By Patty Notar
Our local plumber, Martin Jackson, passed away. He fixed my toilet. Therefore, there's a place in heaven for him. Martin was a great guy. Chair 5 and Fiddler put on a very nice memorial service and should be commended.
The swine flu has been hitting Girdwood. I love the fact that everyone who has symptoms goes out and about in town, especially to the Post Office. Nothing like hearing gut wrenching coughing from people surround you as you get the mail. Stay at home, please. The mail can wait.
What's with all of the iPhones around town? Are you serious? Everyone that has one acts like they're the most connected person in the universe. They look up any information that they can think of. “I can get anything within seconds,” my friend says. Wow, that's cool. I'm still amazed at how sound comes through a radio. Put it down and try reading a book, wizard.
Did you know that the Anchorage City School District Administrators, pay nothing for health insurance? Yet, they make about twice as much as the average teacher, who pay about $400 a month. The union needs better negotiators because that is simply unfair.
I see the Feds are killing funding that will shut down six Boys and Girls clubs in Alaska. Nice. Another positive influence for kids destroyed. Maybe Uncle Ted could have helped if he were still there. Then again, the directors should have had multiple sources of funding to lean on and not just the Federal Government. Don't expect a second-term Senator and a first-term Senator to have the pull we once had.
Ben and Kim, whose canoe overturned in Portage Creek, proved that you don't need a life-vest to survive in this world. Just leave your boat and swim like hell. Think about it.
I constantly hear people complaining about their jobs. It happens every afternoon, especially on Friday. They complain about the hours, the attitude, and anything else that aggravates them. Then they go away for the weekend and do what they truly love and never get paid for. Why is that? Probably because we associate work with pain instead of passion. Think about it.
Why do people who work at bars utilize the ‘house charge' system? The employers are, in essence, paying you half of what you make. Work, clock out, and go to the Mercantile and get your booze. Otherwise, you're working for the company store.
Why don't Girdwood, Whittier, and Hope have a bank, a tailor, and a decent market to buy food and other goods? I constantly hear of some forward thinking vision that includes a city-type feeling for these small towns. Everything is being developed for the future but when is that going to come to fruition? It seems more and more like useless talk. Sign on the dotted line and let's start implementing the plan. Stop with the excuses and usual delays.
For every genius there are seven idiots. I know because I have seven friends.
The Municipality of Anchorage is looking into a sales tax. Don't let it happen! I came here from upstate New York where they implemented a 3 percent sales tax. It's now 8.5 percent and they added a state income tax of 5 percent. Once they start taxing it will never end. That's how legislators fill the holes in their budget—they tax. It's that simple.
I hope Senator Begich goes back and gets his college degree. It would be a positive gesture to the kids of Alaska who think college is a waste of time.
Finally, Senator Begich told the Anchorage Daily News, two years ago, that he could save taxpayers $60K a year by, simply, changing out the light-bulbs at City Hall. So, why didn't he do it? Instead, he changed out streetlights that made bigger headlines with the ADN, during his bid for a Senate seat. Think about it…politics, not people. He's good at that.
