- Republicans are now in control or as The Hill writes, “It’s game time for Mitch McConnell and John Boehner.”
- Must read: The New York Times Magazine takes an in-depth look at the problems Shell has had drilling in the Arctic.
- Politico has an extensive article about Gov. Bill Walker’s intense pressure due to the oil price crash and the almost non-existent time in which to fix things. One thing is clear: Politico, at least, think this is Walker’s budget, not the legislatures’ budget.
- Power invites coups and the first this session against House speaker Boehner has risen! The Hill explains that this one is being led by Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert. (Remember how important Texas is going to be for the next two years?). There’s little chance that he will be successful, but it will be fun to watch Boehner out-smart the tea party faction yet again.
- The New York Times reveals that the Republicans are going to be fast and furious with their agenda.
- A tweeted photo by Sarah Palin of six-year-old Trig standing on a dog like a stepping stool has upset many. The Juneau Empire details her classic Palin response.
- Alarm bells have been sounded when the Justice Department announced that they will be outsourcing their commutation requests to the ACLU due to lack of resources. Politico reports that the decision to have an advocacy group to help screen applications is highly irregular.
- Get out your hankies before reading the latest on the new oil price of $56 from Reuters or Bloomberg. Dealer’s choice. Both contain very bad news for Alaska.
- The Seward City News reports that the transition of downtown city lights to LED wasn’t as easy as initially thought. But, in the words of JFK: “We do not do things because they are easy, we do things because they are hard.”
- Kake is going green! The Fairbanks News Miner reports that the little Southeast rainforest town that could is turning to solar panels for energy.
- The New York Times outlines how a 1996 article written by then professor Elena Kagan (now Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan), about how to make sense of the Supreme Court’s approach to the First Amendment, has continued to be used in filed briefs, including four briefs for the case being heard next week.
- The City of Fairbanks will be voting on a contract with the AFL-CIO at today’s council meeting. The details of the contract are found in the Fairbanks News Miner.
- Fighting red maps in purple states will test the judiciary in many ways and Politico explains the reason behind this move by the Dems and the potential outcomes.
- The Dispatch interviewed Alaska’s new Revenue Commissioner and why he felt compelled to put his ministry plans on hold.
- Political Predictions for 2015! Read who I think will be donning the mantle of Anchorage’s Mayor, who will be attacking Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s re-election bid and how realistic is 2015 Medicaid expansion.
- The National Bureau of Economic Research released a working paper that explains that watching Fox News makes you more conservative and MSNBC makes you more liberal.
- The world lost another trailblazer over the weekend. Former Senator Edward W. Brooke III passed away at the age of 95. He was the first popularly elected African-American U.S. Senator back in 1966 and it was because of Brooke that the Senate barbershop was finally integrated (this despite two previous African-American Senators from Mississippi in the 1870’s). Edward W. Brooke III was an inspiration to African-American children during a time when there were few known names outside of sports or maid roles in movies.
- The Hill lists the top ten most vulnerable GOP Senators up for re-election in 2016, to which the Anchorage Tea Party tweeted the following:
10 senators who could lose in 2016. Yes, we certainly hope #RINO Murkowski loses! #AKSen http://t.co/PTsuxECAIu #Alaska #tcot
— Anchorage Tea Party (@anchteaparty) January 4, 2015
•
Pierre McPrivelaged McHugh the non-vet has some tough questions about
His involvement as the Deputy Commissioner of MVA. But for nepotism
and political favor he would have never had the job. Was he covering
for his buddies and shut down any meaningful inquiry?
Who did what, when, where and why?
It’s Mitch McConnell who doesn’t want to be scary–not Harry Reid.
Mitch McConnell has an unusual admonition for the new Republican majority as it takes over the Senate this week: Don’t be “scary.”
Phew, that prove you are a human test always kicks my ass. Good thing my grandson is good at math.
If low crude prices persist it will prove to be the biggest driver towards economic diversification we have seen yet. It should also drive the legislature to do some revenue diversification, i.e. from the mining industry (which stands to benefit from low energy costs).
Governor Walker should commission ISER or DOR to identify the economic benefits to Alaskans of a few years of inexpensive HF and gas. He should also wonder out loud (or maybe Lt. Governor Mallot can) when Alaska Airlines is going to start passing on some benefits of cheaper jet fuel, particularly on their bush routes.
I really believe we can live with smaller oil revenues as long as it is balanced with an equivalent amount of cash staying in the pockets of Alaskans. Yeah, it won’t be close dollar wise, but I do think a good estimate can be made and a net increase in disposable income across the state will have good effect all around.
On another point, looks like ASMI better grow a pair QUICK and call BS on the woman who was supposed to live in Juneau’s astonishingly vicious and completely innaccurate (nay, slanderous) characterization of one of Western Alaska’s premier seafood products.
Are people so afraid of her they can’t say anything?
Happy New Year!
MS
And in case it has not occurred to you, the above comment is also a sad but true commentary on the intelligence of the average FOX/ MSNBC viewer.
From the Reuters Article: ” U.S. oil production averaged 9.12 million barrels a day in the week ended Dec. 26, according to the Energy Information Administration.” The same Energy Information Administration shows Alaska produced 16,217,000 barrels for the entire month of October. Does that tell you anything? The US now produces more oil in two days than Alaska produces in an entire month No wonder we aren’t mentioned in any of these articles.
Ref: http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MANFPAK1&f=M
Regarding the budget; as I understand the process, it is the Governor’s Budget; however, it the legislature who appropriates the money. So let us not fall for any displacement of responsibility (as has already been attempted by some senior legislators).
I couldn’t be so lucky as to expect the plea for understanding of what was done to us, and the justification for new taxes, to be given from the new LIO, Crime Lab, UAA Sports Arena, Port of Anchorage construction site, Fairbanks LNG Trucking Headquarters, AGDC “Bullet Line” Offices, Legislative Travel Office or other ” prime pork ” location with a map of the AGIA Pipe Line Route to Canada posted behind the speaker.
P.S. Maybe some left over state-funded pregnancy tests will be available as a souvenir to remind us of the “good old days”.
@Garand Fellow
Well, there are a variety of likely excuses….I will leave it to others to assign them to the proper news outlet…..
We can’t report like that because:
It’s too hard (we would have to do research and educate ourselves)
If we use actual ‘facts’ it’s really hard to get our slant into the story.
Budget? What Budget?
The Politico article on the state fiscal situation is far better than anything produced by the Dispatch, Newsminer or Empire. That is, it’s comprehensive, quotes rating agency and Wall St. analysts, gives background information, and sticks to facts. Why can’t Alaska newspapers do that?
Referring to Walker administration quotes in Politico, I cannot see how the arithmetic can have the combined SBR and CBR lasting until 2023. $3 billion annual draws on those funds bring them to zero much sooner than that, and that’s even forgetting the games everyone will play such as moving expenses to supplementals ,etc.
If watching MSNBC makes you more liberal and watching FOX makes you more conservative, it stands to reason that watching neither makes you far smarter.
Sorry guys but anyone willing to think for themselves will quickly admit that they are both television versions of the Star or the Enquirer…..very few facts and LOTS of drivel.