Anchorage Legislative Information Office (Photo Erik Hill/ADN)
When the Republican majority coalition in the Alaska Legislature ignored the advice of WC and the instructions of their spouses and slashed the budget of the University of Alaska, WC was annoyed enough to politely criticize their error.1
When that same coalition proceeded with the folly of a concealed-carry law for the University of Alaska, WC was only disturbed enough to suggest they write letters of condolence to the parents of gunned-down University students now.
And when those same alleged statespersons, in their craven zeal to serve the oil industry, ran the economy of the State of Alaska onto the rocks, WC merely said “I told you so.”
But when the wretched sons (and daughters) of bitches spewed out a proposed capital budget that appropriates $32.5 million (scroll down to page 24, line 23)2 for the monstrous and absurd Taj Mahawker while appropriating nothing for the court-ordered school in Kivalina, the bastards finally went too far. If the voters of Alaska needed any clearer indication of why these self-serving, despicable, miserable excuses for human beings needed to be thrown out of office, this should do it.
The Taj Mahawker, is the palace the Republican majority coalition built for itself in downtown Anchorage. It’s illegal under a court decision and stands as the antithesis of what a frugal, conservative and responsible government is supposed to do. The monstrosity was created under a bogus lease extension. The majority coalition has announced its intention to buy its way out of its blatantly illegal act by spending the State’s orecious and dwindling dollars. They are so intent on keeping their palatial digs that they have lost sight of both the fiscal realities facing the state and their constituents and the reality that the Taj Mahawker exists as a consequence of an illegal act.
Kivalina, on the other hand, has the right to renovation of its school under a consent decree entered into by the State of Alaska in Kasayulie v. State of Alaska. After some seven years of litigation, in a lawsuit that Kivalina was winning, former A.G. John Burns negotiated the settlement. Governor Walker determined that the school could not be built without an additional appropriation of $7.2 million. The Republicans have failed to make the appropriation. Without the additional funds, the school can’t be built.
Do you need any additional proof of the utterly wrong priorities of the Republican party in Alaska? Palatial and illegal quarters for the legislators for $32.5 million? “Sure, no problem.”
A court-ordered school for the education of kids for $7.2 million? “Sorry, we just don’t have the money.”
It couldn’t be much clearer.
- WC owes the opening to this blog post to the late, great John Myers Myers and his astonishing Silverlock. Friar John’s explanation for his actions is better. ↩
- Tip of the hat to reader D.P. for a correction here. ↩
Wickersham's Conscience 
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