Peltola demands more foreign workers in Alaska, while blasting Nick Begich for his international businesses

43

Ads running for Mary Peltola’s campaign harp constantly about how Republican candidate Nick Begich, who has specialized in start-up businesses in the private sector, owns a company that hired IT workers in India.

But Peltola is now on record stating that Alaska needs more foreign workers pumped into in the state because there are not enough people in Alaska to do the work.

Alaska has seen its population drop in recent years by thousands, and its unemployment rate is currently 4.5%, with about 16,700 people considered unemployed.

Speaking to a “summit” of Alaska Natives convened by Peltola on the outmigration problem in Alaska, Peltola said, “Our challenge has been outmigration for over 10 years. In fact, we need J-1 visas like nobody’s business, because we need foreign people to come and help us fill our sectors.”

Her campaign criticizes Begich for finding highly skilled IT workers to perform extremely specialized application development tasks, but she wants low-skilled jobs in the fishing industry, which could be performed by residents without so much as a graduation equivalency diploma and the homeless population, to go to foreigners.

According to the Alaska Department of Labor, Alaska doesn’t need to import foreigners. “Every year thousands of people inquire about working and living in Alaska. Alaska has adequate numbers of qualified people to fill most jobs,” the department says on its website.

Nick Begich no longer employs any international workers. In the information technology sector, many jobs and tasks are now being replaced by artificial intelligence in what is a rapidly changing field.

The companies he has worked with and invested in in the United States were early-stage start ups, many of which went on to create hundreds, or in some cases thousands of U.S. jobs that would not have existed without a unique model developed by Begich, in which his team coached and mentored start up companies as they developed their technology. Two Harvard University case studies have been written about Begich’s unique business model and his model has been covered by the Wall Street Journal.

Peltola’s attack on Begich is message-tested by her campaign team. But she has now stepped in her own mess, by advocating to replace Alaska’s jobs with foreigners.

Earlier, Peltola stated that only those who have had a career in government should run for public office.

43 COMMENTS

    • That is what I am reading into this also. Peltola is going to lose the election and she wants those illegals here to pump up her numbers. The amount being sent up here is probably increasing as we write this. I can only say that every single person that cares about Alaska better get out and vote in November. Get involved locally between now and November. Tell People to Vote YES on Ballot Measure 2 to Repeal Rank Choice Voting. Vote for Nick Begich III. Vote for President Trump. Learn who all of the candidates are and get behind those that are in your districts that will work for the People.

    • Disagree. Remember that Peltola claims to come out of the commfish world. She probably wants people on visas (H2B) to work the slime lines in the processing plants so she and the rest of her commfish buddies can keep their failing businesses alive. Cheers –

  1. Why don’t Peltola and the democrats just be up front and say they just don’t want whites moving into the country, the same whites that gave her glasses, medicine, civilization, a modern fishing boat, medicine, a nation with commerce, food, shelter, law and order, vehicles, computers, TV, airplanes, radio, civil rights, justice, etc etc,. If I left anything out, let me know.

    • The indigenous population of Alaska was doing just fine before the arrival of “whites” as you call them. Feel free to return to your ancestral homeland.

      • Seriously? Do you have any factual basis for this statement? Oh, perhaps you are a graduate of an Alaskan high school.

      • AFF says: “The indigenous population of Alaska was doing just fine before the arrival of “whites” as you call them.”

        Just fine except for all the suicide, sexual harassment, drug and alcohol abuse, tribal wars and short lifespans. But, yeah, none of it is YOUR fault, just whitey. I thought divvying up people by race was supposed to be a Bad Thing. Apparently not in your world. Thanks for demonstrating the festering undercurrent (foundation?) of racial ugliness in your world. You and your fellow travelers deserve Peltola and each other. What a remarkably tiny, short sighted worldview where we are all irrevocably bound by our race, the opening bid in life. Happily, the rest of us are about to rid ourselves of that particular festering carbuncle on political life in this state. Cheers –

      • The indigenous people should revert to their ways before the white man brought that evil electricity, snow machines, aluminum boats, rifles, planes, free healthcare, etc., etc., etc….

      • OK. We, the whites, will also take all of our technology, luxuries, and money with us.
        Let’s see how well the natives do living “just fine.”

      • Your ancestral home is no more Alaska than anyone else. Every single person on this continent migrated here from somewhere else. Add also every single people group in the world has been pushed or invaded, or did the pushing at some point.

    • Last year the government started proceedings to deport a German family who had been in the U.S. for 15 years. They came here so they could homeschool their children, which is illegal in Germany. Had they been POC, they would have had nothing to worry about.

  2. There is a huge demand for teachers in the bush. Thanks to the GOP destroying the Alaska Teacher Retirement System, settling the lawsuit against Mercer for pennies on the dollar, not funding education. Thank you now Sen. Dan Sullivan for the settlement on the lawsuit when you were AG under Gov. Parnell. Many rural districts are forced to hire very qualified J-1 Visa teachers from overseas to staff their schools as people willing to teach has decreased significantly in this country.

    • There has always been a shortage of experienced teachers in the bush. A reault of living conditions there. Recruiting urban first year teachers is not the answer, the vast majority have always left after or before the end of their first contract.

  3. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some folks on Team Peltola would prefer it if anyone who could not trace their family’s presence in Alaska to before 1865 should leave. Beyond that, some seasonal workers might be allowed. And, of course, federal employees and those employed by environmental non-profits.

  4. “Foreign workers” is just (D)-code for more illegals, right? This was the same person who is on the record saying we need more ANTIFA activity in Alaska, right?

  5. The low-wage, low-skill jobs were filled w/community people who have been priced out of that mkt by the importation of foreign workers who came in via the foreign purchased canneries! Kodiak used to have several 24-7 canneries; last I heard we are down to one or two & they are no longer 24-7; ….most of the local cannery workers are unemployed year round & living from social services dole outs.
    More unskilled illegal migrants is a horrific idea; …. they will bring in all their Tren de Aragua families & friend criminals…. then they’ll be breaking our laws & filling our jail … more burden on the local tax structure.. not to mention the fear & physical violence that will ride into our community with them; … we’ll becme a miniture Chicago, NYC, & the latest version of Auroa, Colorado. Dear God help us; get rid of that crazy democrat who’s looking for re-election.

  6. The illegals are already here. Take a drive through anchorage. Go to costco and watch how many people who can’t speak English use ebt cards. Get stuck behind a school bus and observe the demographics of the children getting off the bus. It’s a complete demographic replacement and it’s being done by NGOs getting funding by the federal government.
    …At least nobody called you racist for stopping it when you had the chance.
    Inb4 a flood of replies saying it’s racist for noticing, or they enjoy looking at that guy at costco with the weird face tattoos. You’re owning the libs with all this unaffordable housing.

  7. The top two most racially diverse High schools in the USA are Bartlett and East high school. Located in the tiny Metropolis of Anchorage. Thank you Catholic Social Services.

  8. Making Alaska like New York or Colorado with gangs running the housing and killing police and assaulting citizens is not a good idea. Alaska is a year behind the lower 48 learn from their mistakes. Where does Mary get off demanding more illegals brought into the state I thought she represented us, not me.

  9. Peltola is such a wonderful government drone just doing her job the best she can on such a meager salary.
    Wont you all please step up to the plate and donate your hard earned dollars?
    There is free beer in it for all who contribute to her cause.

  10. Record numbers of homeless/bums staggering all over Alaskan cities, a state’s economy that is slowly dying because it grew too big and gave away far too many expensive subsidies and services to remote areas of the state. Sure!! Let’s bring in 20k people with no job skills, and a limited ability to speak the main language that is spoken in Alaska! What could possibly go wrong?

  11. She is correct on this one. The key to making the economy grow is getting more people here who want to work. These are not “illegals” they are people who want to work and make some money. Better that they do that here. Also some industries like hospitality count on people coming here to work. People legally coming in to work make the country and the state better off. Ask any business and their number one hurdle on growth is lack of employees. Even if the worker sends all their pay “home” we still benefit from their production and the services that result. It is absolutely a win for everyone. Begich would now this as well. Get out and talk to some people who moved here to better their lives. They really appreciate our country and the opportunities we have. Sharing that opportunity is not a zero sum game. We are better than that.

  12. Maybe go talk to the Aspen in Homer where they were housed and lived in filth. Moldy food attracting bugs, stuff bought first week they were there rotting on the cupboards. Check other towns that are being over ran and see what’s happening. They are killing peoples pets, ducks, birds in the parks and eating them. The town people unhappy because their towns look like third world countries. Get away from MSM, Google and see how people in Ohio feel. But it’s all okay folks, this is how they lived in their Countries and they are not interested in changing. Don’t forget to ask how they drive. Ever drove in a third world country? If not go to Ohio.

    • Dumping them into Ohio is absolute proof that Democrats are filling states with illegals. Thats the wway to turn a red state blue and that is their plan. And, no, they don’t speak the language and they don’t want to learn. Who would go to live permanently in a foreign country and not learn the language? And yet, instead of establishing that as a requirement, you heard press two for Espanol. Then the gimmies they get at the expense of our homeless and veterans is insane.

Comments are closed.