• The Daily Journal is reporting that the mighty political arm of the NRA has endorsed Gov. Sean Parnell for his re-election campaign. Parnell has been awarded an A+ rating, which is the gold standard here in Alaska.

• KTOO reports that because of a dip in government employment, Juneau failed to add jobs for the first time in three years in 2013.

• In an effort led by Assemblyman Dick Traini, who had been coordinating with the anti-pot people, the Anchorage Assembly almost unanimously voted against Ballot Measure 2 last night during their Assembly meeting. Ballot Measure 2 would increase marijuana legalization policies in Alaska. According to APRN, Chairman Patrick Flynn objected to the municipality weighing in on state issues stating, “I think it’s more of an irritant than an attractant for the position we take.” Vote No #2 was quick to spread the word via twitter on the Assembly’s support.

• TMZ has the scoop on a story that couldn’t be better for the anti-pot people. The site reports that a neighbor of Ms. “F##ck this I quit” Charlo Greene filed a restraining order against her more than two weeks ago. The restraining order alleges plumes of pot smoke from Greene’s apartment were wafting through the halls, into his own apartment, making his 4-year-old sick. When the neighbor confronted Greene, she told him to “watch his back,” the restraining order says.

• The Huffington Post has an article that breaks down current minimum wage realities in the U.S.

• The little-heard-from Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Care Clift gave an in-depth interview with Andrew Wellner in the Frontiersman.

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Here’s a comment left on this site from former Ketchikan Rep. Kyle Johansen about another reader’s comment on Brad Keithley’s legislative “hit list,” and about the current fiscal situation. Get background here and here. Read here for the reference to Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan’s comments about the Permanent Fund.

Aside from the efforts of Mr. Keithley, his supporters and his detractors, when the dust settles Alaska will still have to make a choice in the revenue streams needed to fund future state government operations.

The fact is our deficit spending is currently approaching one billion dollars per year. A spike in short term oil prices (similar to the one experienced post the aforementioned 1999 advisory vote, and subsequent others) will release the pressure and kick the can down the road once again. Eventually, we will have to stand tall before the reality.

The real options for policymakers include increased taxes on industry (SB 21 sealed the big one for a few years, fishermen already pay off the gross and good luck with any large tax-producing mining projects going forward and gas revenue will be a meek shadow of oil revenue, if it happens at all), implementation of personal income taxes (there are simply not enough local or seasonal people), implementation of personal property taxes (the Feds own most of it, tax-free) or a statewide sales tax (a main revenue source for municipalities) OR accessing the revenue stream created by the earnings of the Permanent Fund. If there are other options, please post them and start talking about them now (and I double dog dare anybody to come up with anything other than “Increased Oil Production” Let’s just try it, come on!).

I read on this site the comments of current Anchorage Mayor and Lt. Governor Candidate Sullivan regarding the earnings reserve. Continue reading →

This ad for GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of the most popular politicians in the state according to polls, is a hard one for Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign:

Begich’s campaign responded with their own video, showing the painful 10 second between when Sullivan was asked if he wrote in Murkowski’s name in 2010, and when he said “no.” Sullivan’s campaign said later that he didn’t vote for anyone in the 2010 Senate race because he was concerned that as the state’s attorney general at the time, he would have to make a legal determination regarding the election and thought his vote would be a conflict of interest.

• Becky Bohrer reports that a federal judge has ruled Alaska must take additional steps to provide materials in Native languages for Alaskan Natives with limited English. This is not a permanent ruling nor does it rule on the plaintiffs’ claim that the state violated their Constitutional rights. It does allow the possibility for federal election observers.

• Public Policy Polling’s latest findings confirm similar polls regarding the U.S. Senate and Governor’s race. Dan Sullivan is ahead of U.S. Sen. Mark Begich 43/41, while Bill Walker is beating Gov. Sean Parnell 42/41. Interesting polling results for 2016 election contenders as well.  The Huffington Post has included many of the U.S. Senate polling for quick comparison and with a colorful graph.

• Dan Sullivan gave an interview to conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin with The Washington Post’s Right Turn Blog. Her conclusion? Dan Sullivan is Mark Begich’s worst nightmare.

• Ben Carson, neurosurgeon and known conservative talking head and first contender for the 2016 presidential race? The Hill has his coy pseudo-announcement.

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Here’s KTVA’s news director Bert Rudman’s official response to reporter Charlo Greene’s abrupt, profanity laden on-air departure on Sunday night:

By now many of you have seen one of our reporters use inappropriate language and quit her job during Sunday night’s newscast. We apologize.

In addition, she had a personal and business stake in the issue she was reporting, but did not disclose that interest to us. This betrayed the basic bedrock of responsible journalism.

At KTVA we strive to live up to the highest journalistic standards of fairness and transparency. Sunday’s breach of those standards is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

Thank you for watching our news broadcasts and be reassured our mission is to present the kind of journalism that lets you make informed decisions about the community in which we all live.

Here’s GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan’s recent ad, using Elaina Spraker to attack Sen. Mark Begich on gun rights and on his record of supporting Obama’s judicial nominees. Elaina is an icon in the largely male-dominated hunting world. She’s married to former Board of Game member Ted Spraker, a well-known, outspoken hunting rights advocate in the Kenai. The charge that Begich is anti-gun is a bit of a stretch. He was one of five Democratic Senators to vote against a gun control bill last year, helping to kill it. However, he also voted to confirm Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, both of whom the NRA opposed. Too, generally speaking, Begich has been accommodating to Obama’s bench picks, voting to confirm all but one of Obama’s federal nominees following filibuster reform.

Begich came out with his own more uplifting ad on Monday, where his mother Peggy and wife Deborah debate whether Begich is frugal or cheap.

Apparently, the New York Times trusts highly suspect online opt-in surveys, but not Alaska reporters:

@nate_cohn so, are you saying here that only national reporters can be trusted to cover #AKsen ? pic.twitter.com/0mmY4lEQQy

— Nat Herz (@Nat_Herz) September 22, 2014

oh RT @Nate_Cohn: @Nat_Herz yes, that’s undoubtedly the fairest interpretation! — Nat Herz (@Nat_Herz) September 22, 2014

(Full disclosure: I’m a stringer for the New York Times.)

Below is an Aug. 14 email that Kalie Klaysmat, director of the Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police, sent to KTVA news director Bert Rudman expressing concerns about the now infamous KTVA reporter Charlo Greene’s coverage of the pot legalization initiative that will be on the upcoming general election ballot.

In a story that’s gone viral, Greene, who for months had been reporting on the initiative, announced on air Sunday night that she was the owner of Alaska Cannabis Club and that she was quitting her job. “And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but … fuck it, I quit,” she said on air after reporting a story about medical marijuana. The anchor apologized for Greene, and then after a commercial break, the station ran yet another story reported by Greene about marijuana.

Klaysmat’s email was distributed by the group, “Big Marijuana/Big Mistake,” during a press conference on Monday, where members of the group spoke about being “shocked” by Greene’s antics and about being “saddened” that the public has so far received such biased reporting from one of the main news outlets in the state.

In addition to the email below, Continue reading →

• Thought the question for U.S. Senate control would be answered on November 4? According to the Washington Post, there is a strong possibility of that not happening until close to the new Congress’ scheduled start on January 6. The AP has it down to five bullet points.

• The Hill published the results of a Gallup Poll that found only 4 in 10 of the public care a “great deal” about which party controls Congress after the November elections.

• Becky Bohrer with the AP reports that the EPA has asked for a dismissal of a lawsuit alleging it overstepped its authority regarding the development of the proposed Pebble Mine. Arguments will begin on September 26.

• KTVA’s ex-reporter, Charlo Greene’s on air “F-Bomb”-laden “I quit” is, as expected, going viral. The Alaska Commons offers back story, but the UK’s The Independent, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Huffington Post and many more are focusing on Greene’s chutzpah. YouTube video has received 400K views and counting. The Washington Post takes an even deeper dive and reports how the Alaska Dispatch used Greene, while she was a KTVA reporter, as an anonymous source in a story about medical marijuana.

• Gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker made his first pit stop in Fairbanks since forming the Walker/Mallott ticket over Labor Day weekend. The Fairbanks Daily Miner has details.

Continue reading →

Here’s a response from Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, who’s running for lieutenant governor, copied from the comments to a post on this site alleging that he had stepped in it when talking about the Permanent Fund on the Dave Stieren radio talk show recently. I wanted to highlight it because Sullivan’s response is pretty good and it’s refreshing when a public figure takes the time to do so. Judging from most of the reactions from readers, they feel similarly. Read those in the comment section here:

I didn’t step in anything Amanda. I am a big supporter of the dividend as it represents Alaskans ownership interest in our state’s wealth. Mr. Weinstrup apparently doesn’t understand that the dividend is just one part of the fund earnings. Earnings are also used to inflation proof the fund and to add to the corpus of the fund. If the corpus ever grows so large that after the dividend and inflation proofing, some earnings could be used for essential services after oil revenues are gone is certainly a discussion Alaskans will have over the next generation. This is the scenario Norway has anticipated with their Generation Fund. Growing our fund’s corpus along with controlling spending is the key and something I have firsthand experience at. As mayor I have significantly reduced the growth of government spending, produced five straight years of budget surpluses while restoring the integrity of the tax cap and saving taxpayers over $100 million in the process. Our trust fund is at an all time high. We are the only city in Alaska history to achieve a AAA bond rating and last year Kiplinger.com named us the 9th best city in America. I would say we’re doing something right. These results illustrate the skills I will bring to state government. Meanwhile, I am sure for the remaining 45 days we will have to suffer through these pathetic attempts by TPWAC (the party without a candidate) to try and manufacture ‘gotcha’ moments.

If things weren’t bad enough already for Gov. Sean Parnell’s campaign, his second on the ticket, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan who’s running for lieutenant governor, talked about using the Permanent Fund to help fund state government in the future. To be fair, he was talking about far into the future, but still, dipping into the Permanent Fund is the third rail of Alaska politics.

The Democrats saw the opportunity and jumped.

“After plunging Alaska into deficits of over $7 million per day, it’s no wonder that Team Parnell is already pondering which piggy bank to raid next. The PFD belongs to the people, not government bureaucrats,” said Mike Wenstrup, Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Here’s an op-ed written by former state Attorney General Bruce Botelho and former Lt. Gov. Stephen McAlpine, arguing that the lawsuit to keep the “Unity” ticket off the ballot has “no merit.”

On September 17, attorney and Republican Party activist Ken Jacobus went to court on behalf of the Republican Party’s district chair, Steve Strait, in an attempt to remove Parnell’s only significant opposition from the ballot.  Mr. Jacobus’ theory is that Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell could not adopt emergency regulations to permit Bill Walker to substitute Byron Mallott as his running mate.  Jacobus has demanded that the court bar Mr. Walker and Mr. Mallott from appearing “as a combined non-party ticket”. In our judgment, this lawsuit has no merit. Continue reading →

Anchorage Republican Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux wrote a scathing response to the news that “fiscal hawk” Brad Keithley has chosen her to be on what’s being called his “hit list.” Keithley announced on Thursday that he is going to put some of his promised $200,000 into supporting her opponent,  Democrat Laurie Hummel. (See the backstory here). LeDoux vows not to be “pushed around” and accuses Keithley of having a reputation of “bullying and taking advantage of women.”

Here’s LeDoux’s press release:

“Brad Keithley is a very intelligent man with a lot of money. He also has a reputation for bullying and taking advantage of women. I have a very simple message for Mr. Keithley: having raised two children by myself I learned to be a strong woman who doesn’t get pushed around by bullies.

I am very proud of my legislative record and I don’t believe this has anything to do with fiscal responsibility. This is about a man who needs to be in the limelight to make himself look important.

If my opponent is counting on Mr. Keithley’s money to attack my record – she is yet another woman being led down the garden path by a snake oil salesman.

I have a reputation for working hard, listening to voters at their doors, and acting on their concerns in the state legislature. If Mr. Keithley wants to impact politics – I suggest he try it the old fashioned way – by knocking on doors and looking people in the eye.”

As evidenced by the numerous conversations I’ve had with women who have known Keithley,  the latter charge about this reputation appears to be true.

Keithley found LeDoux’s response amusing: Continue reading →

“Unity” ticket candidates Bill Walker and Byron Mallott are intervening in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday that challenges Lt. Mead Treadwell on his decision to certify the ticket. (Background here.)

From the campaign’s press release:

The campaign retained Anchorage attorney, Scott Kendall of Holmes, Weddle, and Barcott who represented the Murkowski campaign in 2010 and has extensive experience litigating election law issues in Alaska.

Mr. Kendall stated: “The replacement of candidates after the primary election has occurred many times in Alaska. The process that was followed by the Walker-Mallott ticket was the exact process used in each of the preceding instances. Continue reading →