Reminder for the elected representatives of We The People…

To: Lisa Murkowski, Don Young and Dan Sullivan

Reminder for the elected representatives of We The People…

When You take the Oath of Office to serve in the office for which You are elected by We The People, which is whom You swear an Oath to represent, We The People are the ones that are owed primary consideration.  Throughout the entire United States Constitution, the terms Republican, Democrat or any mention of political parties DO NOT appear. When You took your office you also took on the representation of ALL constituents.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”

Redirection Suggestions:

1.     A Joint Resolution to develop a defunding schedule by which the resources of We The People be redirected at promoting Our general welfare and Our prosperity.  It is not unreasonable to for We The People to expect that 30% of ALL foreign aid be suspended and redirected within 30 days and another 30% within the next 30 days.  These reductions should not be confused with the foreign operations of the Department of Defense.  These reductions should come from every branch of the Administration other than the Department of Defense. 

2.     A Joint Bill outlawing the funding and cooperation with all entities involved in the Syrian Conflict.  This should be self-explanatory.  If it isn’t then please refer back to Redirection Suggestion #1.

3.     A Joint Resolution supporting the full enforcement of ALL current immigration laws.  We have a robust system in-place already, it just needs support and follow through.  The physical control issue can easily be addressed by deploying National Guard units along the border for “Our Common Defense”.  Stopping the leak is the first way to save a sinking ship.

Please take this into consideration and We look forward to Your response. 

Jon Corbett

P.S.  

Electronic and Printed versions of this post are being forwarded to the addressees; Lisa Murkowski, Don Young and Dan Sullivan.

This is also posted here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/jon-corbett/reminder-for-the-elected-representatives-of-we-the-people/10155192803864260

#FactNotFiction+ Corporatocracy + Wake Up America

03-01-2017

Donuts in the Alaska Budget?

This morning Alaska House District 37 Representative Bryce Edgmon was on KDLG’s Legislative Call-In Show & the topic du jour was #AllAboutTheBudget.  Rep. Edgmon, a Democrat who caucuses with the House Majority (Republican) serves on the Finance Committee, Chairs the Corrections and Public Safety sub-Committees and serves on the Health & Social Services sub-Committee.  Please see our Bryce Edgmon profile links at the bottom of this article.

Last week He was presented with a copy of the United For Liberty FY2017 Budget Proposals.  This collection of collaborative proposals/suggestions is a plan that aims at cutting unnecessary growth in the State of Alaska’s budgets.  These are cuts that have to be made now…Not Later.

During the show, Edgmon said several interesting things in response to caller’s questions on the budget issues.  He plainly stated that Alaska will see an “inevitable use of the PFD.” and that “We can’t cut our way to a sustainable budget.”.  In response to being asked about the UFL Proposals, Representative Edgmon quite frankly said that the information he had reviewed was “not factual”.

<<AUDIO LINK>>

http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kdlg/audio/2016/02/022316_legis_call_in_bryce_e.mp3

Start @ the 20:00 minute mark for comments about the UFL proposals.  But let’s look at the particular section of the UFL Proposal that Rep. Edgmon chose to challenge, Corrections.  Bryce says two things here: the information provided by UFL is “not factual” and that these cuts would “cripple the department”.  I beg to differ Sir and want to reiterate these facts…

”The number of inmates, from 2006‐2016, increased by 11%. During the same period the number of DOC employees increased, disproportionally, by 36%. DOC’s budget also increased by 50%.”

Download the UFL Proposals Here-> http://www.uflalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/UFL_FY2017_Budget.7.pdf

CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL VERSION

Even before the show was over, I was trying to get in touch with the man that put this section of the UFL proposals together, Steve St. Clair. By The Way, Steve is a retired Military Police First Sergeant and has controlled detention facilities in multiple States and in Afghanistan and is very familiar with Corrections.  He is also a very active Citizen and closely watches the Alaska Politics & Budget issues … You know, having a Master’s Degree in Business sort of makes people do things like that.   So, that’s Why I put some weight into what the UFL proposals are.

 While waiting to hear from him, I pulled up my own copy of the Proposals and immediately began chasing down what Bryce had said about the numbers, which came from several government agencies including the Department of Corrections, the Governor’s Office and the State legislature. 

Anyways… Here’s what Steve has to say about this and we’ll include references below.

“I did listen to the radio segment with Rep Edgmon and he discounts all except one of the suggestions that were put forward. He addressed nothing about the free health care that inmates are provided and the free education. I am willing to sit down with any legislator and give my rationale for cuts.”

References:

Download the UFL Proposals Here-> http://www.uflalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/UFL_FY2017_Budget.7.pdf

Alaska Dept. of Corrections - Administrative Review

November 13, 2015

Dean Williams and Joe Hanlon

US Department of Justice - Prisoners in 2014

September 2015

E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

National Institute of Corrections - Alaska Statistics

November 1, 2015

Performance Review of the Alaska Department of Corrections

State of Alaska Division of Legislative Audit

December 2014

Alaska Justice Forum - UAA

U.S. and Alaska Incarceration Rates: Prisoners in 2005

2015 Recidivism Reduction Plan: Cost-Effective Solutions to Slow Prison Population Growth and Reduce Recidivism

Prepared by: Carmen Gutierrez

February 2015

District 37 House Representative Bryce Edgmon Profile:

http://akleg.gov/legislator.php?id=edg

http://www.housemajority.org/members/edgmon/

Campaign Information:
http://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=6479039&default=lawmaker

Donor Mark Pfeffer is the developer accused of collaborating with Mike Hawker in the ANC Office Lease fiasco… Read Moreà https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Mark+E.+Pfeffer+alaska&safe=off&tbm=nws

http://www.aidea.org/Portals/0/Meeting%20Docs/2015BoardMeetings/09242015/7ALoanWestdahlLLC.pdf

CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL VERSION

Alaska House Bill 182:

"An Act relating to the taxation of income of individuals; repealing tax credits applied against the tax on individuals under the Alaska Net Income Tax Act; and providing for an effective date." 

http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?session=29&bill=HB182

‽

Fuel and Energy Consumer Costs Around Bristol Bay…and Beyond

Energy costs have been a recurring economic issue that despite the recent consumer cost declines in part of Bristol Bay, remains something that has to be addressed.  The volatility of oil markets, global futures and even world peace will continue to plague the Alaskan consumer energy markets as a whole, but even more so in Western Alaska. 

On Monday, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski hosted fellow US Senators and Administrators in a trip to the Y-K area and more specifically Bethel.  During that trip she explained that the majority of the ‘grid’ in Western Alaska is diesel powered.  Then she pointed out the natural resources such as the wind, sun and hydro that available all over Western Alaska, although in sporadic availability.   The one thing that isn’t apparent in all of this pontificating about fixing problems is how We are going to pay for it all.

Let’s Define what We means in the context of government and public interaction.  We are the stakeholders of the Federal, State and Local/Municipal governments as taxpayers and citizens.  That is written into the US and Alaskan Constitutions.  Stakeholders are responsible to themselves and for themselves.  That means having at least a general knowledge of the major issues facing these entities that We are a part of.  Got It? Okay… here We go.

As anyone that is paying attention knows, the State of Alaska can’t afford to anything other than the Price Cost Equalization Program for personal homes and the private sector really can’t afford it either.  The statutory and regulatory requirements just to submit an idea to the various levels of government are daunting beyond imagination.  One can only imagine this when realizing that the various stakeholders in the Pebble Mine Project have spent over ½ a Billion dollars and were basically shutdown before submitting it’s ideas and plans, officially. There have been several grid augmentation plans floated across Bristol Bay as well that have been shutdown early in the planning phase due to the sheer astronomical costs of getting them shovel ready.  So how does it get paid for?   

Taxes… more and more taxes.  When the government develops “incentives” and grants for private economic development of anything, that means that they are cutting something elsewhere or taking more money from the consumer end of the process.  In the case of things like energy and communications, the people are the ones that actually end up contributing twice and even thrice, the first being as a stakeholder in government and the second as the consumer and third by paying government fees/taxes on that energy or communication product.

 

The federal deficit has surpassed a supposed $16Trillion.  So, where’s the money coming from (Taxes) and going to?

 Just last week, President Obama announced over a Billion in projected spending directed sort of at Alaska,

$295 Million for the new F-35 Wing for the US Air Force at Eielson AFB and few other projects

$150 Million for a new Icebreaker 

$400Million "to cover the unique circumstances confronting vulnerable Alaskan communities, including relocation expenses for Alaska Native villages threatened by rising seas, coastal erosion, and storm surges."

Murkowski’s implication that the Federal government dump monies into Western Alaska for local grid development comes with several very big caveats.  The first big caveat to all of this spending of Our monies is that the federal government rarely just gives out money.  They prefer to be involved in capitol development instead of program management.  They kickstart things and leave the States and Local Municipalities and receiving entities responsible for the maintenance of the ‘projects’.  This leads to the second caveat of the fact that federal regulatory compliance in the energy sector is constantly changing and driving up the costs for the producers and consumers.  The third, but certainly not last caveat to federal investment in “Alaskan” projects is this… off all that money projected to be spent of the next several years, how much is really going to Alaskan interests and will stay in Alaska?  It sure would be nice to see the regional ANCSA Corporations getting the bids for all this construction and hiring Alaskans… not PFD chasers and temporary residents that come here for the high paying Davis-Bacon Wages on federal projects. 

Originally Posted as an OpEd on Alaska Telegraph:

https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaTelegraph/photos/pcb.205872486433712/205872156433745/?type=3