Anchorage public schools face a $68 million shortfall. This is not an accident. The flat-funding of schools since the Parnell administration has forced our school board to reallocate small reserve accounts to make ad hoc fixes for each current year. This year, those chickens have come home to roost.Alaska is a red state. Republicans like to boast about their control of Alaska. Go to the Alaska GOP’s web page. Proudly displayed are the faces of their political machine, from the U.S. Senate through the governor on down.
Republicans can’t have it both ways. They can’t brag about their stranglehold on Alaska and then try to dodge their responsibility for the budgetary and fiscal mess we find ourselves in.
Listen carefully to the Republicans on the campaign trail. What do they talk about? The “Big Lie,” Joe Biden and conspiracy theories. Democratic candidates, on the other hand, are talking about real issues that affect us, like school closings.
With a few notable exceptions, Republicans are troublemakers while Democrats are problem solvers. Alaskans need to figure out who they want running Alaska and vote accordingly.
— Elstun W. Lauesen
Anchorage
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