Alaskans don’t need Outsiders

telling us how to cast a vote

I’ve been an Alaskan for 49 years and when I first got here Alaskans would never have allowed outsider/carpetbaggers to tell us what to do. We were independent thinkers and for sure didn’t care how “they” did anything anywhere else. It would have been especially preposterous for some outside yahoo to try to tell an old-time Alaskan how to vote.

Things have changed. It was upsetting to read that outside groups are right here using money to influence the District 31 House race and unseat Paul Seaton. We know what qualities we want in the person we will vote for — we do NOT need outsiders to come in trying to influence our vote.

This article was in the Sunday Anchorage paper, “In GOP Primary business-backed group is helping target Alaska House moderates” (Nathaniel Hertz). By nightfall on Sunday I’d heard from people telling me that they were getting slanted polls against Seaton. Already! None of this is good for Homer, and you can bet those folks from outside do not have our best interests at heart.

Paul Seaton does a good job for us in the legislature: he helps fishermen and other sustainable industries, works to create jobs for Alaskans, is responsible about environmental matters, is fair and not owned by any group or organization or industry. He works hard at his job, is conscientious, ethical, believes in open government, and when appropriate works with other sides to compromise in order to find good solutions for Alaskans.

We citizens can make up our own minds how to vote, and because we do own the resources of our state as it says in our Constitution, we need to be very cautious with this ownership and vigilant about outsiders who want to influence who these resources will benefit.

Lani Raymond