In Alaska, we pride ourselves on grit, on independence, and on building a future with our own two hands. But today, we’re confronted with a faction of Democrat legislators and eco-terrorists who seem more interested in obstruction than opportunity. As Spiro Agnew once put it, they’ve become the “nattering nabobs of negativism, who have built their own 4-H Club, the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.”
These lawmakers and CAVE people wrap themselves in the rhetoric of environmentalism or ideology, but at the core, it’s pure partisan politics. They oppose nearly every responsible effort to develop Alaska’s natural resources, not because it’s unsafe or unwise, but because it doesn’t fit their narrative. While they posture and protest, real Alaskans are losing out; on jobs, on energy independence, and on the economic stability we could secure for generations to come.
We’re not talking about reckless exploitation here; we’re talking about balanced, thoughtful, science-based development. We have the technology and the know-how to harvest our resources while protecting the environment, yet these CAVE people continue to vote no, to stall, to sue, and to grandstand. They seem to prefer endless debate over real solutions, bureaucracy over results, and ideology over industry.
This shortsighted approach doesn’t just slow progress; it dims Alaska’s future. It’s time to push back against the politics of pessimism and restore common sense to the Capitol. Let’s get back to work, empower Alaskans, and make sure our kids inherit a state as strong and self-reliant as the one our grandparents built.
Maybe it's because I am getting older and a bit crankier -my wife would argue "a lot crankier". Empirically Alaskans have become much less independent, much less gritter, and are sounding a lot like whiny spoiled brats. Local morning radio guy uses the expression "rugged individualists"; not so much these days. Perhaps we fancy the image but our behavior contradicts the notion.
Perhaps I am waxing a bit nostalgic, but Alaskans have lost the attachment to Alaska. For generations were was this sense of ownership; an attachment to the place more than just where one happens to live. The political class has been steadily separating Alaskans from Alaska. The incremental dissolution of the Permanent Fund Dividend is a case in point. The Permanent Fund was "ours" now its "theirs". "You are not responsible enough or mature enough. We will take good care of it. Trust us!"
The days of "that's ours" are gone. Little by little Alaskans are being partitioned away from Alaska. Not so much the geographic space on a map labeled "Alaska" but the idea of Alaska. Spiritual or "the Zen" of Alaska. We becoming a feudal state with bad roads, bad governance, and a really bad attitude.