Ask why
Published Friday, August 22, 2008
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Stumble It!To the editor:
I have lived in the Interior of Alaska for more than 23 years. The military sent me up here, and I stayed after retiring from the Air Force. I have enjoyed the people and Alaska’s natural beauty but some questions need to be asked to our political leaders and answers demanded.
1. I was in California for medical treatment and just returned home. Gasoline there was $3.89 a gallon. Here, it is $4.39. California has a 7.25 percent sales tax; Alaska has none. California gasoline road tax is 18 cents per gallon, and Alaska’s is 8 cents. In other words, there is 40 cents a gallon more in taxes but gasoline there is 50 cents a gallon cheaper! When you add the difference in taxes plus the difference in sales price, it approaches 90 cents a gallon. Mayor Whitaker formed a task force to look into this several years ago. Nothing happened. Ask why.
2. Food at the commissary and liquor at the Class Six store on the military bases used to be much cheaper. The senior senator from Alaska placed an add-on to a military appropriation bill in the 1980s making local purchases for the military stores be locally purchased for Alaska only. Ask why.
3. Ask why did our assessments go up when the real estate market is going south. Kinda outta touch with reality. Maybe a class action lawsuit is warranted in order to reflect assessments to the current market conditions.
4. Ask why the Legislature did not fund the energy relief per household versus per person. I can only imagine a single, elderly person shouting that true relief was provided.
It will be hard for me to vote for many incumbents this election cycle. When I have asked why to hard questions in the past, I have received the old politician axioms, “I’ll get back to you” or “We will form a group to study the issue.”
Ask why we have had no real good-paying job growth in the state for years except for government. Promises are over. Ask why and demand an answer!
Randy Clendaniel
North Pole
Community Discussion
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You're just now learning not to vote for any incumbents. I can't remember the last incumbent I voted for. It may have been Ronald Reagan.
Not bad questions. One note, though: the single, elderly person's "relief" would be the same if it were one $1200 rebate per household or per Alaska resident.
Randy Clendaniel
I agree ask why on those and on our resources, plus any other question.
The trouble is usually they don't give answers to any questions.
The only stupid question is the one not asked, over and over if need be.
Look at:
Legislature’s energy plan is flawed
Rep. Scott Kawasaki, Community Perspective
Published Sunday, August 17, 2008
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/aug/1...
21 comments in 5 days yesterday.
Hasn't given 1 answers to any questions.
"Yet, I remain preoccupied." he said
Yet, many others, and myself remain preoccupied waiting for an answer.
"preoccupied."
If you have been here 23 years, you should by now have figured out the answers to all of your questions. When are some people going to realize it is just a small town at the end of the road in the middle of a vast and beautiful wilderness. But for many of us we love it as it is.
I could not care less for what goes on Outside. That is why I moved to Alaska. I knew that the cost of living in Fairbanks was going to be higher than the cost of living in California.
BTW, give California back to its rightful owners, Mexico. That would solve a lot of our socialist problems.
I can't believe you are complaining about the prices at the commissary. I worked there for awhile and just for comparison - a box of cereal is like $1.50! Most things compare that way - except for milk. That is the only thing that is the same.
Have you been to Safeway lately?
Ditto, FREE DARFUR, But what about giving the Republic of Kaliforina" back to Mexico? If they want it; let them try to take it by forse,That's the way we got it in the first place!
Small towns at the end of the road in vast and beautiful wilderness. Well those people who live in that small town need to eat and stay warm during the winter. FreeDarfur you might be comfortable, but many are not. And even small towns need to advance with the times and provide good paying jobs to ensure people can afford to live here. Otherwise, the small town will disappear at the end of that road and all you will have is wilderness. I guess the moose will like that.
All seem valid questions except the Energy relief one which is looking a little cloudy to me.
Akbychoice pretty much summed it up for me as well.
You'll never get your answers, we the people can't run a litmus test on which criminal we are electing to office, by the time we found out we actually picked the greater of the two evils we can't run them out of town either.
Politicians enjoy way too much protectionism and the only way to get em up and out is for another politician to do it typically from the other party or from within, (Stevens, Lieberman)
If your in the market for a new vehicle and you have to buy one and the lots only have one model in two colors and both vehicles cost the same but it isn't the model or the color you desire will you buy it? Yep.. and you'll leave thinking you had a choice. That in a nut shell is what we have with a the current duopoly. It's going to be difficult to find a way too beat the current strategy, Rob Peter to Pay Paul to ensure Pauls vote and financial support... (paul would be oil in this instance)
GOP will side with DNC before they will with you because you are only a pseudo threat once every 2-4 years thats even if you do vote. The opposing party is always an internal threat but a covert ally. It's all about job security.
As for Gas Prices heres a few excuses: (humor)
1. We have operational issues at the refinery.
2. We don't have a carbon cracker
3. We are exploring three alternative options so we shutdown so we can think the refinery noise distracted us from concentrating.
4. It's anything else you can think of but it isn't gouging...
5. We have to pay for lengthy transportation costs
6. The refinery primarily only produces Aviation Fuel
7. Damn squirrels ate the wiring again
8. Train was late tracks are too cold
9. Your getting more gas then you think for the money already, we can't calibrate the pumps to account for temperature variances and when gas is cold you get more volume when it heats up.
10. Ducks are nesting on tanks 2,3, and 4 so we had to shut them down.
why are folks still whining about the cost of living in FBKS???
Actually it is much cheaper to live here than in many lowwer 48 cities.
go home, go home...and let FBKS once again become a little town at the end of the road.
My assessment went down on my property taxes..... just saying!
FYI, California was NOT originally “owned” by Mexico. It was occupied by Indians and it was stolen from them, as was most of this country.
1. So the local government should regulate supply and demand. Totally due away with free trade.
2. I’m retired and the Commissary is much cheaper on most items.
3. I own 2 houses and 2 pieces of land and all assessments went down (not enough though)
4. I thought this was resource wealth redistribution that is going to all owners as defined by the PFD rules.
5. And the best for last…. The state MUST MAKE Ford open a truck plant here in Fairbanks to provide us great jobs because it can’t cost to much to ship all the parts in and then ship all the trucks back out can it?. And the trucks are in so high of demand right now!!!!
I looked at moving to the lower 48 and the few places where you could get a job had a higher cost of living. Overall I’m much better off here than in a big lower 48 city!!!!
Sherry and Halfway... you must not look at your receipt and did the math. it is cheaper to shop off post cuz at the commissary you get charged a surcharge tax for building upkeep. so it is actually not cheaper. Thank the lord for fred meyers and safeway not charging a tax to upkeep their building or I would have to drive to anchorage for groceries.
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