US Senate race: Challenger Joe Miller, Libertarian

I'm running for U.S. Senate because I believe we can do better. We don't have to settle for diminishing returns.

Alaskans are hurting. Our state economy is now officially in recession, the state government is upside down, half your PFD is gone, unemployment is well above the national average, and Alaska's federal delegation is fighting over an ever-shrinking pot of federal dollars.

With the national debt now approaching $20 trillion, our interest payments alone amount to hundreds of billions annually. And as long as this trend continues, it's only going to get worse, with fewer and fewer discretionary dollars left for Alaska, and less opportunity.

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In the last six years, the federal government has seized no less than 100 million acres from Alaska for wildlife management, threatening rural Alaskans' ability to subsist; more than 11 million acres of the NPR-A have been ruled off-limits for development; 12 million acres in ANWR have been locked up; 10 million acres of the outer continental shelf closed; and Alaska's coal industry has been all but  shuttered.

Meanwhile, we've seen a steady decline of oil in the trans-Alaska pipeline which, along with collapsing oil prices, has left us economically vulnerable. The truth is, more federally subsidized windmills and other noneconomic "alternative" energy platforms aren't going to bring our economy back and put Alaskans back to work.

Frankly, the 36-year Murkowski dynasty has led Alaska down a dead-end road, using precious political leverage for an ever-diminishing share of federal money instead of forcing open our rich-resource base. It's time for a course correction.

Unlike my opponents, if I am elected as your U.S. senator, I'll use every tool at my disposal to force the federal government's hand, bring back state, local and tribal control, and put Alaskans in control of their own destiny.

I'll work to reform the federal tax code to make it fair and simple. This will spur economic growth, bring trillions of dollars currently in offshore tax shelters back into the American economy, and create jobs.

I'll work to roll back harmful regulations and get the feds off our backs so Alaskan industry can flourish again.

I'll also oppose TPP trade deal and other harmful globalist treaties that rig the game against American companies and infringe on our rights. Instead, I'll work to ensure that we get free and fair trade deals that don't threaten our national sovereignty, and that advantage America, not her enemies.

[Joe Miller to run as Libertarian in hopes of unseating Sen. Lisa Murkowski]

Unlike Lisa Murkowski, I'll also strongly oppose the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and any other U.N. treaties that infringe on American sovereignty, threaten our constitutional liberties, subjugate U.S. business to international regulatory agencies, impose U.N. taxes on Americans, or redistribute America's wealth and technology.

As a combat veteran of the first Gulf War, I also understand the unique challenges facing our military personnel. Our men and women in uniform must be equipped with the latest and best technology, and must never be sent into harm's way except in the interest of America's security or her strategic national interest. I oppose military interventionism, and will insist that Congress must declare war.

I ask Alaskans, does economic recession work for you? Are you better off today than you were six years ago? Are you more optimistic for the future?

If you understand, as I do, that we're headed down a dead-end road; if you believe, as I do, that we can do better; I'm asking for your vote on Tuesday.

Together, we can get the federal government off our backs and get Alaska moving again. The future is in your hands.

Joe Miller was the 2010 Alaska Republican Party nominee for the U.S. Senate. He is West Point and Yale Law School graduate, and earned a master's in economics from the University of Alaska, where he served as an adjunct professor. Miller is a combat veteran and has served as an Alaska and federal magistrate judge.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email to commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.