OK, this will be short. Really. I’ve spent the week writing a detailed document on how the oil giveaway passed last year requires nothing from oil companies in return for their billions in Alaska tax breaks. Giving away billions without requiring anything in return is a fool’s game. And it’s killing our schools.
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Today I filed legislation no party in power would like. It will give you back your vote by eliminating the power the party in power has to gerrymander districts in their favor. This hasn’t been a monopoly of Republicans, though they gerrymandered Alaska’s lines most recently in 2012. Parties have used their majority status to “gerrymander” districts, to try to pre-determine election results, since Governor Elbridge Gerry did it in 1812.
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There’s still quite a bit of work to do on the budget, and your input is needed. If you live in Anchorage, testimony is Tuesday from 4:15 to 5:45. The temporary legislative information office (LIO) is located at 733 W 4th Ave, Suite 100 (right across the street from the former location). You must sign in to testify, and testimony is limited to two minutes per person. A list of testimony times and days for people around the state can be found below.
Read More →This Saturday you get your say to legislators. In Person! That means you get to speak your mind, rather than send e-mails that some legislators don’t read, or letters that some legislators may toss. Back Problem Alert: I will be coming out of a back procedure and hope to make it all day Saturday, but have to get clearance from my doc!
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Dear Neighbors- As you know, I’m in that camp of folks who think the Legislature DID NOT NEED the new, fancy, and more importantly, expensive Anchorage off-session digs. Not at a price tag that raises our rent and utilities from roughly $680,000 a year to roughly $5 million a year. Not when this state is bleeding from deficits.
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Class, welcome to the first day of Third Grade. Oops. I just got reality mixed up with, well, disturbing reality. As you may know, the Governor, and according to him, some unnamed Legislators, threatened they would deny infrastructure and other projects to the people of Ketchikan because the community filed a lawsuit against the state. See here. At least the Governor was honest.
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