Michael Tavoliero: Our entire delegation needs to go

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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96

By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO

Our Alaska congressional delegation — Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young — are DC sell-outs and should be retired with the upcoming elections in 2022 for Murkowski and Young, and the 2026 for Sullivan. 

Think about it: We have a congressional delegation which continues to treat our state as a colony and our country as a collective influenced and controlled by Washington, DC.

Alaska’s evolution from territory to statehood was a result of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’ New Deal Democrats and post WWII national security preparation. Roosevelt’s presidency was one of the largest centralizations of power and control by the federal government. This was exactly what the US Constitution authors and our Founders warned us not to do.

Most of Alaska’s constitutional convention delegates were devoted followers of the FDR administration, in other words, they were prepubescent Marxists. 

Granting statehood to Alaska involved getting it past the federal concerns of financial solvency. Without economic development through natural resource management, the hopes of private sector financial solvency were slim. Since statehood, the federal government has done everything it could do to shut down our economy.

Historically, Alaska’s success was a litmus test that produced more government as opposed to private enterprise. A utopian cornucopia promised by our constitutional convention resulted in statehood.

Robert B. Atwood, chairman of the Alaska Statehood Committee, addressing the constitutional convention in 1955 stated, “This document [Alaska’s proposed state constitution], once it is backed with ratification of the people, must be real and indisputable proof that Alaskans are ready, able and willing to undertake all the responsibilities of self-government.”

He continued, “Alaskans want all of the successes and all of the basic principles that have made this nation great, written into their constitution, perpetuated there and enlarged and expanded, and we all know they want none of the failures that have led to clumsy, inefficient, costly and complicated government. They don’t want duplications and unwise restrictions and all the other abhorrent developments that come from an inflexible constitution.”

Ironically, at statehood to now, our dependence upon the federal government grows as Alaska’s constitutional policy inflexibly failed to recognize basic American fundamentals. 

Our state constitution and subsequent legislation and regulations require Alaskans to forget about such foundational principles as limited government, private property mineral and subsurface rights, and the capitalist economic system, and instituted a massive bureaucracy with immense regulatory control. With the requirement of the mini-Blaine amendment in our constitution as a prerequisite to enter the union, Alaska’s progeny now suffer one of the poorest performance outcomes and one of the highest costs in education of any state in the nation.

Think about it: In Alaska, is anyone not employed directly or indirectly by government?

Did you know that if you add all government employment (federal, state, local, contractors), Alaska has more government employees than any other state and any other nation per capita?

Alaska was one of the favorite petri dishes for the American Marxist’s hopes for utopia. It has surreptitiously been guised as a red state yet its own fiscal policies and its relationship to the federal government demonstrate the actions of a blue state. 

The result in 1959 gave Alaskans the largest land mass state with the smallest population and greatest natural resource development potential in the union. 

What an incredible opportunity!

Sadly, it entered the union of the greatest country in the world and in history with the legislative and regulatory baggage triggering one of the nation’s worse and most expensive state bureaucracies.

In 1959, Alaska, now possessing the sovereignty of a state, began the process of self-determination chained by Marxist ideology founded upon the ramifications of the Mini-Blaine Amendment, state controlled mineral and subsurface property rights, the Antiquities Act of 1906, the Jones act of 1916, absence of federal land conveyances, and the 16th and 17th amendments of the US Constitution and the list goes on.

The federal government’s regulatory power can object to any uses of state land. We have areas of Alaska specifically selected by the state as allowed in our Statehood Agreement, that have huge nationally strategic mineral resources that we can’t develop because of the federal government.

How many Alaskans know that we have yet to receive all the lands promised in our statehood act almost 63 years ago.  

Isn’t it time to make this so?

Is Alaska really a sovereign state?

In June of 2019, Professor James Broughel of Mercatus Center, George Washington University, published “A Snapshot of Alaska Regulation in 2019.” What he revealed was Alaska’s administrative code had 52,570 restrictions, 5.8 million words, and would take 8 weeks to read. He stated, “Individuals and businesses in Alaska must navigate these different layers of restrictions to remain in compliance.”

Add to this, municipal or borough regulations are often more restrictive than those of the state. No matter how you frame it compliance with these restrictions cost our citizenry time, energy, and capital.

The hope of freedom under Article I of the Alaska State constitution was never realized by the spawning of Alaska Marxists who contravened that hope with empty promises and clandestine actions.  

On March 11, 2020, Covid 19 took control of the Alaska’s state and local government apparatuses creating the greatest economic and social debacle in the state’s history. Almost everything about this pandemic, the government got wrong, yet regardless of our government’s failure its citizenry continues to suffer the monolithic tragedy of oppression and deprivation promulgated by government. 

We can argue California, New York or other Democrat strongholds are more tyrannical, but look at Alaska. The greatest natural resource potential of any state in the nation and perhaps the world with locks, chains, and chastity belts on anything remotely productive.

Which leads me to the reality of our congressional delegation. 

During the candidacy of Donald J. Trump and the first 2 years of his presidential administration, Congress was controlled by Republicans, an unbelievable possibility for conservative “hope and change.”

In response, the Alaska congressional delegation, Murkowski, Sullivan and Young, together with other Republican Marxists, did everything they could to cancel him.

The greatest opportunity for reform and the implementation of Trump’s contract with the American voter, his 100-day action plan to Make America Great Again, was directly sabotaged by Alaska’s congressional trio with every opportunity.

The only president ever to address the possibilities of Alaska’s nature resource development was stabbed in the back multiple times by Alaska’s own Republican congressional delegation.

Now, with President Biden, Murkowski, Sullivan and Young openly and shamelessly supported the Biden infrastructure package. If that isn’t proof positive that this trio is out of touch with Alaska, all three of them supported anti-fossil fuel, radical environmentalist Deb Haaland to be Interior Secretary. She subsequently suspended the Trump administration development of ANWAR. 

That is a bookend litany of their deplorable actions, not their empty words. They sold out our state, our country, our voters and, most importantly, they sold out the future of our children.

This is such a sad tribute to the greatest natural resource development state in the nation. Increased federal dollars. Increased federal control. Decrease in our control of our state. 

Senator Sullivan, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Young, you have all lost your way.

It is time to retire. 

Michael Tavoliero is a realtor in Eagle River, is active in the Alaska Republican Party and until recently chaired Eaglexit.

96 COMMENTS

  1. Totally agree, we need to take over the Republican Party in Alaska with America First MAGA Republicans. They have failed Alaska in the past 20 years. With redistricting, I hope new America First Republicans will get involved and retire the OLD failed ARP.

    • Not sure how you can redistrict one congressional district and two at large Senators? Perhaps you can explain?

    • Are you sure you want to chart a path to political success and power by purging and excluding Alaskans that do not share your entire vision? If so, I doubt if you will meet with the success you desire. (I would also point out that Donald Trump, Jr. joined in shanking the Pebble Mine. How does that square with the MAGA dream, exactly?)

  2. I agree with Michael’s article. The three have turned on our state. Their talk tries to tell us that they are for us, but their voting is all together different from their talk here at home.

  3. You can, and probably will, replace at least 2 of them, but if you think anything will change you are sadly mistaken. Dems will continue to thrive, RINO’s will continue to cave, and the bloated swamp will continue to roll merrily along. De rerum natura.

  5. Well said. Alaskans used to be proud of toughness, resilience and INDEPENDENCE. We plastered our cars with bumper stickers that said “We don’t give a damn how they do it Outside” and “Let the b@stards freeze in the dark”.
    .
    Now we’re awash with latte-sipping, Patagonia-wearing, REI-dwelling trust fund babies who care about nothing as much as meeting their friends at Mooses Tooth wearing the very latest high tech outdoor clothing. To hell with the state’s economics, to hell with fiscal responsibility, get Chugach Powder Guides on the phone! I need some backcountry! And they zoom away in their Priuses pausing only long enough to tweet a photo of themselves “heading out”. Let someone else clean up their dishes after them.
    .
    We are becoming Disneyland North to the idle rich and Sierra Club sycophants. As long as their playground is preserved, everything else is just noise. They giggle as they vote Blue and tweet photos to their friends.
    .
    And our Washington delegates can’t get that through their minds.

      • Frank, the PFD is a tool to limit the size and scope of Government, by putting away sums for the people, or “little guy”. That was it’s original intent. Are you now making an argument that all of the States Resources are wholly owned by the special interests and other parasitical groups that elect representatives to maintain their “universal basic income”? It’s no wonder these same groups want to outlaw Ivermectin…

        • You make this up as you go Robert? You have described rather well the original intent of the PF but not even close for PFD.
          Further, in case you forgot, the original PFD was to pay out to residents based on their years of residency rather than equally. That didn’t fly well with USSC and the Zobels. You’ve been taking entirely too much ivermectin IMO. Heheh!

      • Perhaps reading a book and educating yourself about statehood, mineral rights and royalties will clear some of the fog.
        .
        I doubt it. Some nuts are too hard to crack.

  6. It’s time to take back Alaska! Vote in new state and Federal legislators, and vote “Yes” on the constitutional convention question in November. When the time comes to re-write the rules, vote in conservative delegates to right some of the left leaning wrongs in our constitution.

    • The constitutional convention is a double edged sword. Just look at our legislature right now. Do you really trust the people of Alaska to vote for conservative delegates?

      More likely than not the convention would give us constitutionally-mandated income tax, mask mandates, mail in voting, and “equity”

    • Nope…Ain’t going to happen, but I think we have some good options in 2022. Find out for yourself.

  8. Excellent and truthful commentary on those who have actively worked to subvert our freedom, squander our tax dollars, and pander to those who prefer to put their hand out instead of work for what they might have.
    –
    It should be added that each of them has failed to lift their voices to object to the DOJ having held political prisoners in confinement for nearly a year now, while denying them due process under the U.S. Constitution (many of these people did nothing wrong); how each of them is more faithful to the interests of big pharma than they are to their constituents, as they watch and tacitly support the truth get censored and the propaganda proliferate while doing NOTHING about it; and how they consider their highest achievement to be how much money they can plunder from taxpayer funds for the State of Alaska while at the same time flushing the U.S. Constitution down the toilet, all in the name of being re-elected. They are cheap whores, one and all.
    –
    Clearly they are fans of the propaganda and censorship, as it serves them well. Their schemes will be dashed on the rocks, when the propaganda is. Live by the narrative, die by the narrative. And it IS collapsing…

  9. I cannot agree, especially now faced with this rank choice voting. Look at the organization of our current Legislature as an indicator of what would be likely to happen. We have a far left of center leadership in the House, with the real Republicans completely isolated and useless. In the Senate the real Republicans, those who would reduce spending for example, are not allowed anywhere near the Finance Committee. So with rank choice voting I would expect throwing out Young, Sullivan and Murkowski would give us Democrats, and entirely liberal ones at that. Also, even when we elect conservatives they can turn out to be weak, ineffective and of short memory; so where does that leave us? For about ten minutes Governor Dunleavy tried to reduce spending and restore the pre-Walker long understood and accepted process to determine the PFD amount. When that effort was thwarted (see organization of Legislature above) he accepted defeat to wander aimlessly for the next three years. I think this new challenger to Young merits a look, but apart from that I think we should be happy with what we have. We need to either throw out or figure out this new vote-counting scheme designed to hurt conservative candidates. Remember, in AK the trade union leadership sides with the public employee unions so to be elected someone from our side has to kowtow to the unions; otherwise the unions combine with the greenies and socialists so our candidate loses. Union members who depend on state spending are by far the largest block of voters in the state. Please get that changed before you change our delegation to Congress.

  10. I had higher hopes for Sullivan but he has been drinking swamp water too much. Murky never should have been in office and needs to go away with her twin Feinstein. Donny is old and its time to change the fossil fool. It all smells in D.C. for Alaska- we need fresh air!

  11. Michael Tavliero please run for governor
    Let’s get this state where it has never been,
    In the people’s hands.
    The federal side of things are going to swing hard to the right
    Trump will be back and Murkowski, Young, and Sullivan will be put on the auction block.
    Let’s take our state back from the sellouts!

  12. Well said! With out resources and abilities the Alaska economy should be a bright star in an otherwise bad economy, but instead we’ve crippled ourselves and suffer the consequences.

  13. I wonder if maintaining a secure lock over a natural resource rich state as Alaska is if its better, when the state hasn’t even weeded, demoted, and expelled the corruption among local leaders, and not talking about Alaska’s u.s congressional reps. Else! Then the increased riches would just increase the corruption in the corrupt local leaders and divisions making our local leaders more disagreeable to live around.
    Give the corrupted local community leaders a shoestring budget this way they are grumpy on less hahaha.

    You know the churches sometimes will say this message during Sunday services ‘if you can’t handle the little that is given to you, then why should God hear our prayer to increase our money or wealth?’ When we can’t even manage the little wealth we do possess in front of us very well.

    • I have never voted for Murkowski, stopped voting for Young years ago, only voted for Sullivan because Dr. Gross would have been a disaster for Alaska. I agree Alaska deserves much better, my fingers are crossed. Let’s go Brandon

  16. Not all that long ago there was legitimate concern that Obama might give Alaska back to Russia.

    It didn’t happen.

    So, instead our own delegation has facilitated Xiden’s giveaway of ALL of America to Red China.

    In 2022 we’ll have a change to begin reversing that. But we won’t.

    新年快乐！

  17. Young is is it going to be remembered in the history books as a compromised pork leaden communist sympathizer. Sullivan’s one line will be he was known to be a capitulating Benedict Arnoldand and Murkowski will be remembered as a patrimonial chimera swamp creature.

  19. 100% agree.

    Murkowski and Young are less than worthless but Sullivan has not shown any spine with his vote for Deb.

  20. The Federal Government needs to transfer all the lands selected as part of the Statehood agreement, AND (the conjunction here is very important) get out of the way of development on these lands. We, as Alaskans have shown we can responsibly develop oil and gas (better than Saudi Arabia and Russia, who we are now asking to increase production, albeit with one disaster thanks to a drunk tanker captain).

    Oil and gas – Look at the slope and how well that’s done. Mining – Ever been hunting in Healy around the previously mined and reclaimed (by UCM)? The area is beautiful. Susitna/Watana – look at Bradley Lake, Eklutna, Power Creek (cordova) and a ton of other hydro projects. We can do this, and continue to do it “right”, if the Feds (and to a lesser extent, the state) get out of the way.

    There also should be more Federal project money in the state. Given what the Feds did and have done for the Lower 48 (federal highway system, Northwest Dams, etc.), even with Ted Stevens and Don Young’s ability to bring pork/dollars back to Alaska, they’ve been miniscule compared to the rest of the Lower 48, and not always targeted very well (Airport Railroad anyone?).

    The Governor and Congressional delegation should be pushing these projects that actually benefit Alaska.

    • “We can do this, and continue to do it “right”, if the Feds … get out of the way.” And then you wrote: “There also should be more Federal project money in the state.”

      Are you saying the Federal government should dump loads of money into Alaska without any oversight? Is that fiscally responsible?

  22. Michael’s piece has a bunch of holes. This one stands out. First he says, “Since statehood, the federal government has done everything it could do to shut down our economy.” Which is absurd and overstated but then he contradicts himself with this, “Did you know that if you add all government employment (federal, state, local, contractors), Alaska has more government employees than any other state and any other nation per capita?”

    He also makes the tragic mistake of praising Trump, who inarguably is the most corrupt President endured by Americans. That certainly tanks Michael’s credibility.

    And for gawd’s sake, its not “ANWAR”, its the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. All those words have immense meaning.

    • I’ve never voted for Trump, but he was not even close to being “the most corrupt President endured by Americans”. To me, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and both Bushes are the most corrupt. Wilson was pushed to presidency by the banking industry. He then created the worst thing America has ever had to endure, the Federal Reserve. He also created the IRS specifically to fund his ridiculous WWI campaign while at the same time creating all sorts of loopholes and tax breaks for rich people (like both parties do). And historians, even those within the Roosevelt Library, agree that FDR was aware of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and that FDR wanted the attack. After Wilson’s ridiculous WWI, 95% of Americans weren’t interested in another European war. FDR and his State Department wanted us to be in WWII so FDR provoked Japan, and nearly 3,000 American men and women died. And don’t even get me started on the Bush Sr. and his ridiculous son.
      .
      So no, Trump is by no means the “most corrupt President”. He was certainly terrible, but average, in my opinion. Biden is, by far, more corrupt than Trump, even though that’s not saying much.
      .
      ‘https://covertactionmagazine.com/2021/12/07/eighty-years-of-lies-president-franklin-roosevelt-told-public-pearl-harbor-was-a-surprise-attack-however-there-is-considerable-evidence-demonstrating-government-foreknowledge/’

      • Great response Beth. But Evan had his fingers in his ears going LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA by the second sentence.
        .
        Face it. Some people love their lies so much they hate the taste of truth.

      • Beth: assuming your claims about these past presidents are true, none of it outweighs the disaster that was the Trump administration. Nowhere close. Trump is a thief, a liar, crook and he is utterly immoral. He is nasty, divisive and was then and is still the biggest threat to democracy in America.

        Its silly for you to say that Biden is more corrupt “by far” than Trump. There is zero evidence to support that claim.

        • TDS is a powerful drug, Evan.
          .
          I was no great fan of Trump, still am not, but your wild diatribe against him reeks of the most over-the-top exaggeration, if not outright falsehoods. And you routinely accuse ME of exaggeration!
          Physician, heal thyself.

          • Evan is playing the short question requiring a long answer game. Best and only response to Evan is no response at all.
            Don’t feed the troll.

        • LOL LA LA LA LA. What the dems impeached Trump for because of wording on a phone call, Biden did successfully with full blatant intent and then bragged about it. Hunter’s laptop isn’t important because of what it shows Hunter did, you know that right? And there is evidence of voter fraud, but granted that’s not because of Biden because Biden isn’t even in charge of his bathroom breaks these days and he wasn’t responsible for him winning the primaries. Afghanistan? The border crisis? More people dying of covid this year with shots being available than last year while lambasting Trump for every single covid stat. People getting knocked out of their careers and livelihood because of threatened FEDERAL mandates that push the limits of the constitution and the power of a president, to say the least. Inflation and supply chain issues that don’t seem to be stopping while he pushes for more “borrowed” money and restrictions on employment and travel. More division in the country than ever. Goodness. “Zero evidence” I don’t know if you lie to yourself and you’re sincere or you’re just that gullable or your ego is in overdrive protecting it from damage. It’s probably all of the above. Good luck Evan. You’re apart of it and it started long ago, before covid. Trump really congealed you guys filled with hatred and bigotry towards the right, but it started before Trump. Trump just was able to use it to win.
          —
          I sincerely do wish you luck. Being this obsessed with MRAK readers and working this hard to avoid simple realities coming to your stream of consciousness seems miserable. I’d give you advice, but whatever I say will make you do the opposite. So break a leg.

          • Justin Erickson: I wrote that “There is zero evidence to support that claim [Biden is more corrupt “by far”].

            Your list focuses on Biden’s failures. None of them reveal corruption. I don’t like Biden much, but he is not corrupt.

        • Evan, clearly you need to go back and study a soft science like anthropology, judging from your breathless and feckless comments above. Clearly History and rational thinking are not your Forte.
          You offer no factual evidence nor can you in support your ridiculous claims.
          Trump was boorish in his presentation however his goverence was light years closer to our ideals and constitution then the totally corrupt, drooling Chi- Com puppet you have now.

          • Perfectly and succinctly said, Robert!
            .
            As I stated above, I was no particular fan of Trump, particularly in regards to his Swamp Creature cabinet picks, as well as to his frequently juvenile and embarrassing comments, but his policies were still leaps and bounds better than those of the current usurper, a.k.a. Pretendent China Joe PotatoHead.

  24. 100%. Absolutely are selling personal items here in order to finance other candidates, these incumbants need to go.
    Every one of them is drunk on power, bought and paid for. Every one of them took an oath which meant nothing to them.. They laugh at you every day. You would not want to hear the names they call you. Remember too what George Bush said some time ago regarding the Constitution… “it’s just GD piece of paper”…. these people in AK are the same. They never took it serious from day one they were just playing the game, liars all.

  25. Yep, all three swamp creatures must go. I told Don Young so this morning, via email. We need elected reps who will FIGHT and RESIST the Communist takeover of our country.

  27. Great article. The biggest problems in Alaska are getting people to care enough to vote. And to forget about the damn PFD as the life or death argument it isn’t. It is a BS issue both sides use to distract the voters. Alaska is now run as a colony of the Federal Government. Too many people live the easy life on that money to care…or change it. I don’t let people get away with the “I don’t do politics” or “I just wanna be left alone attitude.” Bullshit. Man up and get involved. Or shut up and let the idiots take over. And by the way it’s your kids you eventually feed to that future, not you and your new 4
    wheeler. Apathy is the number 1 killer of Constitutional Republics. They last as long as people care and stay informed.

    • The PFD is not a BS issue. It is important enough that I will vote for ANY politician, Democrat or Republican, who will give a FULL PFD EVERY YEAR. Big Mike promised it but failed miserably. Chris Kurka might get it done

  29. Question: should our current delegation to Washington be rejected in future elections, do you really think those running against them will be significantly more conservative or libertarian? I doubt it, given (1) Washington brainwashes all that go there to serve, and (2) the new voting system adopted in Alaska will dilute/undermine electing people more conservative to office.

    • Or maybe I shouldn’t have said “…running against them” so much as “those winning elections against them.”

        • BTW, I post using my full name, so I don’t know who this “Art C.” is.

          I’m not as negative towards either Sullivan or Young as you are. I would advocate that Young step down and have a younger successor if we hadn’t ruined our succession law in the wake of Lisa’s appointment. Since the Governor can’t appoint a successor, we might as well run it out to the election.

          The simple fact is that Alaska’s Congressional delegation has to do a lot of “go along to get along.” It isn’t so much that they get brainwashed, though Lisa is purely and simply a DC creature; she grew up there. The reality is that Young in particular is just 1 of 435 and Alaska doesn’t have a lot of friends. “Go along, get along” has sometimes bitten us, e.g., Stevens on ANILCA, but we’re a small and relatively powerless state and accommodation is often necessary.

          • Yes, Art, my last name is not “Chance”.

            I agree with your points above. Because these elected delegates are part of a larger body, there is a lot of “go along to get along.” But that is why state governments were originally given broader power under the Constitution than the federal government. Unfortunately, past and current legislators give up state’s rights and abrogate those rights by voting to expand federal authorities and responsibilities. We need to get back to downsizing the role of the federal government and putting states rights and authorities back closer to the people they serve.

  30. I don’t know about the entire Alaska delegation, but the sooner that Trump is out of the picture, the better we all will be. He does nothing except divide us, and he takes sick pleasure in doing so.

    • Dear Dog,

      There is no division just indoctrination. Either we are for a constitutional republic or we’re for the guys who publish hundreds of articles in the mid 1800’s in the New York Tribune.

      Just make a choice and stick with it ’cause that is where it is going.

      • Michael: Trump’s entire vaudeville shtick is division and weirdly and pathologically not division between the two parties, but between the narcissistic Trump and everyone else. For Trump, it’s all Trump all the time. Hooray for Trump and fuck everyone else

        I’m a liberal but would welcome back the old guard Republicans like bob dole and Liz Cheney instead of aging brats like Gosar, Greene, Gaetz and the gun chick.

        • Evan,
          You have it backwards, pal. The Democrats are the dividers. Always have been. Hilary Clinton. Obama. Biden. And under these regimes we have racial division. Class division. Cultural division. Generational division. Trump tried to unify us by making our country strong. But the Democrats only want division, and to spawn more separation and pressure groups. And that doesn’t work!

          • Sorry Marla: exactly the opposite is true and the evidence is overwhelming. The evidence is obvious and abundant.

            How did Trump make our country strong? The rest of the world laughed at us, were embarrassed for us. He corrupted every component of democracy – even the post office for gawd’s sake.

          • You gotta be kidding, Evan. Economy and military were strong. No wars under Trump. Free markets rolling. Borders secured. Trump would stand up to any world leader and stay firm. His kids are sterling and respectful. Compared to Joe Biden? Everything is backwards under Biden. You live in a different universe, Evan. You were indoctrinated by your Commie teachers. That’s clear to see.

          • I suspect that Evan is a paid shill, promoting someone’s agenda. Nothing Evan says makes any sense otherwise.

  31. 100% AGREE … !!! The current delegation of “Ski, Sully & Yung” need to be replaced quickly, with competent, loyal, and effective conservatives. Thank you for your service, nothing personal just business, thanks for the memories but, Goodbye!

  32. Wow, what a ridiculous rant. You are clearly in love with Donald Trump, but he has done not a thing for Alaska. I for one am glad that Sen Murkowski and Congressman Young have the backbone to stand up to Trump’s egomaniacal histrionics, and put the interests of Alaska first.

    • Rick,
      So Alaska can live on socialist money and welfare from the federal government? You don’t sound very well educated, Rick. I’m guessing that you listen to a lot of CNN and propoganda from your Communist friends.

      • Donald Trump lost the last election by 8 million votes. He also lost the popular vote in 2016. Why conservatives want a guy who lost the popular vote in both elections to be their candidate in 2024 is baffling. And calling Don Young a liberal is ridiculous. If Republicans don’t stop attacking each other, and demanding allegiance to the Donald, they are heading for defeat again in 2024.

        • Rick: totally agree with you about the horror that is Trump. Trump has made it acceptable to be divisive and stupid. Followers of Trump like the commenters here are proud of limiting their diet of evidence to whatever satisfies their anger.

  33. First off, we need a complete reform of our election process. Mail in ballots do not work, and so many people are on the roles that have moved and just want to continue getting a PFD . Unless we clean up the rolls, there will never be a fair election again, so as much as all of us want change, it just won’t happen with the present system. And when 300 people in a village of 50 vote and nothing is done, don’t hold your breath. It is the state that is responsible for voting integrity and nothing is being done at that level. So save the fuss and accept the fact that your opinion and your vote don’t mean squat unless our Lt Governor starts doing his job. But I do agree totally with your well thought points. But really, what’s the point ? We are screwed. Lisa is back in, Don too. And the fabulous nine on the assembly will retain their power because we have a system that is flawed and we are powerless to force change. And such a small group actually votes.

    • Trig: you wrote, “And when 300 people in a village of 50 vote and nothing is done, don’t hold your breath”.

      That would indeed be election fraud. Have you provided your evidence to the State of Alaska lieutenant governor? He needs to know!

    • Mail in ballots don’t work? Oh, they worked, all right. They worked like a charm. They didn’t help election integrity or honesty at all, but they sure did work. I absolutely agree that a complete reform of our election process is needed!

    • The elections are legit. Trump lost. He admitted it. Everyone as admitted it. Fraud is only in your imagination. Get on with it. Time to come up with an idea for once.

      • We have an idea. Election reform and more transparency and integrity and the ability to audit machines routinely without being told “you can’t. There is proprietary information on them and we need them for the next election so you can’t have them and if you doubt us, will sue you for defamation.” And requiring an id number on the mail in ballots. Setting up a court system that actually allows election fraud evidence to be reviewed by the court without dismissing it because there aren’t established protocols and jurisdictions for doing so properly. These are all good things to restore trust and faith for those that have strong doubts and of course way more effective than you browbeating with totally ignorant and arrogant comments. The audits in many states have found serious discrepancies, deletion of data, mishandling of ballots, more questions than answers, definitive mistakes that were admitted, and reasons for reform despite whatever you want to believe. And everyone has admitted what exactly? There is no election fraud and no reason to doubt elections? Obviously not. Just ask Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.
        **
        But carry on. I’m sure the DNC with all of its class, integrity, and honestly will deliver you yet another wonderful candidate that Democrat voters actually want next go around.

    • I believe we can sue the assembly and the city clerk for scratching each other’s back. I believe we can do a similar thing to the lt. governor for not evaluating the election machines and systems when there is such a large amount of lost faith. But I really don’t know. I’m just some random guy trying to figure out what we can do because I feel similarly. I also think the campaign for Ballot Measure 2 really should be brought to court for running very dishonest ads. The ads claimed they were for preventing dark outside money but nearly all of the funding for those very ads came from dark outside money. And of course, ballot measure 2 won’t prevent them from continuing to play games to hide funding. They planned it from the very beginning to know their own loopholes while nailing others to the wall for not keeping receipts properly.
      –
      “The three largest funders of Alaskans for Better Elections are Unite America, Action Now Initiative, and Represent.Us. All of these funding organizations are located outside of Alaska.” – and the funding of those organizations has been obscured.
      –
      They also claimed in the ads it was bipartisan, but all of the “founding members” for “Alaskans for Better Elections” were nothing but vindictive bleed blue Democrats that have proven histories of only doing things for Democrats and against Republicans.
      –
      We have to fight because otherwise the ADN and Alaska Public Media will keep making the liberals feel like they should be running the place because they do such a great noble job while the right is crooked and evil. The courts need to inform them of the truth because their media coverage certainly won’t.

  36. Wow Michael, you’ve hit a nerve with most of these commentators. I respectfully disagree with your article – you’ve begged the question throughout. And while I know you well enough to know you know how the system works, it looks like you have selectively bought into a particularly ignorant form of demagoguery. Dan Sullivan has been great – a champion for the State and many national issues that you would agree with. His vote for Haaland was a horrible mistake and out of his normal character, but I can only guess at who was lobbying for her and what his choices might have been… Lisa, time to go – you’ve become more liberal with each passing year and less in touch with Alaska… Don Young has been wonderful for Alaska – when you are the minority Party in both houses of Congress and the Presidency, PORK is the best you can hope for. “My way or the highway” just doesn’t get good people elected. I would never accuse our delegation of supporting Marxism. Having vented at you, I must agree that the direction of the nation is opposite where we should be going – we should be promoting freedom and free markets and LIMITED government.

  41. Interesting and well written article, although I disagree with most of it. It’s the type of article with a negative tone in that it goes on and on about what is perceived to be wrong while completely avoiding any solutions.

    I would like to see Mike publish a follow-up article painting a picture of what should be done to correct the “evils” of the so called Marxist dominated culture we live in. Who would be Marx’s conservative counterpart? In this longed for conservative utopia, what would the economy look like? Education, health care, transportation, energy, the environment, judicial systems, public safety, foreign relations, defense, human rights, etc.?

  42. The author correctly identifies some significant problems in realizing Alaska’s promise but then errs by (a) finding a grand conspiracy, and (b) embracing an egomaniacal 75 year old as a key component of the solution.

    The delegation – wrongly in my view – supported the “infrastructure” bill because it would bring lots of federal dollars to the state. I have come to doubt whether this is a good thing when it produces more dependency and more government. Yet the delegation voted yes with the knowledge it would neutralize labor unions in upcoming elections and make Native corporations happy. Let’s have a debate about that.

    The author takes things too far. Drop the grand conspiracy overtones. The answer is to criticize and oppose bad decisions and field rational alternative candidates. I would leave Donald Trump completely out of it.

    • I feel similarly, although I think Trump caused damage that was needed and exposed the liberal media for what it is. We can thank his narcissism and ego for some of that. But we don’t need more of that. Now we need to rebuild and realize that what Trump taught us was that we shouldn’t back down and waste time trying to make liberal media happy because as long as we have any success and make them look bad in the process, they won’t be happy and will try everything to vilify us at every opportunity even if it means more dishonestly and force us to play their games with their frameworks, definitions, and their feigned “sensitivities” and get bogged down in counter narratives. But he also taught us that we shouldn’t be like him and instead take the high road and be the ones, like we always have been, with valor, honor, wisdom, class and dignity that even the average left leaning neighbor can be admire sometimes. Be more like Reagan, but hold the military and cia industrial complex more accountable and clean up things so we can get behind our young soldiers efforts again. With that CNN will have to clean out all of their useful tools or just have to settle with openly being left leaning biased media with not a very respectable past and maybe even fade away into being something of the past.
      –
      Lisa’s hatred for Trump made her lose any clarity she once had.
      Don’s a professional politician and has needed to go for awhile, IMO
      And Sullivan… I think Sullivan might be able to be ok if he can free himself of his loyalty to Lisa and Don, but who knows. I like him when he shows backbone, but I think we all agree he doesn’t do that enough. He’s got a little while to redeem himself and we can wait and see.
      –
      I agree too, I don’t like the pork barrelling that Alaska politicians think is “Alaska First”. We have our own money and resources, thank you very much. What we need is just to slap the hand that takes our money and tries to act all noble when it gives us inflationary money back to help us build infrastructure while making us jump through very restrictive hoops to even propose the construction. Norway is a beautiful country with thriving ecology and communities that are developed and will connected and there is no reason why Alaska can’t work towards that without the lower 48 environmental scientist acting like literally nothing can be done in this state without hurting the caribou population and looking “greedy” and hurting the pristine “untouched” appeal.

  43. Don and Lisa do not surprise me, but Dan Sullivan is a big disappoint. Especially with his military background.

  45. Michael Tavoliero is a realtor in Eagle River. I wonder if he’s ever sold a house to a State, Federal or Local government employee? I guess $$$ talks . Tell me Mike will you be giving all that $$$ back. Marxism isn’t so bad if it fills his bank account. He didn’t throw in the “S” word to complete his commentary, for all you Socialists.

  46. Great article from someone with courage who is spot on, followed by a bunch of cheap shots from the Woke crowd. No surprise. Hey LT governor, do your job and Audit the last election!!!

  48. I have remained an Alaskan since 1957 when it was still a territory before becoming a state in 1959. It is with regret that I must frankly admit my only true representative in congress is Senator Rand Paul.

  49. Whatever became of the Dominion Voting Systems voting machines conspiracy We have them here. Inquiring to know what ever became of that entity in the news. What was the real truth behind the results or inquiry into that entity.

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