Golden Goose is oil industry
As I read John Havelock's Perspective piece Re: Oil Taxation (ADN, May 3) I couldn't help but think — am I listening to Rep. Lynn Gattis? To paraphrase her earlier comments: "If you can't afford to live here, then you should leave."
Havelock says: "Alaskans, including government employees are in a position to seek jobs elsewhere. Sell now since home values are heading for a crash, large numbers of Alaskans were planning on leaving anyway- for them maybe the time to leave is now."
Havelock also speaks to potential job losses in the private sector as a result of budget cuts to the university and elsewhere. Perhaps he is unaware that $35 to $40 a barrel oil has already cost 2,200 to 2,400 jobs in our oil industry.
Havelock finishes with the Winnie the Pooh tale and Piglet's gift to Eeyore of an empty honey jar. He may have forgotten the tale of the Goose that laid the Golden Eggs. When it was cut open to get all the eggs, it was just an ordinary goose. Indeed, our Golden Goose is the oil industry. We should be very careful with it and not try to kill it with excessive taxation.
— Patrick J. Rider
Anchorage
Keeping legislators at home
Please inquire about the efficacy of the Legislature's recent proposal for relocation.
Instead of housing all of the lawmakers together, there is sufficient basis to argue that they should mandate that all legislators are housed in their respective communities. Such action would be a barrier to personal-interest legislation and it would benefit the private-sector economy indirectly with greater tax revenue for the individual communities and state.
If 60 lawmakers were given a $15-20,000 budget per year specifically for the lease of space then it would ultimately be less than the lease proposal currently being considered.
— Chris Cromer
Anchorage
Giving hope to those affected by Alzheimers disease
The Alzheimer's Association estimates there are more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease, including 6,800 here in Alaska. In addition, there are more than 15 million Americans caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia, including 33,000 Alaskans. As an Alzheimer's ambassador, it is my honor to represent them to our elected officials.
Alzheimer's disease takes a devastating toll, not just on those with the disease but also on their caregivers. My father was heartbroken having to watch my mother battle Alzheimer's for 13 years until she passed away in 2010. He needed as much support as possible to care for her.
In early April, I was honored to participate with 1,200 others from across the country in the 28th annual Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum in Washington, D.C., where we appealed to Congress for action on Alzheimer's disease. Thank you to Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan for meeting with our delegation to discuss the Alzheimer's crisis.
The Alzheimer's Association thanks Sen. Murkowski for co-sponsoring the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act (S.857/H.R.1559), which will ensure Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and their families receive comprehensive care planning services. We hope we can count on her continued support.
We appreciate all of Sen. Sullivan's past support and invite Alaska Dispatch News readers to contact him to ask that he support the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act. It is only through adequate funding and a strong implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's disease that we will meet its goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025.
Visit alz.org/advocacy to get involved with the fight against Alzheimer's.
— Cindy Harris
Alzheimer's Association Alaska
Ambassador
Soldotna
No one wants to see families without insurance after loss
For once I am in complete agreement with Mr. Jenkins who, in his latest column about HB 66, says that the families of fallen police and firefighters should be provided with government health insurance. He then takes the idea a little bit further, and says this should also apply to the families of deceased Fish and Game employees and government heavy-equipment operators. I believe that Mr. Jenkins is on the right track here, and could logically extend this coverage to the widows and children of government welders, inspectors, DOT employees, and indeed, the survivors of all deceased state employees. But, is the family of a government welder more deserving of compassionate health insurance than the family of a privately employed welder? Of course you can see where I am going here. Do we really want to see any mother and children deprived of health insurance due to the loss of a spouse? Due to the divorce from a spouse? Unemployment of a spouse? Lack of a spouse?
I hope that the families of the fallen officers receive the benefits they truly deserve. I think that it is ironic that the same Republicans who are scrambling to provide those benefits are doing their best to take those same benefits away from thousands of other Alaskans through their lawsuit against the governor's Medicaid expansion. It is past time to provide medical care, one way or another, to all citizens.
— Leif Simcox
Anchorage
Drivers, Look BOTH Ways!
Last Friday morning I was biking north on the sidewalk along Wisconsin Street in West Anchorage. I encountered drivers who exhibited exactly the same behavior at six of the cross streets between Spenard Road and Northern Lights Boulevard. The driver would roll up toward the stop sign, barely slowing down, look left for oncoming traffic, then gun it to make the right turn, directly into the path of where I would have been if I had continued to cross.
A few months ago my husband was hit by a car in just such a circumstance, so I was very aware of the danger of this type of accident. I have learned not to attempt to ride across an intersection unless I have the attention of the approaching driver. So, when coming to a stop sign, drivers, please STOP, look BOTH ways, then continue. (For those who say I should ride in the bike lane on the street: I do not feel comfortable so close to traffic. At least on the sidewalk, a car would have to jump a curb to get me.)
— Jean Tam
Anchorage
Conflict of interest
We have senators and representatives voting on legislation where there is clearly a conflict of interest. How did we allow that to happen? What can we do to change that?
— Fred Wemark
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 under 200 words 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.