No Gov’t Handouts for Private Schools
Today in Juneau, hundreds of concerned parents, students and community members assembled on the steps of the Capitol building to support an increase in school funding (by raising the Base Student Allocation) and to oppose government handouts to private and religious schools. “We just cannot divert public money to private schools. It’s simply a bad idea,” said Dave Noon, a parent of a public elementary school student and a history professor. “As you look through history, there is no roster of heroes who opposed public education.” “Constitutional Conservatives” who usually advocate for the Constitution as an unassailable, and unchanging document,…
We Need a Paint Job.
I enjoy painting. Really. Maybe it’s because my grandfather was a painter and I really liked him, but for whatever reason I don’t mind being on a ladder with a brush for hours at a time. Oh, did you think I meant painting bowls of fruit? No. I like painting houses. But the best part is when you’re done. You stand back and see the transformation to a new look that was long overdue. From the first drop of color on the wall to the trim caulking. There’s a start and an end. Painting is satisfying. (I realize some people…
Bird of the Week – Wilson’s Phalarope
There are three species of Phalaropes in Alaska; this one, by a considerable margin, is the least common. Phalaropes are unusual in that sexual roles are reversed; the male is drabber, and does all of the brooding of the eggs and raises the chicks. The more colorful female lays the eggs and leaves. This proto-feminist male was photographed at Creamer’s Refuge in 2008. For more bird photos, visit Frozen Feather Images.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Here’s wishing you the most joyful of Valentine’s Days, Mudpups. For those without a game plan, a few suggestions: Let’s honor all couples and all families. It’s unbelievable that Ted Cruz and Mike Lee (looking quite altar-bound themselves here) would launch their marriage revocation initiative today. For today’s musical accompaniment, I recommend this unbelievable New Orleans jazz cover of a Guns’n’Roses classic. Miche Brand of Postmodern Jukebox wields her lush vocals so sweetly, she can even save Axl Rose from himself. Lastly, if you’re in a part of the country covered in snow, I suggest rounding up whatever supplies you need…
5 Stories of Don Young Crazy
The Washington Post got 30mins with Alaska’s lone Congressman, Don Young. As anyone familiar with Young can tell you – it was going to be interesting. The conversation ranged from the time he scolded a “good looking blonde” Congresswoman for sitting in his chair to getting Pres. Bush to get a cigar for him. You can check out the full interview at WashingtonPost.com – it’s worth a watch (just have a bottle of something handy). The interview got me thinking though. What are the most ‘incredible’ (read: ridiculous) stories from Don Young’s never ending political run. He’s said and done…
Oil? Bloated. You? Shrinkage.
The numbers have been crunched. The “Big Five” oil companies – BP, Exxon-Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell, and Chevron saw a combined profit of $93 billion last year. Profit. Billion with a B. That’s $177,000 every single minute, of every day last year. Profit. Outrageous! The poor babies… Despite what any reasonable person might think about the money pouring in to the most profitable companies ever to have existed on the face of the earth, they would still like to keep their tax breaks, please. And in Alaska, their best buddy in the governor’s office would like Alaskans to keep subsidizing this…
Guess What Happened to Drew Pritt
The notorious Caleb (Drew) Pritt, accused of stealing funds raised for a wounded vet and fleeing the state is now running for public office in Arkansas. Pritt became well-known in Alaska when he left the state after a sum of money raised from a drag show to upgrade a home for a wounded veteran went missing. The drag show benefit raised about $3,000 for the project, but the funds were never seen. The wounded soldier was Latseen Benson, son of former Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Diane Benson. He lost both of his legs in a bomb blast while serving in…
John Oliver Mocks Ubertarians
Whenever the smug and privileged gather to congratulate themselves, as they did in San Francisco this week, it’s always fun to see the hired court jester’s barbs land a bit close to home. A few White House Correspondents’ Dinners ago, Stephen Colbert’s tour de force in causing audience discomfort became legendary along these lines. And so it was Monday night in the epicenter of tech industry wealth and one-percentiness. Pointing out the unlikely feat of gentrifying what had already been a ridiculously expensive city to begin with, Oliver reminded the well-heeled digerati at Tech Crunch’s “Crunchies” awards that they’re no…
Parnell Goes ‘Christie’ – Shakedown in Ketchikan
“Gov. Sean Parnell’s warning that he might shut off Ketchikan’s access to state construction funds in retaliation for its lawsuit challenging state education funding reverberated Friday as a kind of ‘Chris Christie’ moment.” That’s not me saying that. That’s Richard Mauer in the Anchorage Daily News. What makes Parnell’s Christie moment even more remarkable than even Chris Christie’s “Christie moment,” is that the statement you’re about to read didn’t come cloaked in speculation. Nobody wondered if Parnell knew about the shakedown. There are no subpoenas, or investigations. There is no in-depth political analysis or speculation about what the governor knew…
Alaska’s Monied Masters & the Senate Race
It was probably five years ago when the Koch Brothers hit my radar. I was at a conference of grassroots community folks and one guy in particular was describing these eccentric brothers, born into wealth, who were hell-bent on remaking America. Their predatory libertarian hybrid philosophy wasn’t new to me. I grew up around cranky old men who lived in cabins and argued with each other around the big table at the Anchor River Inn. Oh, they’d all come to Alaska to get away from America. The difference between their rants and the Koch Brothers? They were poor. All they…