Comments by xhiker
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Posted on May 20 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Public employee unions and their associated contracts are the problem.
Fairbanks should privatize fire and ambulance service, opening these jobs up to fair competition. That would undoubtedly result in better levels of service at far lower overall cost to the taxpayers.
These jobs should be employment-at-will with no contract. There are plenty of qualified firefighters around who can satisfy the needs of the community. A combination full-time and volunteer force would work well for the City.
Ambulance service should be reduced to the EMT III level. There is no need for paramedic level service. Do a study and discover that having expensive paramedics on staff doesn't provide better care nor does it save more lives than a good EMT III level service would. EMT training and certification are available through the State at far lower cost than outside paramedic schools. Every single fire fighter on staff can and should be EMT III certified.
The truth is that the IAFF union has a binding contract that protects the fire fighters wages and benefits at the expense of City residents. That stranglehold must be broken and free competition brought in. City residents deserves better than they are getting and until something dramatic is done wages and benefits for the fire fighters will remain far above what the City residents who pays the bills get.
Fire fighting is an honorable profession but lets be real here...it doesn't take all that much to be a fire fighter. Almost any able-bodied man or woman can function as a fire fighter or medic with minimal training. And, contrary to a common misperception, it isn't even that dangerous. How many Fairbanks fire fighters have ever been killed fighting a fire? I believe the number is zero.
Get rid of the public union and their contract, establish a combination paid/volunteer force and dump the paramedic service. That would solve the City's fire department problems for good!
On Fairbanks City Council rejects three-year contract for firefighters
Posted on May 10 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's a wonder that they didn't also charge him with having a loaded firearm inside the park boundary. That is another bogus and unconstitutional Federal regulation that exists in direct contradiction to the 2nd Amendment.
On Iditarod musher Jeff King pleads not guilty to killing moose inside Denali Park
Posted on May 9 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vote Young out of office. First he makes direct statements on his plan to raise taxes then he lies about it. Young obviously has joined the ranks of the political elite. As he said, he's not worried about any of us when we "drive like idiots" to our jobs or to the store for food.
I'm pretty sure that Young has enough money, not to mention the cushy retirement package that Congress gave themselves, that he'll never need to worry about his finances. I suppose that frees him to treat the rest of us like serfs.
We need some serious turnover in Alaska's Congressional delegation. It is time for new blood across the board. Get rid of the old fat cats who think residents are only good for money and votes.
Posted on May 9 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Alaska, the land of the rugged and self-reliant individualist! When did the Alaska turn into a welfare state? So the high cost of energy is putting a hurt on a bunch of unprepared people. That is terrible but not a reason to start doling out public money. America is a land of freedom where we make our choices and live by them. If conditions get untenable in one place we're free to move to another, more hospitable place. If you can't find work that will pay your bills in Alaska then move to somewhere else. If you didn't take the necessary steps to secure your future (savings, education, etc.) then stand up and accept the consequences. I can understand why politicians insist on handing out public money lollipops to all the down-and-outs but why do all the hard working people who ultimately pay the price stand for it? To all you people with your hands out: do whatever it takes to rectify your situation but do it through your own efforts and stop asking for or accepting public money.
Posted on May 9 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Seven years plus is much too long for this type of crime. Someone lying in the middle of the roadway, dead drunk and overdosed on Benadryl is not an innocent victim and would very likely have gotten run over by a sober person (had one happened along before another drunk person). A sober person running over this "victim" would have generated no crime, just a horrible accident. That person would have said the same thing that Garner said: "I never saw her!"
The situation would have been different if Garner had swerved up onto the sidewalk and run down a pedestrian or crossed the centerline to collide with another car full of innocents. But that isn't what happened. He ran over a drunk who was passed out in the middle of the road in the middle of the night in the middle of the winter. Giving him 7+ years for that is a travesty of justice that serves no purpose at all.
Posted on May 9 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Face it, it was the pity card that got this young and inexperienced guy his head coach position and a seat on the UA Regents. He's not qualified for either as his overall record shows. In 8 years has the team ever gone the entire distance? Not once and we don't reward non-performance. Give someone else a chance to pull the team together and maybe put together a truly winning season instead of only going 90% of the way.
On the Board of Regents what can Eric really offer? He doesn't have broad life experience. Never served the country. Didn't have a career of any kind. Didn't start his own business. Never established a serious relationship. All the things that go into forging a wise and thoughtful leader. Where is the well of experience that Eric can draw on? There isn't one. He never had the opportunity to build one.
Eric is just a young guy who was terribly disabled. The community reached out and gave him unearned opportunities through misplaced compassion. He hasn't been able to capitalize on those gifts and now he's on his way out. Good luck to him but it is time for everyone to move on, including Eric.
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Posted on May 20 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Privatization works just fine. After all, most Alaskans and Americans are in the private sector doing great work without a straightjacket public union contract.
That said, privatization wouldn't have been my first choice but the IAFF contract doesn't allow for the City to dump the IAFF to go with a City-sponsored non-union labor force. The Union has the City handcuffed and the only possible way to break the stranglehold is for the City to get out of the firefighting business entirely. Hence the need for privatization.
City workers, including the fire fighters, are going to run Fairbanks into bankruptcy. They are already costing the taxpayers a fortune. Unions are great to protect the rights of workers but what happens when the Union gains the upper hand through a contract that takes away the management rights of their employer? The Mayor and City Council can't control their labor costs due to the contracts they've inherited. It is time to break through those barriers and re-establish a fair equilibrium.
On Fairbanks City Council rejects three-year contract for firefighters