By Patty Notar
I visited a friend of mine, who works for a nonprofit group. I can't believe how nice their furniture is. I thought, for a nonprofit, they'd be sitting on lawn chairs with old doors for desks. Nope. Not so. They have cherry-wood desks that are about five feet wide and are oval-shaped, with a perfect finish. Their chairs are leather and look like something Captain Kirk sits in. Very Comfy. Are you serious?
I hear the mercantile in Girdwood (owned by Safeway) is getting rid of some of their club savings. No more discounts, except on the liquor side, where most of us shop. Have you ever been to the Carrs/Safeway and spent less than $20? I heard a guy once yell, “I didn't even buy any food and it's more than 20 bucks!” It's like a Vegas house minimum.
Is it true that the Anchorage School District administrators have a ‘Me Too' clause with the teachers contract? Basically, that means that every time the union gives themselves a raise the administrators automatically get one as well. But if administrators give themselves a raise it doesn't, necessarily, mean that the union gets one. Once again, nice negotiating by the union. Hire professionals to speak on your behalf, please. You'll get more in return.
I constantly see people driving big trucks around town. They're usually diesel rigs with at least six wheels and shocks that are like springs that could launch you into the next dimension. If that's the case then why is it they always weave around every little pothole? It takes them forever to negotiate down the road. I see people driving Hondas that go over the terrain with more grit.
I always ask myself: “If Alaska were a sitcom, what it would compare to?” It always seems like people are huddling to hold on to the past here so I think I'll go with “Little House on the Prairie.” The whole outdoors thing and ‘country living' seem to fit well. Another good one would be “Third Rock from the Sun” because everybody is nuts.
Alaska has the fourth largest cargo airport in the world. Items get shipped in from everywhere—Russia, China, you name it. I know we're 1,400 miles from the Lower 48, but why are food prices so high? I think it's an excuse to gouge us. If Wal-Mart can give us 30 days worth of prescription medication at $4 then why can't a grocery store give us a lousy tomato at a decent price?
I see the mayor in Anchorage has a plan for the homeless camps: reduce deaths, reduce violence, and reduce the negative impacts of the camps. Wow! I'm floored by the insight of the plan. Thanks for the obvious. You want to fix the problem? Get people out of there and get them into proper shelter. Give them jobs sweeping or shoveling snow. Workfare instead of welfare. Get them off the streets and help them with their addictions. That's the cure. Do what they do in other states—take seized homes, fix them up, and make them halfway houses. Go out and ask for people to donate equipment and time. You'll be amazed at the response. Asking a committee of 30 or more people to “investigate and come up with some ideas for a solution” is a total waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Help now before the winter hits or we'll be finding frozen bodies.
Speaking of which, it was really nice of the Muni to shut down the only meth-help center that we have. I wonder where those people will end up- probably at a homeless camp.
Am I the only one that thinks the ADN needs a new format? I think it's the only paper I've ever read that has so many articles picked up from the AP. The weekly addition has the thickness of a high school newsletter. Not to mention that the front page is almost comical with the local tidbits and bizarre photos. I get it. We're in Alaska and have wildlife. Also, I remember hearing about that plane crash off of Brazil a few months ago. Over 180 people died. Must be on the front page, right? Nope. Page three. Senator Begich was featured on the cover looking into a silo at Greely. Well done, ADN.
A friend gave me that book “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.” I wrote over the title with a marker, “Women are crazy and men are stupid.” It's an easier read that way.
Alaska Legislators are looking into putting up a new building in downtown Anchorage because they need better elevators, parking and heating. They boycotted a plan a year ago because the cost was over $86 million. Now they say it may be $26 million. Whatever. I thought we had a deficit here. Why don't they just fix the old building or lease a new one? I'm sorry that the parking isn't adequate. Park like the rest of do in downtown: drive around for half an hour, fill the meter, and walk.
By the way, the legislators should look to the state of Alaska as an example of how to fix buildings with no out of pocket expense. It's called performance contracting and the Department of Corrections has utilized it. You pay an equipment leasing company through the savings you achieve with more energy efficient equipment. Basically, instead of paying the utility the high costs, you take the savings and apply it to paying for newer, better equipment. The savings are guaranteed and the payback could be less than 10 years. So stop complaining about the old heating problem when there's a cure without destroying taxpayer dollars.
Did someone, in Alaska, actually get convicted of a crime by a seven-year old eyewitness when there was no actual evidence pointing to him? That's a crime in itself. Pennsylvania did DNA tests for people housed in their prisons and over 200 were freed because they couldn't prove they did anything illegal. Prosecutors will fight it because it makes them look bad to be in the wrong. But what's worse, admitting you made a mistake or letting someone rot who didn't do the crime?
Finally, I read that Alaska is now under the ‘medicinal marijuana rule' that 13 other states have. The Federal Government has told their agencies to leave these states alone when it comes to medical marijuana for personal use. With all of the exceptions to the rule, reversing previous administrations executive orders, state referendums, etc. why not just legalize it and move on? If you believe that through chaos comes order then you must believe that through excess comes moderation.
Fighting something that people crave is a waste of time. It's like trying to control the amount of coffee people drink. Better yet, just price it like Alaska tomatoes and no one will be able to afford it anyway.
