Toxic threat minimized

In a little publicized announcement, the Florida Division of Medical Information recently divulged that, in at least one study, Brussel sprouts were found to harbor a microorganism suspected of causing a syndrome in men under the age of 50 that is characterized by a compulsive need for attention. That this study has not been more widely disseminated is largely due to the Radical Left’s relentless efforts to foist the alleged benefits of eating Brussel sprouts on the American people.

I urge all open minded Alaskans to do their own research into the potentially devastating effects of consuming Brussel sprouts. Don’t let so-called “medical experts” prey on your ignorance.

Respectfully,

Jack Oudiz

Vote Murkowski

Polls are open this week and I voted for Sen.Lisa Murkowski. She understands what we need in coastal Alaska and leverages her position to support our working waterfronts. As a senior appropriator she ensures our fisheries managers and harvesters have the science they need to make sound fisheries management decisions. She brings in funding for ports and harbors and critical infrastructure. Lisa listens and delivers for Alaska. We can’t afford to let her stay home, and you shouldn’t either. Please get out and vote.

Early voting is available in Homer now through Nov. 7. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Homer City Hall Council Chambers and on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your regular polling place.

Matt Alward, F/V Challenger

Our State parks are hurting

Last year, as we fought our way up onto Portlock Plateau through the brush growing in the eastern Emerald Lake Trail, we could feel good trail under our feet and thought it would be a shame to lose the trail to the plant growth. It took 12 volunteers, most older than 60, eight trips to clear the trail this summer. Shockingly, Kachemak Bay State Park has only one person in charge of 80-plus miles of trails.

There is NO paid trail and facility maintenance staff and volunteers are relied on for trail clearing, rerouting, improvement, bridge replacement/repair, signage and outhouse upkeep. That means park staff can’t depend on getting anything done!

For example, rangers put out a call for volunteers to place five directional signs in the Grewingk Valley because hikers kept getting lost. The rangers rescheduled the work four times for lack of volunteers; it didn’t get done until after the season. Approximately 90 people signed up to volunteer with the Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park, but only a handful have been available to help.

It’s not just here — parks all over the state are underfunded. There were 12 rangers on the Kenai in the mid-1980s. We are down to eight and Prince William Sound has been added to the area. Statewide, there were 40 ranger jobs. Now there are 25. Volunteers can’t do it all. What can we citizens do?

Call on the governor’s office and our local legislators to increase maintenance and enforcement funding for our State Parks. And while you are at it, vote for a representative who will advocate for park funding. Louis Flora has worked to build support for funding our state parks at the level they need to operate. He’s running to be our representative. Vote for him.

Nicky Szarzi

Work for Alaska, not the party

In the Alaska Voter’s Pamphlet Mike Dunleavy states, “Public Safety is my top priority.” He claims credit for repealing Senate Bill 91, Alaska’s “disastrous catch-and-release program.” He does not admit that he voted for it in 2016.

He claims Alaska State Troopers are being hired at “historic rates.” He doesn’t admit those vacancies are caused by low Trooper retention, which is caused by the lack of a defined pension plan. Alaska is one of only two states without a defined benefits system for public safety officers.

He takes credit for delivering the largest Alaska Permanent Fund dividend in history, but failed to mention the $650 Federal Energy Relief payment that was part of the $3,294 PFD.

In 2018, Dunleavy told voters that he would ensure the Alaska Marine Highway remained “The backbone of transportation in Southeast, but in office he tried to dismantle it” (Juneau Empire, May 6, 2022).

Was leadership shown when Dunleavy cut senior benefits by 50%? (Homer News Point of View, Oc.t 13, 2022)

As a former teacher, principal and school district superintendent, he shows little concern for Alaska’s educational system by short funding public schools. Sen. Gary Stevens stated, “Governor Dunleavy attempted to cut the education budget by 25%.”

Alaska’s per student state allocation K-12 was $5,200 in 1990. In 2021 it was $5,930 per student. That’s a 13.3% increase in 30 years. In contrast North Dakota pays $10,136 per student and New York pays $6,835 per student.

On leadership Dunleavy says, “I’ve proven my leadership through adversity.” Is that what he calls the six significant lawsuits he filed and lost, including the “Loyalty Oath” case and the unlawful firing of an Attorney General and two Alaska Psychiatric Institute doctors which cost the State $495,000? Those six lawsuits cost many thousands of dollars that could have been better spent on education, public safety, the Alaska Marine Highway and infrastructure deferred maintenance.

What is fully evident by Dunleavy’s governance decisions and statements is that he does not have the acumen to lead Alaska and that’s why I’m voting for Bill Walker for Governor and the greater good of Alaska.

Michael McCarthy

Choose wisely

Dear Editor:

The Nov. 8 election will likely be the most consequential mid-term election in this country since 1862. Your vote will help decide the direction of our country for the next hundred years. Here are some facts to consider before casting your ballot.

· We now have the highest inflation in the past 40 years thanks to Democrat spending bills. If your grocery and gas bills are too high, vote the Democrats out.

· Joe Biden’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just added the COVID-19 vaccinations to the shot schedule for little kids. If you are opposed to forcing children to get needless experimental vaccinations, vote the Democrats out.

· There is now a two-tiered justice system in our country where moms at school board meetings are called domestic terrorists, while the FBI lets actual criminals go unprosecuted. If you are a mom, vote the Democrats out.

· Joe Biden met with a transgender activist last week and said that he believes in giving young children so-called gender-affirming medical treatments. These activists also condone putting pornographic materials about transgenderism into public school libraries. If you want to protect children from this radical transgender ideology, vote the Democrats out.

Remember when you vote that this is your chance to hold Democrat politicians accountable by voting them out of office. Yes, that means you must vote against Alaska’s new media darling Democrat Mary Peltola and the old Democrat sympathizer Lisa Murkowski. Every Democrat must be held accountable and lose their elections. Vote accordingly.

Respectfully,

Greg Sarber

Young staff supports Peltola

We, the undersigned former staff and friends of Congressman Don Young, write to offer our full endorsement of Mary Sattler Peltola in her re-election campaign. We know that she is the right choice to advance the interests of all Alaskans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her commitment to running a positive race, bipartisan approach to public service, and legislative priorities that put Alaska at the forefront underpin the basis of our endorsement.

Mary Peltola respects Congressman Young’s legacy of service and has already taken concrete steps to advance his efforts. She hired his most recent Chief of Staff, as well as his Scheduler, helping ensure continuity on Alaska’s legislative priorities. Peltola also quickly reintroduced a slate of eight bills that Congressman Young championed, which reflect his positions on a broad range of issues. Additionally, she introduced and passed a bill through the House to reduce food insecurity for veterans, a longstanding focus for Congressman Young.

Notably, throughout her campaign, Mary Peltola has supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Congressman Don Young was instrumental in drafting and passing. Mary Peltola appreciates the tremendous benefit this law brings — and will continue to bring — to Alaska in terms of investment in our roads, bridges, harbors, and rural broadband access.

Mary Peltola and members of her family were longtime friends of Congressman Young. She would stop by to see him whenever she was in Washington, DC, and had a strong personal connection with him. When Peltola testified as a witness before the House Natural Resources Committee last year, it was at the invitation of Congressman Young. It is fitting that she now sits on that very committee.

Mary Peltola is the best person to fill Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House. We encourage you to cast your vote for her in the upcoming election.

Jack Ferguson, Zack Brown, Pamela Day, Mike “Keawe” Anderson, Nicole Desrochers, Linda Harrigan, Holly Croft, Meredith Kenny, Christine Williams, Gail Schubert, Martha Newell-Kinsman