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Kelly Tshibaka: Beyond politics to post-partisan solutions with Seneca Scott

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Kelly Tshibaka: Beyond politics to post-partisan solutions with Seneca Scott

By KELLY TSHIBAKA

This Black History Month, we reflect on how polarized America has become, whether racially, politically, religiously, or otherwise divided. In such divisive times, is unity even possible? Thought leaders are emerging to answer this question and forge a path of new unity.

One such leader is Seneca Scott, a cousin of the late Coretta Scott King, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife. Following his family’s legacy of service, Seneca is the founder of a non-profit called Neighbors Together Oakland, a member of NAACP Oakland, a former candidate for mayor of Oakland, California, and a successful community organizer. 

Scott describes himself as a “post-partisan solutionary,” envisioning an America where politicians pursue policies that result in thriving neighborhoods and empowered citizens, regardless of which party promotes them.

“When you look at our two parties, they are coalescing into a very dangerous uniparty of sorts where they’re completely aligned when it comes to any interest of the elite and they’re leaving behind the masses of Americans … solutionaries means that we’re here to have a solution,” Scott said. “Leadership is action, not position.”

However, Scott did not always hold his views of a post-partisan America. Formerly a union leader, Scott describes his transition to becoming a grassroots organizer on Kelly Tshibaka’s podcast STAND.

In his interview, Scott states the post-partisan solution to many problems communities across the country face lies in how local residents choose to live and engage in their respective neighborhoods and communities. 

For example, Scott revealed that one tactic of the uniparty elite to maintain control is by disempowering voters through an intentional lack of education. He said liberal cities “like low information voters,” and went on to describe several tactics they use. “There’s very little education… but a direct move to emotion,” Scott said. “That’s what you saw with the Black Lives Matter and Antifa Uprising in 2020.” 

Scott’s experiences as both a community advocate and candidate for Oakland mayor provide a rare, dual perspective on the trials and tribulations of America’s communities.

He offered an analysis of the Defund the Police movement as it relates to his city: “Defund the Police in Oakland–when you have no rule of law, when 9-1-1 doesn’t work, and you don’t even have a cop to drive the street–it’s absolutely idiotic! …[Defund the Police] is the luxury politics of the elite.”

Scott calls for a move towards a post-partisan society, where integrity and results take priority over political affiliation, and can empower citizens to engage in community problem-solving. One solution he prioritized was addressing the root causes of homelessness. Scott attributed the rise in homelessness in Oakland to “drug tourism” rather than the cost of living. 

“Oakland had the longest standing eviction moratory in the United States of America. …Three-year eviction mortuary… We have over $100 million owed to small property owners … So if you didn’t have to pay rent and no one could be evicted, how does your homeless population skyrocket by 28%?” 

If you’re looking for inspiration from an effective community-change agent, you won’t want to miss Scott’s interview on STAND. You can also view the episode on YouTube, Rumble, and your podcast streaming platform. Seneca Scott is a former Democrat with thoughtful and innovative ideas, spearheading solutions that lead communities forward. 

Kelly Tshibaka is the host of the podcast, TV, and radio show STAND, and the 2022 Alaska Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. She co-hosts the show with her husband, Niki Tshibaka.

Kevin McCabe: Good legislation deserves honest dialogue, not rhetoric

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Kevin McCabe: Good legislation deserves honest dialogue, not rhetoric

By REP. KEVIN MCCABE

Primum non nocere, originally a medical maxim, translates to “first, do no harm.” This principle of ethics is the medical establishment’s guiding belief in virtually every country and is the hallmark for ethical medical practice, requiring healthcare providers to weigh risks and benefits carefully.

Whether prescribing medications, performing procedures, or making treatment decisions, the imperative to avoid harm guides every step. In the legislature the same ethical decision making must apply.

If we do apply the same principle to the Alaska State Legislature, it highlights our duty to preserve and protect the well-being of all Alaskans. As we navigate complex budgetary landscapes, this well-known maxim should shape our responsible care for the future of Alaska.

While it is essential to weigh the future risks our current budget decisions create, we must not forget the programmed funding increases that already plague our budget. This includes the $7 plus billion-dollar pension liability (from the previous defined benefits program) that remains unfunded, and the current education foundation formula spend.

Healthcare professionals are also cautioned to consider the potential harm any intervention from them might cause. When faced with a choice, it may be better to refrain from action if the risk of harm outweighs an uncertain benefit. This same principle must underly every decision, bill, and monetary choice the legislature makes. We must consider what any legislative decisions will cost Alaska in the next decade or century.

Just as physicians prioritize patient safety, legislators must prioritize the wellbeing and future welfare of their citizens when crafting legislation. Much like doctors tailor treatments to individual patients’ needs, legislators create laws and policies, through debate and deliberation, that directly impact Alaskans current welfare as well as the future health of Alaska itself.

Likewise, do no harm thinking should inform the various groups that are advocating for huge, programmed spending increases. With our current dependency on oil revenues, where is the money going to come from now, as well as in the future?

How is this spending going to affect our children and our grandchildren? Is there a quantifiable and measurable return on investment? Or just an uncertain benefit with a murky fiscal note? And if the benefit is uncertain, would we be better to refrain from passing a bill or spending the money?

Two bills currently in play that highlight what should be our process are SB 140 (the so called “BAG” bill which contains the possibility of a significant BSA increase); and SB 88, the Defined Benefits bill. 

SB 140 currently has an increase of $300 in the Base Student Allocation. This is not education funding as everyone seems to want to call it. It is school district funding. It goes to fund the business end of the school districts and will not necessarily filter quickly to the classroom in any great quantities. 

In some districts, such as the MatSu borough school district, increased funding does translate into current increased outcomes for our children. But does such an increase also create possible future harm to Alaska? At a price point of $27 Million for every $100 dollar increase to the BSA, a $300 increase will add $81 million dollars to every single budget going forward – a programmed increase to an already huge $2.7 Billion dollar education budget. 

Can future Alaska — our children and grandchildren — afford that? The return on investment might be obvious. But in our current budget crisis, what other program, that might contribute to the health and wellbeing of Alaska gets cut to afford this increase now, and how do we afford it in the future? What will future legislatures be unable to pay for because we have increased the BSA to this level.

Likewise, SB 88 has a very cloudy outlook, with possible huge financial implications for future Alaskans. With the current generation workforce attitudes against working for a single agency or company for their entire lifetime, the benefits SB 88 are intended to provide seem unlikely. In short, it has no decent return on investment for Alaska. The potential damage to Alaska, however, could be huge. It is a risk we should not take. 

As with any legislative action, whether bills or budgets, honest open dialogue is important from all sides. The sales pitches and social media memes, particularly from the groups pushing for a huge BSA increase and defined benefits, have been anything but truthful.

Their emotional rhetoric is designed to trigger and activate certain segments of Alaskans without really providing any factual data. It is also specifically designed to pit Alaskans against their elected representatives, without any dialogue or discussion, by ascribing untrue motives and actions to a legislature that, by and large, is trying to do no harm.

Rep. Kevin McCabe represents District 30 Big Lake (formerly known as District 8), and is a 747 captain.

Historic Presbyterian mission yacht Princeton Hall for sale

Suzanne Downing
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Historic Presbyterian mission yacht Princeton Hall for sale

The 65-foot Princeton Hall, built by the Presbyterian Church with the help of students at the old Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka to ferry missionaries around Southeast Alaska, is for sale. It was owned most recently by Bill and Kathy Ruddy, both who passed in recent years.

For about 80 years, starting in the early 1900s, the “Presbyterian Navy” visited Native villages in Southeast Alaska. The Anna Jackman was the last of them, and it was sold by the Alaska Presbytery (and renamed the Discovery) after ending mission service in 1982.

The Princeton Hall is well-known by old-timers in Juneau, where it has been home-ported.

Missionaries from the Lower 48 and Alaska Native evangelists who became Christian because of their efforts used the boats to spread the gospel in towns, fishing villages and logging camps throughout Southeast Alaska, said the Rev. David Dobler, pastor to the presbytery for Alaska Presbytery, who was later elected to lead the Presbyterian Church as moderator of the General Assembly.

“Their names evoke the mission heritage of Southeast Alaska: the Ruby, the Lindsley, the Marietta, the Good Tidings, the Vermay, the Princeton, the Princeton Hall and the steel-hulled Anna Jackman, among others.” Dobler was quoted in a story about the Presbyterian Navy at this link.

“I don’t know why, but the Presbyterians were the only denomination that organized their evangelistic work in Alaska by a system of boats,” said the late Kathy Ruddy, who was an elder at Chapel by the Lake Presbyterian Church in Auke Bay, quoted in the same story. “That’s one of the reasons the Presbyterian Church is so prominent in many Native communities.”

The details of the wooden yacht, as listed on Craig’s List:

Engines
– 215HP John Deere main engine with minimal hours (3,745.4 hrs). 
– 8 KW auxiliary engine with minimal hours (3,465.5 hrs).

Meticulously maintained every year:
– Painted, oiled, cleaned, and planked regularly
– NEW Dickeson oil stove – July ’23
– NEW sump pump – May ’21
– NEW washing machine – May ’21
– NEW Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) with 20HP motor – April ’21

Interior 
– Spacious, ample space to entertain or spread out
– U-shaped galley
– Large dinette area with table that can seat 8
– One main bedroom, two bunk rooms, and captain’s quarters
– Two heads (bathrooms) with showers

See the entire listing and more photos on CraigsList here.

Have a story about the Princeton Hall? Leave it in the comments below.

Complaint: Indigenous folk knowledge was used by Biden to cancel oil, gas leases in Alaska last year

Suzanne Downing
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Complaint: Indigenous folk knowledge was used by Biden to cancel oil, gas leases in Alaska last year

From the time he took office, President Joe Biden signaled “a clear commitment to science” and pledged sweeping initiatives to elevate the role of science in the federal government.

But instead of science, the Biden Administration immediately leaned into the concept of “indigenous knowledge” and allowed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to use the loosely defined knowledge to cancel seven oil and gas leases in Alaska.

“Interior claimed that its environmental review supporting the cancellations was made with ‘the best available science and in recognition of the Indigenous Knowledge of the original stewards of this area’” according to Protect the Public Trust, which filed a complaint against the Biden Administration.

The complaint, which is not a lawsuit, was filed with Mark Lee Greenblatt, who heads up the office of the Inspector General of the Department of Interior; Arati Prabhakar, who is the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Laura Daniel-Davis, acting deputy secretary of Interior; and Alondra Nelson, deputy director for Science and Society White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The watchdog group said that the White House, through the Council on Environmental Quality and Office of Science and Technology Policy, subsequently backed away from its own policy commitment by providing guidance that encouraged agencies to “promote and enable a government-wide effort to improve the recognition and inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge” in research, policy, and other decision making. 

In canceling the Alaska leases, Interior claimed that its environmental review was made with “the best available science and in recognition of the Indigenous Knowledge of the original stewards of this area ….” 

Protect the Public Trust says that equating indigenous knowledge with objective data and science is in conflict with principles of scientific integrity found in federal law and Interior’s own guidance on scientific integrity in place at the time the leases were cancelled.

“The American public can rightly hold serious concerns that the Biden administration’s decision making, through the use of Indigenous Knowledge, is susceptible to manipulation without even the pretense of adhering to scientific principles,” Protect the Public’s Trust Director Michael Chamberlain wrote in the complaint, which can be read here:

Scientific-Integrity-Complaint-OSTP-DOI-Indigenous-KnowledgeDownload

The White House explains indigenous knowledge this way:

“Indigenous Knowledge is a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, innovations, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the environment. The Biden-Harris Administration has formally recognized Indigenous Knowledge as one of the many important bodies of knowledge that contributes to the scientific, technical, social, and economic advancements of the United States and our collective understanding of the natural world.”

“Federal decision making is best when informed by all forms of knowledge,” said the president’s Science and Technology Advisor and OSTP Director Prabhakar. “This Guidance will help Federal agencies integrate Indigenous Knowledge in their work—from research, to environmental rulemaking, to co-management of lands and waters.”

Many indigenous groups in the Americas employed mystical shamans, and some groups practiced human sacrifice (Natchez, notably). For others, such as the Cherokee, Hopi, and Navajo, indigenous knowledge included beliefs malevolent beings or spirits who could create harm or death to their tribes. Some of the beliefs included elements of witchcraft, magic, and spell-casting. Many practiced a form of animism, in which all things have spirits.

Read the Biden White House commitment to indigenous knowledge here.

Protect the Public’s Trust is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting ethics in government and restoring the public’s trust in government officials.

“A loss of trust in public officials resulting from their abandonment of dispassionate, bedrock scientific principles in one area, can result in citizens rejecting or simply ignoring even the most scientifically sound directives in other areas,” the group says.

Tim Barto: Sad state of the Biden presidency could be avenue of victory for Trump

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Tim Barto: Sad state of the Biden presidency could be avenue of victory for Trump

By TIM BARTO

Honoring Presidents Day the past few years has become a challenging task, to say the least.

The current White House resident is, aside from being an unabashedly awful chief executive, in the throes of dementia for all the country to see. In occupying the office that traditionally came with the title “Leader of the Free World,” his cognitive decline is being played out in front of the rest of the world, many of whom look to the United States for leadership.

It is an unfortunate and embarrassing situation. 

Joe Biden’s failed policies can be debated, although the debate can usually and quickly filters down to the fact that Joe Biden is not Donald Trump. His cognitive decline, which was obvious four years ago, is now undeniable, despite the formatted and rehearsed comments from administrative officials that their boss is “sharp” and “on top of things.” 

For those of us who have watched family members suffer through the agonizing loss of their mental faculties, the situation is most uncomfortable. 

Dad passed away two years ago now, after nearly a decade in which his ability to think, reason, and remember slowly declined, only to quickly decline at the end. It was sad and frustrating on so many levels, for him, for his children and grandchildren, and most notably for his wife. Mom was his caretaker, seeing it her duty to take care of her husband until the end, and it nearly did her in. 

Dad was a couple weeks shy of his 94th birthday when he died. Mom will be 92 in a few months. A vivacious gal who has always been liked by everyone – friends, neighbors, church members, Little League parents, and professional colleagues. While some people may have found reasons to not like Dad, I honestly never heard anyone say they didn’t like Mom. I used to tell her all the time that she would live to at least 100, but caring for her husband took a toll on her.

My siblings and I expected Mom to experience sadness and perhaps some confusion after Dad’s funeral, but we also saw it as an opportunity for her to get out of the house and live again; to go to church, play bridge with the gals, get in some water aerobics, volunteer to decorate for holidays and weddings, and visit with friends and neighbors. The reality, however, has been just the opposite.

The sadness and confusion dissipated for brief moments, but a mild stroke made those brief moments rarer. Her unstable gait led to a series of falls, resulting in a broken leg, sorely bruised ribs, and a concussion, all of which led to further sadness and confusion, accompanied by a heavy dose of frustration. 

The frustration is greatest when she is cognizant that she can’t think the way she used to, when she can’t remember why she called or whom she called. While she may mistake me for my brothers, once she realizes it’s me she’s talking to, Mom then asks about my five kids by name – to include their spouses’ and boyfriends’/girlfriends’ names – and how they’re doing with work or school as the case may be, and she’s remarkably able to pull that information out of the recesses of her mind. It’s a refreshing respite and it’s actually quite fascinating.

Watching the commander-in-chief struggle to remember names, fundamental lines from the Declaration of Independence, or his means of exiting the stage, is not fascinating. It’s troubling. Having witnessed the ravages of dementia firsthand, it’s painfully uncomfortable watching Joe Biden mumble, forget what he was saying, and trip over himself. It makes many of us want to see that 25th Amendment invoked . . . until we remember who’s waiting in the wings. 

Kamala Harris is the most incompetent, unqualified human being to ever be vice president. And that’s saying something. Her polling numbers reflect it, and the idea of her taking over the executive branch somehow seems even worse than keeping it in the shaking hands of an increasingly angry geriatric. A few Democrats have been making noise about pulling the plug on the Biden re-election, but they know they can’t win with the least popular vice president in history, and they know that pulling a woman of color from their ticket will anger their far left supporters for abandoning the sacred altar of affirmative action. 

Donald Trump has a unique opportunity here. If he can comport himself in a decent and – to be  blunt – presidential manner, sticking to his accomplishments as president and articulating them clearly without being demeaning, he can highlight the sad state of mental acuity with the incumbent without even mentioning it. And he’ll handily win a trip back to the White House. 

Kamala Harris can then retire to be a trivia contest answer, and Joe Biden can get the care he needs out of the spotlight. 

Tim Barto is vice president of Alaska Family Council, a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska, and son to a saint of a Mom.

Biden lashes back on report’s competency concerns: ‘How in the hell dare he raise that?’ Then, he mixes up presidents of Mexico and Egypt
Report: Biden’s serious memory issues, competency mean he can’t be prosecuted for classified stash

More than a third of Alaskans support seceding from USA, new poll shows

Suzanne Downing
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More than a third of Alaskans support seceding from USA, new poll shows

According to the latest YouGov poll, Alaskans are the most interested citizens in America who would favor their state seceding from the United States.

Some 36% of Alaska residents would support the state divorcing the United States and becoming a fully independent nation. The average among all the states was 23%, which is a number that would be a bit lower if Alaska’s high percentage was removed from the average. Alaska is clearly an outlier in this poll.

YouGov surveyed 35,307 U.S. adults between February 2 and 5. The question was whether respondents would “support your state seceding from the U.S.”

Must Read Alaska is running a similar survey in its Monday newsletter, which can be found at this link. The survey is toward the bottom of the newsletter.

Following Alaska, the states with the highest percentage supporting their state’s secession were Texas at 31%, California at 29%, and New York and Oklahoma at 28%

On the lower end of the scale 13% of Minnesota respondents supported secession, and Ohio, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island were just above Minnesota at 14%.

About one-third of those polled (31%) told the pollster that states have a right to secede from the country, while 43% of respondents said there is no such right.

The respondents were split by party: Republicans and Independents were more closely divided on this question, while most Democrats reject the right to secession: 22% said there is such a right and 55% said there is not, YouGov reported.

Also, half of Democrats (49%) said they think of people who want their state to secede from the U.S. as “mostly traitors,” compared to 26% of Republicans who think that.

Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets came from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification was weighted to the estimated distribution of last June, (34% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3%, YouGov reported.

Read the entire YouGov summary at this link.

Alaska House to debate, vote on protecting PFD formula through state constitution

Suzanne Downing
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Alaska House to debate, vote on protecting PFD formula through state constitution

House Joint Resolution 7 would require the State of Alaska pay the annual Permanent Fund dividend according to a formula in statute, rather than by the “what’s leftover” process, which is what the Legislature now uses.

The House will take it up on Monday during the floor session.

There is a statutory formula for the dividend, of course, but the Legislature ignores it, and has since 2017.

“The trust between the government and the people of Alaska was broken in 2016 when Governor Walker vetoed a portion of the annual dividend and the Alaska Supreme Court ultimately determined that dividends were subject to the annual appropriations process. While the legislature could choose to follow the law and appropriate the dividend according to statute and separate it from the budget, they have not done so. Instead, the permanent fund dividend has been subjected to the budget process, where the dividend competes with government spending and often becomes the deficit reduction solution,” wrote Rep. Ben Carpenter, the sponsor of the resolution.

“Neglecting to constitutionalize the PFD would permit lawmakers to continue avoiding their obligation to address the shortcomings of Alaska’s fiscal and economic planning, placing the Permanent Fund at risk. Constitutionally enshrining the Permanent Fund Dividend will provide for the maximum benefit of all Alaskans and ensure the prosperity of the Permanent Fund for generations of Alaskans to come,” Carpenter said.

The House will gavel in at 11 am.

Bill to make PFD statutory formula constitutionally protected is in House Judiciary on Friday

Manchin is a ‘no’ for third party run for Oval Office, which means Murkowski is out for V.P.

Suzanne Downing
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Manchin is a ‘no’ for third party run for Oval Office, which means Murkowski is out for V.P.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin told a group Friday that he will not enter the 2024 presidential race as a third-party candidate. He had been exploring running under the No Labels group, which has registered in 16 states to participate in the presidential election.

No Labels is NOW on the ballot in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah, and has filed for access in 14 others.

That means No Labels is in search for another candidate. And it means that Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski won’t be Manchin’s running mate, as many have speculated. He is rumored to have also considered Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, as a running mate.

“I will not be seeking a third party run, I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said Friday in West Virginia. “I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president who has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together. I just don’t think it’s the right time.”

“We’re talking with several exceptional leaders. We have our own internal process,” said No Labels Co-chair Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis on MSNBC.

Manchin, a Democrat, is also not running for reelection to his Senate seat for West Virginia, which polls show is likely to be won by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican.

As for Alaska’s senator, political analysts have said that Murkowski, who isn’t up for reelection until 2026, may instead decide to run for governor of Alaska that year.

Omnibus education funding bill set for House floor debate, amendments, vote on Monday

Suzanne Downing
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Omnibus education funding bill set for House floor debate, amendments, vote on Monday

Senate Bill 140, a bill that has various funding components for Alaska school districts, is on the calendar for the Alaska House on Monday when the House gavels in at 11 am.

It started out last year as a bill sponsored by Sen. Lyman Hoffman to bring more broadband to rural Alaska districts through a grant program that had matching state and federal monies. It would benefit not only rural villages but Quintillion, the company bringing fiber optic cable connectivity to much of the Arctic, even though Starlink would be vastly cheaper.

Through time, the bill has been added to and debated, and now contains pay incentives for teachers, and an addition to the base student allocation, sometimes called the BSA. The BSA is the permanent funding formula that is calculated on a per-student basis.

Also in the bill is an increase in correspondence school funding and the governor’s plan to pay teacher bonuses that would be between $5,000 to $15,000, something that is outside the BSA.

The amount that the BSA would be increased could be $300 per student, or could be over $1,400 per student, but it looks like most in the House will settle in the $600 range. More changes to the bill are expected on the House floor, as several dozen amendments are predicted to be in the works. The total cost of SB 140 could be substantial, as this fiscal summary from January shows (in thousands):

State education officials, teachers’ unions, and Democrat lawmakers are arguing for a $1,413 BSA and they are expected to put up a fight for more money. The bill will have to go back to the Senate if it passes the House, due to the many changes, and the Senate is likely to have its own ideas; these differences are typically sorted out in a conference committee between the two sides to reach a compromise.

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