Comments on: We Have To Cut Government Spending…

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:18:37 +0000

PJ, why do you think there is going to be a logical reason for what these people do? Global climate change is more visible in Alaska than anywhere else in the US, but a huge percentage of Alaskans are still in denial about it.

This is about belief and self-image, not reality. Too many of them think they live the life of pioneers, even though they are now a radio/cell call away from help. They think they are going to strike it rich from a mineral find. They aren’t in this world.

By: paintedjaguar

paintedjaguar — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 23:47:57 +0000

The question is why Alaska should be an exception from the other states, not to mention the enormous giveaways of Federal natural resources. And, as I said, how the residents reconcile those royalties with their right-wing politics.

Of course I never could understand how the local right wingers’ heads don’t pop from their own hypocrisy, either. Without Tyndall AFB and Social Security, Panama City basically wouldn’t have an economy.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:12:56 +0000

That would be because the other states don’t charge the corporations who strip their wealth. The annual payment is for the oil. State government in Alaska is paid for by the same tax, so the Feds and local governments are the only people who actually tax Alaskans.

A lot of Federal expenditures in Alaska are for things that the state provides in other areas, like roads, or private companies provide, like telephone service. For years the Air Force was the local phone company for most of Alaska. Telephones were only available around military bases.

By: paintedjaguar

paintedjaguar — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 06:52:18 +0000

I've always found it a bit odd that so many glibertarian and teabagger types are elected from the one state in the union that actually gives every resident an annual stipend -- about $2,000 per year the last time I looked, and why don't the rest of us have that kind of socialism? They're also third from the top on the list of states that receive more federal money than they pay in taxes, like all but a couple of the other red states (that "red" designation is really starting to seem ironic, isn't it?).