By CRAIG E. CAMPBELL
You might at first think Caretaker Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson is showing compassion in her announcement today to provide food vouchers to those in our community who are struggling because of the China virus.
It’s a trap.
People are suffering because of her draconian measures. If she cared one iota about people, Quinn-Davidson would not be shutting down businesses left and right, forcing people into poverty and unemployment, thereby creating a need for this hand-out. AQD’s “compassionate” gesture to offer food vouchers to those she put out of work is sinful.
Anchorage is no longer a business friendly city. The crazy caretaker mayor has let power get into her head. Some might say she is “drunk on power.” Close this, limit that, hand out money, and send out the Gestapo enforcement officers to ensure compliance with her unlawful emergency order mandates.
Do as I say, or else! Or else what AQD? You were never elected mayor by the voters of Anchorage. You’re just a lawyer from California, with no executive experience in your background. We do not want your Californification of Anchorage.
You’re a joke, a really bad joke that is killing our city and implementing socialist governance without the will of the people. Did you look out your window today? I saw on flyer that a group was outside City Hall letting you know we are fed up with you destroying our city. Are you trying to ignite a revolution?
Your overreaction to the China virus is straight out of the Marxist doctrine of creating panic in the people through your extraordinary illegal mandates and snuffing out small businesses.
Then you provide government-issued food vouchers to create more dependency on government. Unbelievable, but what else would you expect from one of our Leftist assembly members who is serving out the term of disgraced Mayor Ethan Berkowitz?
Let’s not forget, an emergency order is for a short term crisis that requires immediate action. It was never intended to be a management tool for government to use for the implementation of socialism.
The China virus is no longer an emergency. We know what it is; we know who it infects; we know the recovery rate; we know the death rate; we know the drug therapies to manage the sickness; we know the basic steps to avoid infection (masks, social distancing, wash your hands); and we have reliable testing sites across the city to help confirm people who have the symptoms.
With all this information, the medical response is manageable. When it is projected that more ICU beds are needed, we can expand capacity. I seem to recall this past March, Gov. Mike Dunleavy converted the Alaska Airlines Center, adjacent to Providence Hospital, into a temporary medical facility for up to 150 beds.
“When our local hospitals experience an overwhelming surge of patients as a result of COVID-19, we need decompression plans like an alternate care site at the ready,” said Anchorage Health Department Director Natasha Pineda at that time.
Stop the drama. Manage this pandemic using the resources available to you from the local, state, and federal governments. Stop killing Anchorage, or would that be counter to your intended objective of a more socialistic city, modeled in the vision of that wacko New York congressional representative AOC?
Here’s an alternate plan. Stop building useless multi-million dollar trails and “quality of life” projects with CARES Act money and direct that funding to helping small business stay in business and hiring folks.
Use CARES Act moneys to provide the projected medical facilities needed for the surge we are experiencing, like reopening the Alaska Airlines Center and purchasing additional personal protective equipment, ventilators, and support equipment. Be prepared, not reactionary.
Accept the $20.0 Million in CARES Act funds being sent by Gov. Dunleavy and invest every penny into business enhancement programs to fund renovations, expansions, and interior modifications to make establishments better able to accommodate customers under the new normal of social distancing.
Stop wasting CARES Act funds on unnecessary homeless services, like buying the Best Western Golden Lion Hotel. Austin Quinn-Davidson, you have not closed the deal yet. It’s not too late to correct this flagrantly illegal purchase process. Use these funds to make a real difference by creating a comprehensive living and rehabilitation facility at one of the currently vacant big box stores. We have quite a few already available.
It’s almost hard to believe the damage you have inflicted on Anchorage in just one month as our caretaker mayor. Your feckless decisions are having an impact on our city, and it’s not good. I know you probably feel pretty important, sitting there on the eight floor of City Hall with an assembly that will do as you want. But maybe it’s time to start doing what the people want.
Scaring people with pandemic lies and killing our economy with draconian mandates is not what we want. You have time to change course, but not much time.
It’s time to get a grip on reality. Business are failing every day, so time is of the essence for you to start implementing policies that reverse this trend, support our civil liberties, and keeps Anchorage from economic ruin.
Craig E. Campbell served on the Anchorage Assembly between 1986 and 1995 and later as Alaska’s Tenth Lieutenant Governor. He was the previous Chief Executive Officer and President for Alaska Aerospace Corporation. He retired from the Alaska National Guard as Lieutenant General (AKNG) and holds the concurrent retired Federal rank of Major General (USAF).
All too true. Time for civil disobedience! Refuse to allow these communists to destroy our city. Businesses need to refuse to close. The public should support these businesses. We must demand the Assembly and mayor’s resignations. Recalls and ballot measures won’t work, as the “game” is rigged against us!
We are angry and they need to know it!
Haa Haa,
Craig,the State Of Alaska has been a failed socialist state since at least the Great Depresssion.
Its always been about somebodies else’s $’s getting spent.The populace doest want to pay for the expense of living here.Thats just a fact…
Smoke ’em ,if you got ’em.
Millions of stupid sheep out there and they go Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa It is only going to get worse until folks QUIT BEING SHEEP and stand up
CoronaCommies!
Branch Covidians!
“By their masks ye shall know them.”
I just cannot look at that face, with its pretentious hyphenated surname, and not see the bland and empty countenance of the archetypical soulless bureaucrat who values submission to and compliance with capricious and unjust dictates and mandates above all else.
Yeah, people are pretentious for the name they were born with — and not for saying “countenance,” “archetypal,” and “capricious.”
I apologize for my use of words of more than two syllables. For your sake, I will try to do better in the future, and dumb-down my comments appropriately.
Hyphenated surnames are clearly marxist
Very clearly.
Craig, this whole CCP virus scamdemic has opened up some opportunities that need consideration. With all the shelter in place and telecommunications and zooming, is it not apparent that the new technology renders the state capitol in Juneau redundant? Is it not time to finally recenter our née virtual capitol to a more logistically sensible location?
As a long-time Juneau resident I might not have thought so until today when I saw that Juneau city government is giving federal grant money (which the federal government has borrowed) to stage drag shows; not drag races of motor vehicles I have come to learn but males who dress like females apparently. And get this, one of these gender confusion creatures is tied to a city government official. Imagine if these people were Republicans – it would be the lead story on the Anchorage Daily News front page. By the way, it’s not clear to me if you meant to say capital anywhere you said capitol but I am not all that sure it matters. At least according to portrayals by Hollywood the inception and growth of the National German Socialist Worker Party in the 1930s included a cabaret industry that sometimes included sexual perversions of this sort, so it’s not only Anchorage that will lead Alaska into socialism if allowed. Many in my family served in the US Armed Forces in Europe during WWII so I try to be alert to government heading this direction.
Well said , Craig Campbell
Another good piece well written …Keep writing Craig you are making a difference… We cannot expect this all to turn around on a dime but need pressure for good people to wake up and do the right thing when then can .
Thanks Craig for laying it all out there for us to chew on…it really does seems sinister in nature and if history is our guide…this will not end well for one of the last remaining democratic nations on earth.
Just like during the days of the Boston tea party, history tells us that those of us who defy mandates which are intended to strangle our economy will eventually be on the right side of history in the long run.
Conservative Anchorage city leaders are talking to a stone wall, the only change is If one can is try changing the way the city votes and vote new city leaders less selfish and less communist indoctrinated.
But, if communism is America’s future, maybe thru adversity like all adversities the hardened hard hearted leaders will bring people to Christ when people appreciate one another’s individuality.
Most people feel the same, but are afraid to act because of threats of large fines. Alot of civil disobedience is truly in order, but most small businesses can’t afford the type of legal representation that would be required. And then the liberal judge thing. We need the people to rebel, not the small businesses. These idiots can hurt us too easily. I will stand with you in protest, but will not defy the mandates so they can take away everything I own and have worked so hard for. The people need to protest, not the small businesses. Or I guess you can just get in the bread and cheese line with the rest of the sheaple. God Bless America!
Started?
Where you been the last 5 years?
We’re learning now that about half of the money available from the Paycheck Protection Program went to relatively small companies, including mom and pop businesses. Now, the stuff that went to the small businesses might be Mr. Campbell’s definition of socialism, but this is also what it takes, at least, for mom and pop operations to stay afloat when the government tells them to close down. It allows these businesses to stay afloat till they can get back on their feet. It isn’t a voucher for doing nothing, it’s compensation for something of value (the ability to stay open) which has been take away. When they can reopen, they should no longer need or receive the PPP money.
Quinn-Davidson is trying to do what is basically the same thing, i.e. compensation for something of value that has been taken away. If that’s socialism, what’s wrong with it?
You may notice that the other half went to about 600 large companies, some of which were national chains. This is what is called corporate socialism. You’d be surprised who, like the President’s family, are taking advantage of it.
“Quinn-Davidson is trying to do what is basically the same thing, i.e. compensation for something of value that has been taken away. If that’s socialism, what’s wrong with it?”
1. That is not socialism in and of itself.
2. you are correct. If the government takes action that harms the individuals, they must be compensated, the 5th Amendment makes that clear.
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The issue is neither of those items.
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The heart of the issue is that these lockdowns are not required. The last 10 months have provided more than enough data to prove the initial panic about this virus was overblown. The percentage of “cases” that actually show symptoms is miniscule, and the number of people who require more than a doctor’s office visit is relatively insignificant. There are extremely effective treatments available, and when applied at first sign of symptoms, recovery is almost assured.
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The politicians instead focus on positive tests, not actual illnesses. The predictions they have about the hospitals overflowing have been proven wrong time and time again.
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So, is it socialism to continue to impose the will of a single individual on a city for a dubious reason? No, it is not. It is tyranny. Causing the problem, then spending taxpayer dollars to solve the problem is not socialism either. It is incompetence.
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Finally, if you really want a lesson on what is wrong with socialism, I would have to ask how much time you have available because the list could take months to go through.
Get back to me in another month with a follow-up.
Craig Campell is clearly a marxist infiltrator. As he said, it is a known marxist tactic to “create panic in the people,” and that is exactly what he is doing.
Create panic in the people?
Sorry, the ADN and the rest of the mainstream news is doing that.
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Here, try out these potential headlines, and take a guess which one the news is going to run with:
A. 735 New COVID cases identified yesterday alone.
B. 96.7% of the people tested for COVID were negative yesterday.
Both of them describe the same piece of data.
Craig Campbell is clearly a marxist since he knows their policies so well
Nope, just a freedom loving conservative American, Comrade. ??
Sir, I think this is the best article I have read on the problems with the Mayor & her lemmings. I have been sharing it with everyone I know so I thank you for speaking what I humbly consider to be an accurate take on the dying heartbeat of our city.
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose….”
Good discussion, but I am not now sure who to believe about Covid in Alaska. In their regular Wednesday noon-time presentation today on Covid it was entirely clear that the Department of H&SS is very scared about the next 3 to 6 weeks. They said as much. Their portrayal today about some of the long term problems caused by this disease, including to younger people they said, was startling. They described how the numbers under-count those latent or re-occurring problems. Conflicting messages coming out of state government at the moment it seems. I don’t think these state medical people are just trying to boost their budget (they look like they’re working very hard), but do you?
“Their portrayal today about some of the long term problems caused by this disease, including to younger people they said, was startling.”
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I am actually sorry I missed that.
What are the long term problems they described? What percentage of the people testing positive for the virus are expected to see those problems?
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I have been asking about that for ages, including in an e-mail directly to Dr. Anne Zink. To date, I have not gotten any reasonable answer, especially to the question of how many people might expect to get the long term problems.
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Please share what you heard.
CBMTTEK, some people actually suffer from long-term or permanent damage as result of catching the seasonal flu, as well. “Some”, as in a very small number — certainly not enough, nor in this case, to radically and permanently overturn our society and our way of life.
I am convinced that the wild overreaction to this pandemic, caused by the constant drumbeat of fearmongering and doommongering by the corporate media, is and will cause far more damage than the virus ever will.
Jefferson, you are absolutely correct. Every disease has that potential. Chicken pox as a child leads to shingles as an adult, etc… I know of at least one person who had whooping cough as a child, and every time they get so much as a sniffle, they are up all night coughing and hacking away. Needs prescription strength cough suppressant to get a moments sleep.
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Which is why I want to know exactly what the long term effects are, and what percentage of the people can be expected to get them. Unless it can be demonstrated that a significant percentage of the population is at risk, the mandates are not warranted.
Good one.
Craig Campbell is exactly right.
Anchorage’s Mayor is turning an urban democracy into a rural village socialist form of government. Get ready, total dependency eliminates all civil rights, the rule of law for those that don’t kowtow to the inbred leadership created by nepotism of family or those too inept to provide for them selves.
Don’t look for help from elected officials that have already surrendered the right to be an equal Alaskan to the ignorant drivel of Native sovereignty. The village is now free electricity, fuel, water and sewer and food stamps and controlled by people that command total control of your freedom of movement, control of who you can visit or where you can go.
The villages have become mini versions of North Korea. You don’t think so, come try to get a pass to visit me in this village.
Buy ammo, I know what socialism is.
Ammo is becoming more difficult to buy in Alaska by the day. Commodity ammo like 9 mm, .223/5.56, and 30-06, and primers and .22 rimfire ammo have at least quadrupled in price since last summer when it can be found at all. Gunbroker.com is auctioning primers for the first time and the prices bid are extraordinary. If Biden hires Beto or doubles down on his anti-gun rights campaign rhetoric we’ll see even more millions of new gun owners across the US, and that will make ammo even more dear. Who is buying all the ammo and primers that are not making it to retail shelves? Will Alaska become the first Second Amendment sanctuary state? There is never a good place or time to go unarmed.
I have just recently found ammunition on Florida gun trader and Alaska should have its equivalent up and running. Down here 9 mm rounds are selling for 20 to $30 for a 50 round box of full metal jacket which isn’t an ideal round show some mercy for protection, you just have to wait till 2 or 3 of the adversaries line up and you get three birds with one stone.
Agree with all in article. The guidelines put forth by the CDC work. We are all capable of washing our hands, distancing and even wearing a mask as needed or requested. We do not need to shut down businesses. Businesses can set their own parameters.
The damage done by locking everything down is not only injurious our economy, but adds to unemployment and undermines the well being of our communities. The covid numbers in Anchorage have been steadily dropping, before the lockdown was started.
The lockdown is nothing but a ploy for control. Keep the good citizens dumb, drugged and dependent. But make sure they vote. Or someone else does for them…
Interesting to note that the Anchorage Pravda bemoans the fact that the unemployment numbers are through the roof, yet deliberately ignores the source creating this fact. That the city has absconded with millions meant to support those they put out of work, does not get reported anywhere but MRAK.
This voucher program has nothing to do with compassion. Typical liberal move by our Ersatz-Mayor, who discovered that outside her yes-man bubble, she gets push-back. This voucher program is solely to alleviate her guilt. Crumbs for the peasants and the rest for payroll and trails…..
The column is spot on, as always.
The question remains, though, what do we do? MRAK is the lone conservative media voice, but unfortunately, with few exceptions, there’s a bit of preaching to the choir. How can we influence greater Anchorage for the greater good?
As for me, I’ll gladly volunteer to help on any lawsuit or defense against the mandates, but the challenge is convincing the majority of Anchorage to take any and all action they can, whether that is voting, monetary contributions, protest (!), or a combination thereof. Only if that majority action is taken is there any chance of restoring Anchorage to what it was.
Americans and the rest of the world are under attack by a psychological warfare. Why are we so afraid of a virus that has a 99.7% survival rate for most people? Have you noticed, media is spreading propaganda to scare everyone into compliance so lockdowns can destroy the world economy. Did you know Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is funding a lot of the propaganda? Craig Campbell is right. Anyone that doesn’t start seeking the truth and opening their eyes will be blindsided by what is coming next. Are you willing to give up all of your civil liberties…forever? Did you see where the CCP communist leader recently said every human on earth should be vaccinated, marked and tracked? CCP has committed terrible human atrocities against Uyghur ethnic groups and even Christians. How long will Alaskan put up with tyranny? Where is the science? Where is the justice?
Even if the conspiracy theories are totally wrong, there are still groups out there that will be very happy to see the first world countries cut down a notch. The CCP is just one of them. Others are religious in nature, some are third world dictatorships that want to step up to the world stage, and some are the socialists/globalists/one world government folks.
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Regardless, the effect is the same.
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The scarier the news makes the virus out to be, the more eyeballs they get on paper and screens. The more scared the population is, the easier it is for those seeking power to seize more of it.
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The way out is to demand those we (stupidly) elected to the Assembly and other government offices are challenged, both at assembly meetings as well as at the ballot box.
Time for Alaskan’s to rise up against tyranny. We do not have to take this unconstitutional crap!
This essay laments the leadership of Anchorage. However, we must admit, voters get precisely what they want in elections.
Thank you Craig Campbell for your well thought out articles.
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