The Pipe and the Pump – The Price We Pay
By Rep. Les Gara Do you want to be bound, by contract, to pay natural gas prices that are double what is paid in the Lower 48 – for the next 20 or 30 years? How’s that for attracting business to Alaska? How’s that for your pocketbook? The folks who held the press conference on Tuesday didn’t mention any of that, did they? Unfortunately, the gasline debate has devolved into competing sound bites. Those pushing the project want you to think the lights will go out tomorrow if you don’t do what they propose. It’s bad policy to scare people…
How the Alaska House Gave Away State Sovereignty to the Federal Government
By Rep. Les Gara I’m not a big fan of failure, and not a big fan of spending money on wasted Special Sessions. I’ve now voted three times, including yesterday, to pass the Coastal Zone Management bill that passed the Bi-Partisan Senate Monday, but surprisingly failed by three votes in the House yesterday. Failure to pass the bill gave away a big piece of state sovereignty to the federal government. Click HERE for a link to my speech on the House Floor on why I believed the bill should have passed, or read the text at the end of this…
Sean Hannity Tries to Cover for Palin’s Lies About Genocide
Imagine how our friend Representative Les Gara felt when he returnd from a peaceful fishing trip to find that Sean Hannity and the Palin apologists over at Conservatives4Palin were calling him a “liar”. That in itself means nothing, of course – only that someone said something less than flattering about Sarah Palin, and knees jerked in response. Remember, these are the people that go on Wikipedia and literally attempt to change history rather than admit that Sarah Palin utters anything but the unvarnished truth. But just on principle lets set the record straight. It’ll be a nice treat for the…
Voices from the Flats – Orwellian Juneau and Sean Parnell’s $2B Oil Tax Rollback
By Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage) The slick oil tax ads are starting. And when political ads begin, you start to wonder whether telling a fib is cheaper than telling the truth. Well, because political ads cost lots of money, and they tend to be more fib than truth. So, fibbing must be cheaper than telling the truth, right? Or, maybe in politics it’s just more effective to mislead people. Nah. No one would ever do that. Not when billions in state oil revenue are at stake. As you know, the governor has proposed the biggest oil company tax rollback in…
White Knight v. Carpet Baggin’ Dragon! Call to Action!
It seems sometimes like politics attracts all the wrong people. The very job that needs selfless people with high moral principle, honesty, and a desire to serve the community, with no particular burning need for power and prestige, too often attracts the wrong kind. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are plenty of people who are good people looking for ways to make a difference, but not too many of them want to jump into the shark tank. But every once in a while somebody who ought to run for office, does. And every once in a while that…
Rep. Les Gara on Palin, The Stimulus, and Renewable Energy for Alaska
By Rep. Les Gara Alaska has the highest energy prices in the nation. The solution to the problem isn’t rejecting funds that could (if we choose) be dedicated to build wind, hydro and other renewable energy production. Urban Alaska is facing a dangerous short-term shortage of natural gas. Rural Alaska is facing a shortage of affordable, reliable energy. The nation is trying to grapple with an over-reliance on foreign oil. The Governor’s decision doesn’t help the national goal of domestic energy production to minimize our reliance on energy from rogue countries, or countries that are leading to world instability. It…
Les Gara on Wayne Anthony Ross.
As you might guess, I will vote against Mr. Ross today, and the vote will be close, if it happens. There is a chance, if he doesn’t have the votes, that the Legislature will not vote on him at all and just call for a new nominee. I’ve worked at the AG’s office, under Republican AGs whose politics I’ve disagreed with. A good AG, like those I worked for, puts their politics to the side, and stands up for every Alaskan. Wayne Anthony Ross is probably good man, on a personal level. I don’t know him. But he has expressed…