“Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.”
– attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal
In a time when the ancient Roman government provided the people with bread during the chariot and gladiator circuses held in places such as the Colosseum, the people often forgot their government induced misery, starvation, and poverty. They were happy watching the misery and death of others. And, more importantly, they were predictable and controllable.
In a time when Alaska’s future potential as a viable economic natural resource development behemoth in the world, not just the United States, has never been more precarious and threatened by the Marxists controlling the local, state, and federal governments,
In a time when Alaska’s children have never been so dismally positioned for a failing future in a growing global education environment which has surpassed the Alaska education system with its novel disinformation such as Critical Race Theory, gender identification, the 1619 Project, other Marxist doctrines, and mandatory masking,
In a time when Alaska’s health care costs per capita are the highest in the nation, the world, and the space station, and controlled by a collective hegemony focused on bleeding the state’s treasury through Medicaid and the Welfare industry,
In a time when the private sector is eroding into non-entity status supplanted by corporatism and the public sector continues to grow and prosper.
In a time when the Alaska Permanent Fund is over $83 Billion and heading to $100 Billion.
In a time when Alaska’s crude oil production has increased since the beginning of 2021 by over 40% and Alaska crude oil production has averaged over 470,000 barrels daily. This alone has added over $4.7 billion to date to the state treasury. With Alaska’s crude oil demand worldwide continuing to grow, barrel prices may reach between $80 to $100 a barrel in the future.
In a time, when history will show the people of Alaska have suffered the greatest economic and social debacle ever in its state’s history more due to local, state, and federal government incompetence, malfeasance, graft, and corruption than the pandemic,
In a time, when the Marxists under the leadership of former Gov. Bill Walker, former Senate President Cathy Giessel, and former House Speaker Bryce Edgmon added the single greatest red herring and obstruction to Alaska’s legislative process in its history, the “Percent of Market Value” or POMV, and seconded by SB 91, the Omnibus Crime Bill, another clever distraction,
In a time when the people of Alaska have been denied their legal and rightful share of oil revenues through the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend since 2016, while the Alaska Deep State continues to grow with exponential resilience,
In a time when all these issues are squarely on the shoulders of the current Alaska political system brought to you by the same Marxist groups who continue to destroy our state,
Please allow me to introduce another startling exercise in hypocrisy, sleight of hand, and deception or for those studying ancient Roman history how to appease the masses.
The Alaska Marxists represented by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Department of Administration through its leadership have introduced the “GiveAKaShot.com”.
“Ladies and Gentlemen”, shouts the circus announcer for the Alaska Chamber of Communism:
“Healthy people are the foundation of a healthy economy, and our economy is suffering.”
Are you kidding me?
The Alaska Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the State of Alaska Department of Administration are using Cares Act funds to produce yet another contrived distraction to the real issues our state faces.
Its website at GiveAKaShot.com states, “This is why the Alaska Chamber is launching the Give AK a Shot Sweepstakes set to give out nearly a million dollars to vaccinated Alaskans. Now through Oct. 30, Alaskans vaccinated for COVID-19 are eligible to enter the Alaska Chamber’s “Give AK a Shot” drawing for a chance to win $49,000. A total of 18 prize drawings split between two categories (Alaskans aged 18 and older and Alaskans aged 12-17) will be awarded.”
“The Alaska Chamber firmly believes that one of the most important tools in realizing economic recovery is vaccinating for COVD-19. It is the single easiest and safe thing that individual Alaskans can do to help get our economy back on track. Why? Because recent studies show that vaccinating for COVID-19 is highly effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalizations, and death.”
I won’t go into the recent rise in vaccinated Covid-19 cases, instead I’ll just let you research the studies, but here is my point:
With the fact that Alaska’s economy and society is in jeopardy, why didn’t the Alaska Department of Administration, instead of a sweepstakes, take the Cares Act money and pump it into the PFD under Covid-19 education? In other words, add a couple of innocuous sentences into the PFD by regulation which advises all PFD recipients to get vaccinated?
Same thing, but different results.
Let’s take it one step further. Is the Alaska Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Department of Administration advocating the relinquishment of an Alaskan’s constitutional right to privacy? Perhaps a stretch, but the camel just got his nose under the tent. I see this as egregious and slams against our constitutional right found in the Alaska State Constitution:
Article 1. Section 22. The right of the people to privacy is recognized and shall not be infringed. The legislature shall implement this section.
The Alaska Marxist party is inclusive to the Alaska deep state. Yet many of our conservative political representatives believe that we can go along to get along and there is no problem being bribed by Cares Act monies.
With each flaccid sentiment, the party steals one more component of liberty and one more element of our rights. The party falsely represents itself as the final answer to all societal problems, economic, social, political, and religious.
The dynamic deceit of Marxist action provides a continuum of energy and enthusiasm but no solutions. It preys on our youth through indoctrination and foments an indoctrinated adult with chaotic theatrics.
Personally, I think the Alaska Chamber of Commerce should rename its website, “WeDon’tGiveaSh_tAboutAK.com” instead.
Michael Tavoliero is a realtor in Eagle River, is active in the Alaska Republican Party, and chairs Eaglexit.
He is right. We are now 4 or 5 generations of college students into Marxist theory. These people are so indoctrinated now they do not even know what a Marxist is. They are like the fish that does not know it is swimming in water. Thanks for posting Suzanne. The facts are so shocking they are disorienting, even unbelievable. But they are facts nonetheless…
Agreed. However, even the word “facts” has been hijacked… The new AMA COVID-19 GUIDE (Background/messaging on vaccines, vaccine clinical trials & combatting vaccine misinformation) actually outlines a new “Suggested external narrative for different engagements • Talking Points to Guide External Communications, from Interviews to Events” including a recommendation that instead of saying “Science-, medicine-, data-based” you now say “Fact-based”. They also recommend in the same document that instead of saying “Hospitalization rates” you now say “Deaths”. Yes, this is actually #5 in their “COVID-19 Language Swap Table”. Marxism… using a series of rotten philosophical theories to walk us all into a truly social system and classless society. No pride. No encouragement to better yourself. No will… I sure hope Alaskans and Americans start to wake up. Stand up.
Spot on! Now if we can only get our Governor to push back on these Marxist conspirators and fire those involved.
Wow. What a screed. And Suzanne won’t publish my screeds? Nice use of the word “flaccid” Michael though. Entertaining to be sure. By now you probably know I could destroy you on the facts but I choose not to. This is not the way to make change.
I already sent my entry in. $49,000 hell yeah. As I understand it I will get 8 chances to win.
I can see that the anti-vaxxer’s would be understandably frustrated that they will not be eligible.
And I will say that I do believe universal vaccination is a totally un-scientific pogram due to the “leakiness” of the vaccine. It could make the situation even worse by creating vaccine-resistant super-bugs. That is all for now. I have to go watch “War-Room Pandemic” for the latest information. Seriously.
Chris, this vaccine doesn’t kill viruses and is NOT capable of creating super bugs, they just don’t work like the older style “killed-virus” type vax.
“pogram,” while probably a typo, is probably more accurate than what you intended.
Uh, Chris, the ‘vaccine-resistant super-bugs’ are called the ‘variants’, which are mutations of the virus to get around the very limited effectiveness RNA jab. With the state in such dire financial state, per leftists like you, this is about the stupidest waste of money that I can think of. Of course I’m sure that if you win that you will donate it back to the treasury.
Actually, the Republicans have been running the state for decades. They’re the ones to hassle.
Chris, if memory serves Suzanne has published your screed in the past. The “Great Alaska Sausage Factory” diatribe comes to mind. So you can destroy Michael on the facts? Prove it! This sweepstakes is an unacceptable use of taxpayer funds, but the “or else” crowd no longer feels the need to be subtle, after the majority buckled under with all their useless masks, shut-downs and passports.
I’d be interested in seeing the appropriation by the Legislature that authorizes the “Jab Lottery.” Since the Biden Administration is essentially dysfunctional, the federal government isn’t doing much checking on how CARES Act funds are spent except in Texas and Florida, so lots of states and localities have seen it as “mad money,” see, e.g., MOA. Lots of people don’t seem to know that even federal money has to be received by the State or local legislative body and appropriated to a specific purpose before it can be expended; there is little executive discretion.
I’m not in Juneau any more, and it is too much trouble to go downtown to dig through budget books and the like, but I’m willing to bet that this is financed by somebody’s claimed “discretionary” use of CARES funding.
I read the official rules, and believe you only get one chance, not 8.
Geez…..the odds are way better for catching Corona.
You silly Marxist
Sounds like a violation of free and fare oportunity laws.. Discriminating against many person by offering an advantage not offered to ALL residents of the STATE.
Clearly medical discrimination.
WELL SAID!!
It’s too late.
Where can we find which business is a C of C member
Bread and circuses.. Welfare and instagram/facebook/MTV etc etc. No correlation is there?
Too late. Kinda like a lady of the evening regaining her virginity.
We had a Republic. We couldn’t be bothered to keep it
Recapture her virginity? No
Recapture her dignity and honor? Yes
It’s never too late. Remember that!
Every one of us adults need to step up
Have you voted?
Do you contact your representatives and offer serious recommendations, not just griping?
Our conservative representatives are on the constant defensive with the woke crowd constantly battling them for every decision they make, especially if it is anti-woke. They need our help, so do something,
All you smart people out there, write up a solution, a viable, actionable solution.
Problem: our local assembly continues to fight the conservative mayor every single rational thing he wants to do, like not hire executives into unnecessary positions when our city needs real work done.
Solution: email, call, contact your local representative to remind them of your voice as they represent you. Show up at the assembly meetings prepared with a rational 3 minute solution to each assembly item we take umbrage over.
Let’s help our governor the same way.
In other words, speak up where it counts.
He forgot to mention the fact that Marxists control the Alaska Republican party. Just look at the legislature
Marxists don’t control our GOParty, but the Party has little control over our elected officials once elected – and we do need to do a better job of vetting candidates before we let them run with our label. The other factor Jon, is the “binding caucus” rule – the other side just offers some of the more “moderate” Republicans some choice committee positions and despite our elected majority, the dems wind up in control. Almost-Marxists ARE controlling congress. We will not forget beer-pong and hair-spinning hissy fits… You’d think the princess thought she was a helicopter… We have managed to remove a few of the traitors – but more seem to succumb to the siren song of lib-promised power.
that was quite the word salad from someone who produces nothing of value. I actually read this a few times to try and understand your point. What does the PFD have to do with Covid? Only connection I can see is the Chamber is using funds to buy vaccinations and politicians are using the PFD to buy votes. The PFD application period does not start until Jan.1. I think the Chamber is trying to reach people sooner.
Maybe you could clarify your oil rant. Are you saying Biden is doing great things for the Alaskan economy? Is $3.18 a gallon really good for America and are you hoping it goes higher. I guess you enjoy working people struggling so you can get more money for nothing.
Maybe you can go into the bribing with CARES Act money. According to a Sept. 2 article in the ADN you were looking for those funds to support EaglExit.
Just because everything seems to be about Covid now including the PFD I will say personally it is a free country and people can make their own choices.
Leo, can you name three things you dislike about Communism?
Mike my friend, I agree with your concerns about communism overtaking our cultures and medical tyranny being used as another agent to destroy our freedom. We must kick the commies out of our schools and their communist curricula too. You’ve written well, building to your point. I simply disagree that using fed money to hold a vax sweepstakes is somehow infringing on our right to privacy and somehow promotes “Marxism”. Anyone can enter – if they’ve been jabbed and get their little CDC card – there is really no discrimination. So if you want to enter, go get poked. Is it a good use of CARES Act funds? – not likely, and I won’t enter, though I have exercised my freedom to get vaxxed. That the Alaska Chamber has made such an announcement is a bit off from their mission – for them to enter an opinion on healthcare is ultimately self-defeating as it plays into the hands of those who would restrict our economy for the sake of “health” and opens the tent to that camel in the future. Is the Chamber going commie? Not likely – I think they just don’t want more lockdowns, mask mandates, or other restrictions on commerce – and see weighing in on the vaccination effort as a way to do that. So Mike, correct concern, wrong example to pick on. It would have been simpler to write a single paragraph saying the sweepstakes is a stupid idea and a waste of money.
Agree. The vax sweepstakes, whilst being an absurd waste of money, is near the bottom of our list of problems right now. The focus should be cleaning up our elections and reversing the ridiculous prop 2. If we can do that, we can make some real headway on dealing with everything else.
Agree. Prop 2 is how a tiny marginalized party wins elections. It must be stopped.
Yet, “Caanites” (marxists/socialists/liberals) still are waiting for when they see we choose to stop listening to them and exploring their bad ideas that drifted the Isrealites away from God.
We choose to listen and adopt their practices for whatever passive reasons. We can always ignore and carry on with the tried and true practices that been given by God for Right living and they lead to prosperous living.
It’s every bit as bad as the author stated and the worst part is that the average Alaskan, and most other Americans, can’t see how their political philosophies have been twisted toward accepting, even demanding, socialism as we travel down the road to communism and a totalitarian state.
The false charity of government welfare sold to us under the lie that we’re all responsible for everyone else was the mechanism used.
All the forms of collectivism become very attractive to those who depend on government to fund their unearned standards of living.
At their most basic that is what every single government welfare or social service is…taking what one person has earned and giving it to someone who did not work for it.
It’s the real world application of the Marxist slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Americans don’t see this as a form of socialism because they’ve accepted that government is their caretaker, their surrogate parent, there to pick them up and brush them off when things go badly…but at someone else’s expense.
Until the nation returns to the collective belief that we’re free to enjoy the fruits of our honest labors AND free to either enjoy the results of our good choices or to suffer the outcomes of our bad choices without the government stepping in to steal some of our earnings to hand out to us somebody else we’ll continue our slide toward total government control of our lives.
We’re far down that slope already and, personally, I don’t think we’ll ever stop.
Unfortunately, there are Republicans who apparently feel it important to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by using vaccines, masks and abortion laws.
My comments are irrelevant, and so are yours
Why because we have no power!
Mike Dunleavy, the governor of this state, has power and has blatantly chosen to do nothing on our behalf
Need I say more? It won’t do anything
Michael,
You forgot to mention the most important Marxist-oriented issue in their playbook:
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Man-caused climate change, and climate action, by the Marxists to gain economic control over the masses
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If unchecked and unchallenged, the Democrat Party will use this issue to manifestly change our lives forever, with control being centralized and directed down to the most localized political subdivisions.
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Man-caused climate change is one of the biggest hoaxes ever committed against the populace. The hoaxsters use an “all-onboard” approach, with top scientists, educators, and politicians weighing in. They use weather events as primary examples, and weather related catastrophies to advance their agenda. Most of these examples are pronounced in the late summer, during periods of known weather events. The media fuels the agenda. The message: Oil bad! Coal bad! Mining bad! Drilling and pipelines bad!
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What an irony that oil companies, which have provided so much money to fuel our state government growth, are the primary targets by the hoaxsters. Our principal resource is on the cutting block after giving Democrats a luxurious lifestyle from which to attack.
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Man-made climate change cannot withstand the truthful scrutiny of pure scientific and evidentiary examination. But pictures and headlines create a thousand words. And that is what the Marxists intend.
You can control most of the populace by scaring them. The ones you can’t control…..
you shame them…….into submission.
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Thank you for your article.
The camel’s nose went under the tent back in the 60’s with Johnson’s “Great Society” and civil wrongs act. (Of course it can be argued that it started with TR and Wilson). The welfare state, education indoctrination, destruction of the family, perversion of separation of church and state, abortion on demand…all have been foisted upon us by politicians claiming it was for the betterment of America. And we sat on our hands and watched it happen. The radicals of the 60’s have been successful beyond their wildest dreams, and now they are deeply entrenched in every facet of our lives; in government, school boards, financials, politics, deep state, and the media. Lies repeated often enough become truth. America as designed can bend over and kiss its behind goodbye. We had something great but the greatness is a rapidly fading memory and nonexistant to most of those under 40. I close with one of my fave quotes from patriot Founder Thomas Jefferson: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants”. We have an overabundance of tyrants in America these days, I wonder how many true patriots are left.
God bless America, as founded, and God damn those who would destroy her.
Juneau is already gone. Mail in only voting with a special “building” to collect and count all the votes. We’ll never have an honest election again. Add to this all these new committees by appointees who have all this power but never have to win an election. Juneau recently raised commercial property taxes by 50% calling it equality. They cannot have hearings for everyone before taxes are due, how convenient. I’m sure residential properties will be next.
Well said Jim. Mail in ballots must be rolled back to when only people with a genuine need because they can’t vote in person first request a ballot.
I agree, excepting the CARES funding aspect. That’s been the problem, the CARES funding was designed not to act as a bridge, but to replace jobs, independence, and fiscal common sense.
Why would the AK Chamber of Commerce like the CARES funding? Wage supplements that end the burden of wages upon the employer, marketing supplements, on and on. The CARES was not designed to do anything but build reliance upon gov’t.
We need to identify and remove all Marxists from our community councils, school boards, city and borough legislative bodies, local executive bodies–elected and appointed–and, our state and federal office holders and appointees. Any employee who spouts off in favor of CRT, BLM/ANTIFA and other such organizations needs to find another place to work. Get them out of our schools.
Make the unions be just that, nothing more than working conditions and wages, only.
End tenure in the schools and colleges.
End use of gov’t loans for classes that are irrelevant to anything but a social agenda–all of the Marxist inspired race malarkey and anything that promotes on race over another.
Enough, we either fight the war the way they are, or it may be too late for even the 2A solution.
No state legislator, or executive or judicial officer can war against the Constitution without violating his undertaking to support it. Time to start holding elected to their oath of office!
Thank you Michael for taking a stand on this issue. I retired from State Service in 2006 and previously retired from military service in 1990. I agree that this appears to be a misuse of Cares Act funds but your wrong in that the swamp dwellers wrote their bills so large that even they don’t know what is in them and most didn’t read them. They have staff in great numbers to read such boring details. If you actually research the bills they are written in such away to allow lesser swamp dwellers to spend the money on anything imaginable. Case in point the Anchorage assembly swapping the Cares Act funds to the first responders money budgeted and using that money to buy buildings to house the homeless and using the Cares Act money to pay the first responders. That would be money laundering in a drug cartel but is just deceitful spending by the Marxist on the assembly. Constructing hiking trails and calling it a work project, buying buildings for their leftist friends but doing little to help Anchorage businesses unless they could hand pick their leftist friends. All of those expenditures were wasteful and wrong spending by the Marxist assembly.
You can bet our legislature appropriated Cares Act funds to the Chamber for the raffle under the guise of increasing the number of Alaskans that are willing to get vaccinated. The odd part is I have read their program and still don’t believe anyone that was vaccinated before the start of the program is eligible to win because that doesn’t increase the vaccination numbers although it appears they can apply. Most State incentive programs only applied to unvaccinated individuals that got the shots after their programs were announced.
Being a devious thinker myself I came to the conclusion that if they didn’t include the already vaccinated they could be horrible embarrassed by the lack of entrants. I think anyone that is willing to be vaccinated has already done so unless they were living on the Space Station.
The ones not getting the vaccinations are committed and die hard rejectionist. They know they are risking their lives, their families and friends lives and possibly anyone they touch or breath on. If that doesn’t make them get a shot do you think this will except for a very few that love money more than life. Nothing will bring them forward and certainly not a wild chance of money.
That is evidenced by the ever increasing mandatory vaccinations required by Biden, employers, schools and events. We will all have to have a vaccine passport to do anything or travel unless you live a totally subsistence live deep away from everyone.
PS: Will people please stop claiming it is a waste of their tax money. Most Alaskans pay no taxes to fund anything unless you count fuel taxes, fish taxes, minor business taxes or taxes levied and spent in their own community. (Property, school and sales taxes). A large part of Alaskans pay no property or school taxes also. The ever decreasing number of Alaskans that pay any Federal taxes should know that every tax dollar you pay gets returned by $1 paid to over $7 returned (2005) by the Federal Government to fund all those programs in the State of Alaska. I mean State and local money spent on Alaska things not Federal things in Alaska. That’s why I put my State retirement date in this because I no longer follow those figures but I am sure some readers are currently knowledgeable of the State budgets, direct Federal grants and appropriations and matching funds know what the current rate of return per tax dollars paid is actually today. With the enormous amounts of Cares Act Funding and the increases in government handouts by the current Marxist administration it must be off the scale.
As for my favorite quote from Thomas Jefferson concerning the tree of liberty the Marxist are already moving to exterminate those of us that they believe are Patriots. I fear that we have failed and when the baby boomers die off there will be too few to object or act. The Marxist have successfully made sufficient changes that liberty and freedom will go the way of the Carrier Pigeon. The corruption of the voting system removed our last chance to change and fight back. They have control. God Bless America and Alaska.
To Michael T., who knows… but not doing what one can to waken Alaskans is -not- an option.
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So Alaska wakes up… what are they supposed to do, what keeps ’em awake?
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Recall a document that said: “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”… followed by 27 Facts?
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Why not compile a concise list of Facts, just as the author of the document did,
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… Facts about what our present-day Kings (and Queens) did, and do, which should awaken Alaskans, move them to separate their Kings (and Queens) from power?
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Why? Makes an easily posted document that won’t go away… Unites productive Alaskans on the same issues, pushes our masters toward defense, harder for them to distract, divide, and conquer by pivoting from issue to issue… for us, it’s all or nothing
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… and right now, –for no good reason–, we got nothing, which is very annoying…
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Sure and productive Alaskans seem surrounded, outnumbered by representatives morphed into rulers… but the Colonists didn’t give up.
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Why should we? What the hell do we have to lose?
Our Constitution is under serious attack!!!
AS YOU RISE MANY PEOPLE WILL DISAPPROVE. RISE ANYWAY ??
The Alaska constitution is a Socialist document. Have you read it? ThE PFD is also a Socialist institution and it’s sad that we are at a point where we accept the PFD but haven’t read our Constitution to know what our State Founders locked us into! States’ rights are important but when you have a state constitution written by Socialists what do you do then? Food for thought
With our ineffective and very silent representatives in senate and house for the destruction that jo ho milley blinky and others are pushing every day and a senate leaders who is good buddies with jo and has some interests some might say are questionable, you think there will be a change. That is why all these clowns didn’t like Trump he had values and honor.
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