphone law.

Every day, I see numerous people texting while driving.

Many times, everyday!

Every day, I see people ignoring red lights while talking and texting on cellphones. Many times, everyday.

Observe and verify.

Misuse of cellphones while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving. Most drunks are out at night.

Cellphone abuse occurs 24/7.

— Larry R. Fay

Anchorage