Weed, Serial Killer & Berlusconi!
Egyptian President Muhamed Morsi has decided he likes democratic reform when it brings him to power, but finds dictatorship preferable once there. Speaking of “same as the old boss,” disgraced Italian Casanova Silvio Berlusconi is poised to make the most implausible political comeback since Bibi Netanyahu Richard Nixon. Don’t make us come over there, Syria. Mining companies in Canada are discovering these renewable forms of energy are pretty nifty, especially when they’re the only ones available to you. Oh, the irony. Colorado and Washington went to pot a month ago, and now Uncle Sam has to decide how firmly…
Alaska the Swing State?
Well, here’s something to sink our collective teeth into. Nate Silver, god of numbers, statistical wizard, and Grand Political Prognisticator has just written a piece on his blog at the New York Times entitled… are you ready for this… Alaska: Future Swing State? I started. I caught my breath audibly. My brain revved furiously. Was this a trick? Nope. All looked well, as I skimmed through at Evelyn Wood Speed Reading pace. Silver has several interesting points. First, he notes that Alaska showed the most improved performance for President Obama since 2008. He also rightly notes that Sarah Palin…
BREAKING: Pozonsky Resigns…Again.
The embattled Paul Pozonsky has resigned as hearing officer for the State of Alaska. This news confirmed by the Department of Labor this afternoon. His resignation came yesterday. I asked if it was under pressure from the governor and was told his resignation was for “personal reasons”. This story broke my column for the Anchorage Daily News last Sunday and was followed up by posts from Jeanne Devon and Linda Kellen Biegel. I will link more information as it comes in.
Gifts That Support The Mudflats!
Support The Mudflats and spread some holiday cheer with two great gifts! For a fifty dollar donation, I’ll sign a copy of the New York Times best-selling book Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin. I’ll even personalize it to whomever you like… it makes a great present, AND you support our important work here at the Mudflats. The book was co-authored by former Palin aide Frank Bailey, award-winning novelist Ken Morris, and yours truly. Blind Allegiance continues to provide insight into Alaskan politics of the day, and explains the rise of one of the most controversial and inexplicable politicians of modern times. When…
The New ADN Paywall
The publisher of the Anchorage Daily News has announced the paper will begin charging readers 80 bucks a year to access its website. In one respect, I’m quite sympathetic to the paper’s move. I support paying reporters, editors, photographers and others who allow a news organization to exist. Few of the folks who are howling, and who feel entitled to the work of others for free, go to their own jobs without compensation. I believe an informed citizenry is crucial to a functioning democracy, and we had better ensure journalists continue to cover things like school board meetings, legislative hearings,…
Is Pozonsky Eligible for AK Bar?
This past weekend, Shannyn Moore broke an important story in the Opnion Section of the Anchorage Daily News. She revealed that Governor Sean Parnell hired a new hearing officer for the Workers’ Compensation Board…Paul Pozonsky, a former judge from Pennsylvania. …a “former judge” who was stripped of his ability to hear criminal cases in Pennsylvania this past June and immediately resigned. Jeanne Devon followed-up with a fascinating back-story showing the family connections that give the Pozonsky’s influence over some of the most powerful individuals in Alaska, past and present. Both articles raise many questions as to the circumstances surrounding Mr….
OMG! Liberal Palin Freak Out!
I think I heard something… That familiar grinding sound like when you’ve worn through a pair of brake shoes. Shhh… Hear that? Ah! Yes. I’ve got it. That metal on metal noise used to be Alaska’s governor. She’s managed to grab a moment in the spotlight again by… wait for it… saying dumb stuff. Shocking. After the last election cycle in which her party was soundly thrashed, she lost her one remaining claim to anything remotely serious. She’s now no longer the immediate past Republican Vice Presidential nominee. That embarrassing mantle is now worn by Congressman Paul Ryan. That makes…
Corrective Action?
By Patrick Flynn Anchorage Assemblyman, Downtown District Everyone makes mistakes. Indeed, if humans were on some sort of mistake quota system I’d likely be cadging ducats from friends in order to keep myself within limits. And I’ll let someone else tell you about the “negative example” marketing plan once proffered on my behalf. But the important thing about making mistakes is learning from them and doing better the next time. Which, of course, leads us to the Assembly’s badly bungled reapportionment process toward which my antipathy knows few bounds (examples here and here). To summarize, three members met…
Parnell Hiring Scandal leads back to Dyson, Kopp, Palin
Chuck Kopp, Chief of Staff to Republican State Senator Fred Dyson, and a two-week Palin administration official, dismissed over a sex scandal is now at the center of another firestorm – the controversial hiring of his brother-in-law Paul Pozonsky by the Parnell administration. Pozonsky, a Pennsylvania judge under investigation for destroying evidence (including crack cocaine and cash) in 17 criminal cases was hired by the Parnell administration as an Alaska hearings officer. He was given the job despite his late application, the fact that the current investigation has stripped him of his ability to hear cases, and that he was…
Corporate Welfare By State
New York Times reporter Louise Story has an incredibly well researched piece on today’s front page, which, if you live in a state like Alaska where corporate tax “incentives” are currently all the rage, will be of interest to you. Alongside the piece is a fantastic, interactive map where you can break down corporate welfare by state, industry and more. (“Fantastic” refers to its functionality, not to what it reveals.)