Party politics put safety on Thomas’ shooting range vote
Published Saturday, March 22, 2008
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Stumble It!JUNEAU — The careful Capitol observer might have noticed that Sen. Joe Thomas, D-Fairbanks, this week voted against an amendment that would have added money to the budget for state-owned shooting ranges, something Thomas supports.
That happens sometimes, and it has to do with majority-minority politics.
In some cases, majority members are “locked down” on votes, as they often are when budget bills come to the House or Senate floor. Other times it’s less formal, but in both cases, it’s about the majority maintaining order and control.
“It’s just a process of getting things done,” Thomas said of his vote against the shooting range money, some of which would have gone to the indoor range in Fairbanks.
The amendment was offered by the one minority member on the Senate Finance Committee and wasn’t supported by the majority. Thomas, who’s on the committee, said he didn’t want to hurt any relationships with other members by voting for the amendment when he knew it was going to fail anyway.
He added that in this case, he thought the funding would get restored later as part of a bigger plan.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a Democrat from Bethel and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said Friday that Senate leaders were still discussing the issue with Gov. Sarah Palin.
Speaking of politics
House Democrats want better representation on two powerful legislative committees.
As it stands, the minority groups in the House and Senate get proportional representation on most committees — if the minority makes up one-third of total body, it gets one-third of the seats on each of the committees.
But that’s not true for the Legislative Council and the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, which are comprised of Senate and House members. State law specifies only that there be at least one member from each of the two major political parties. (The bipartisan Senate leadership allowed one member of the Republican minority on the committees this session.)
Rep. Max Gruenberg of Anchorage is pushing a bill that would require proportional representation on those committees, too. He’s a Democrat, and Democrats are in the minority.
“The Legislative Council runs the Legislature — particularly when it’s not in session,” Gruenberg said Friday. “It’s extremely important that the minority be represented on there.”
The budget and audit committee is important because it’s the main venue for oversight of state finances, he added.
All other House Democrats have signed onto the bill as co-sponsors, including Reps. David Guttenberg and Scott Kawasaki of Fairbanks.
The bill, HB 412, is scheduled for its first hearing next week.
AGIA timeline ticks along
Palin’s gas line team still isn’t saying when it will issue a decision on the TransCanada gas pipeline proposal.
Joe Balash, Palin’s special assistant, said Thursday the team had not yet made a decision, but he suggested the public might not hear about it when they do.
The catch stems from a legal question dealing with the timing of making the decision and drafting and releasing the supporting document, according to Balash. Assuming the administration does decide to issue a state license, lawmakers will have 60 days to review and vote on the plan once they get a notice of intent from the administration.
For now, members of the gas line team and armies of consultants are busy picking apart the proposal.
Bills on the move
A bill sponsored by Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, extending the statute of limitations on complaints filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission moved out of the Senate State Affairs Committee on Thursday. The bill, SB 199, would extend the limit from one year to four years.
Another bill sponsored by Therriault passed the Senate last week without opposition and is scheduled for a hearing in the House next week. That bill, SB 149, would allow nonprofits like the Lions Club of Alaska to provide used eyeglasses to needy Alaskans.
A bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Fairbanks, dealing with non-union workers and project labor agreements moved out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee last week and had its first hearing in the House Finance Committee on Thursday. The bill is HB 391.
Community Discussion
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Here we are talking about wasting money on shooting ranges in Fairbanks, When we have dangerous intersections in the Denali Borough, The intersection at Mile 231 of the Parks Hwy is just asking for someone to get kill this summer,,,,,,,,,,, also the one in Cantwell and it intersects with another major hwy , Denali Hwy and it has taken a life or two over the years , WE NEED TURN LANES , we need a bike path to help get bicycles of the highway in Denali Borough, we probably get at least 80% of all vehicles that come to Alaska driving between Cantwell and Healy and we have some of the unsafest road with bad intersections and no bike paths,,, and we have money for shooting ranges , fish hatcharies.... ect.
Gordon, the money for highways come from specific source of money, not the same as the shooting range. I have driven the highway from Fairbanks through Cantwell to the igloo for many years, I TOTALLY agree with the needs you are refering to, but please realize that you are off base with the tie between the two sources of money.
I would also like to point out the fact that here is a politician telling us he had to support the party over his community, exactly what is going on in this country from the top to the bottom and he is so comfortable with how this is becoming the 'norm' that he just says it over the shoulder, so to speak. I voted for you Joe, because your party means more for you, i wont do that again.
Johnw612 , you may be right about that and if that is the case then that would mean to me there is something wrong with the system that doesn't put safety of the people first..........
John, just as Gordon is way off base on the highway thing - you are way off base on the politics thing. You cant condemn Joe on such a trivial issue. The bill was going to fail regardless of how he voted. Remember that the party represents the people, and whats good for the goose is good for the gander. Its not like he aided the enemy. The issue of a few extra bucks at the shooting range is nothing compared to party politics. Your ignorant instigating is corrosive - making a mountain out of a molehill and merely intended to get a rise out of people.
So Freezee so you are saying that I am way off base on safety of people on the highways,,,,,, and it seem like you are saying it is okay for people to get hurt or even killed because of lack of good roads, that was the point I was tried to make , I really don't care about party politics don't belong to either one, I vote for who I feel will do the best for the people........
Gordon I think Freezee has circled the correct answer. Thomas isnt voting in a vacuum. When you are a politician you play politics. You failed to include a very inportant part of the article. The part you are missing is his statement where he said the funds will most likely be included as part of a bigger budget plan.
Dont judge his political washing until the machine is finished
I'm saying your highway safety plea is out of place. It has nothing to do with the story you are commenting about. Write a letter to the editor if you want to start the discussion of road safety in Denali. The money involved in the shooting ranges is not going to fix the road between Cantwell and Healy.
Gordon Rep. Thomas represents the people of fairbanks not the denali borough. Talk to your Rep. why the road situation isnt getting the proper attention
Gentleman
Allow me to stir the pot a bit, I believe the Parks Hiway is also supported by federal money and to get what you are asking "turning lanes or better yet pedestrian over passes" would take ear mark money from them. Oh we can't do that anymore its improper.
As for the shooting ranges which are in the three largest populated areas supporting the majority of the people. Which we in the urban areas are mandated to take Hunter Safety but the people off the road systems do not. And the safety record proves hunter ed works.
As for the hatcheries we have been supporting building the Fairbanks one for three years now every time you buy a fishing or hunting license. Do we get the money back?
And one other thing the school is 20 million short all because someone in Bethels was playing political niceness.
Lyman Hoffman of Bethels started all three of these messes. How about let's take the fight to his door step, get our lawmakers to support the Gov. Palin and do the job we elected them for. I didn't elect them to for political correctness but to support the people.
I want a rep who votes EACH issue on its merit, not based who I can get to vote on something bigger or different with me on the next issue. If more people demanded an end to politics as usual and quit accepting excuses, I mean rational, we might actually get the power back to the people. Which, by the way, is exactly what comment areas in a local paper are supposed to do, give a voice to the community so others can agree or disagree and get the lines of communication open. Maybe Gordon missed that point while he was calling me ignorant for expressing a point of view he disagreed with, but I forgive him. If the worst thing that happens to me today is being called ignorant LIFE IS GOOD!
For the record, the Denali Borough is part of Senate District "D" which is the seat Sen. Thomas holds. So he does represent Gordon. As for different pots of money, most budgets are built around appropriations directly out of the general fund including state dollars that are coupled with federal dollars for highway projects although they can be funded without federal match if necessary. This cetainly is not the method of choice due to expense.
Dave the coupling of money, and please correct me if I am wrong, is set that new items are federal and maintenance is state.
wow some good discussion here, have learn a few more things on how the systems works...... and maybe Freezee is right about me being off topic but still have a concern about safety issues that I feel need to be address in this state.....
I want rainbows everyday and free-range unicorns and politicians who vote for the people. Its a good thing that I have come to terms with the fact that thats not the way things work, or I would be one miserable little girl!
You're right John, to the best of my limited knowledge new construction is typically done with lots of federal money. I believe that in most cases, if not all, there is a state match that goes along with federal dollars. New roads, additional lanes, overpasses, etc. are considered new as well as major re-construction. Chip sealing, potholes, crack repair, and some asphalt re-surfacing is done by the state maintenance crews. I think Gordons point was that somewhere along the line decisions are made to fund particular items in the budget process. Someone indicated that money for highways is not part of the same source of money for other needs. I'll definetly look into the funding sources for DOT projects and the shooting range funds and see if they are seperate from the beginning or if they are, as I believe, generated from the general fund.
Hey,
How about we just privatize the shooting ranges and hatcheries and get this out of our pockets and back into the Capitalist market. Do you think a private firm could run this better?
Lots of hatcheries are privately funded, Ian Anderson the singer has been very successful with them. The insurance on a gun range though, fugetabotit; a person would be asking to go bankrupt.
YMBC, I believe your comment was addressed in a previous story on the issue. I'd suggest searching the archive or past stories for the exact reasoning, but I believe that someone was quoted as mentioning the cost of running the air filtration system for the indoor range made it impossible to run without exorbitant user fees.
Umm, thanks JB?
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