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  1. #1
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    Talking Things may heat up in Alaska

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Gov. Sarah Palin, heralded by some conservatives as the future of the Republican Party, faces some cold political realities in present-day Alaska.

    Within days of the McCain-Palin ticket's defeat earlier this month, the unsuccessful GOP vice presidential nominee capped her tumultuous two months on the campaign trail with a whirlwind series of national media interviews and a headline-grabbing appearance at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Florida.

    Now it's back to her day job at the state capital in Juneau.

    Palin's state budget proposal is due in a month, with plummeting oil prices slashing Alaska's revenues by billions of dollars.

    The 1,700-mile natural gas pipeline she bragged about on the campaign trail — "We began a nearly $40 billion-dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence," she said at the Republican National Convention — is nowhere near being built.

    Some hard feelings linger over her administration's initial decision to ignore subpoenas in the investigation of whether she abused her power in firing the public safety commissioner who wouldn't oust her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper.

    "The main focus is going to be on the gas line and on the long-term financial issues," said Democratic state Sen. Bill Wielechowski. "You're going to see really a clampdown on government services."

    Uncertain is whether the bipartisanship that existed during Palin's 20 months as governor can survive the heated rhetoric from the presidential campaign and her own political ambitions, with the 44-year-old clearly signaling that she's open to a bid for president in 2012.

    The difficult task at hand "provides the governor with a great opportunity to roll up her sleeves and get back to her job," said Kenneth Khachigian, a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan. "She's got four or five election cycles ahead of her where she can do things. She doesn't have to comment on 2012 or 2016. Being a good governor is the best thing she can do right now."

    Among the challenges she faces:

    _THE BUDGET:

    Alaska has no income or sales tax, and a huge chunk of its annual revenue — as much as 90 percent — comes from taxes and fees on oil companies. When oil prices soar, as they did this summer, so do the state's coffers: Alaska in the past two years has socked away billions in its already massive savings account.

    But that account, the $28 billion Alaska Permanent Fund, sends every Alaskan a dividend each year — this year it was $2,069. So tapping its income to pay for government is considered political suicide, and falling oil prices can put big pressure on state spending.

    The governor's chief economist is working on a new revenue forecast, and many lawmakers expect the state to drastically reduce spending on such things as road projects.

    _THE PIPELINE:

    With overwhelming support from Democrats, Palin awarded a license to TransCanada in August to pursue building a pipeline that would carry natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to an existing pipeline network in Alberta.

    Although the state granted TransCanada $500 million to plan the pipeline, there's no guarantee it will be built. TransCanada says it won't get financing for the massive project until it has guarantees from oil companies to ship the gas through the pipeline; the oil companies say they won't give such guarantees unless Alaska sets a fixed tax rate on production of the gas, and Palin says she won't approve the rates the oil companies want.

    Solving that problem will require not only cooperation from the Legislature, but probably from the oil companies Palin has battled. And her claim to being a national leader on energy issues depends on it.

    _TROOPERGATE AND THE CAMPAIGN:

    The episode — and the media spotlight that resulted from Palin's vice presidential nomination — drew attention to practices that simply can't be ignored.

    Palin's administration routinely used private e-mail accounts for state business, circumventing public disclosure laws. "We will undoubtedly address that in some form of legislation," said Democratic Sen. Hollis French, who oversaw the Troopergate investigation.

    Lawmakers also said they could hold hearings on, and possibly restrict, Palin's practice of charging the state for her children's travel and taking per diem payments for nights spent in her Wasilla home.

    Democratic Rep. Les Gara has — without luck — asked the Alaska State Troopers and the Palin's appointed attorney general to investigate whether the McCain-Palin campaign urged anyone to ignore their subpoenas. Under state law, to "induce a witness to be absent" from an official proceeding to which they've been summoned is second-degree witness tampering.

    But even Gara, an outspoken critic of Palin, said he doesn't want such matters preoccupying the government.

    "There are much more important things in this state than rehashing Troopergate," Gara said. "We all have to sit down and let bygones be bygones, but it's going to take some conversations."

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  2. #2
    Kevin Barre's Avatar
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    I see no upside to continuing to discuss (argue about) politics.

    We'll get nowhere productive with this. Let's stick to what we discussed before.

    I vote for going back to discussing home inspection, gas prices, new grandkids...even heart surgery. Anything but politics.

    Please.


  3. #3
    Ted Menelly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Jack

    Now what were you saying about my buddy Sarah


  4. #4
    Ted Menelly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Fritz and Jack

    Now what were you 2 saying about Obama and Palin?


  5. #5
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    Talking No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Have to blame this on Comcast. This was right next to my e-mail stuff for current news stuff.
    Sorry Kevin and Fritz if you don't like to keep up with the news.

    You do know you don't have to read every post don't you? I skip over ones that don't interest me all the time. You can always put me on your ignore list too! This has worked great for me with a few posters here.


  6. #6
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    Default Re: No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann View Post
    Have to blame this on Comcast. This was right next to my e-mail stuff for current news stuff.
    Sorry Kevin and Fritz if you don't like to keep up with the news.

    You do know you don't have to read every post don't you? I skip over ones that don't interest me all the time. You can always put me on your ignore list too! This has worked great for me with a few posters here.
    What Jack said. No one's putting a gun to your head. I ignore lots of threads, and some people. If you want to post about Obama, that's your right. Jack has every right to post about Palin.
    Maybe Palin wouldn't be getting so much attention if she didn't seem to be demanding it. Maybe someone needs to tell her the election's over. Oh, and that she lost, too.


  7. #7
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    Default Re: No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann View Post
    Have to blame this on Comcast. This was right next to my e-mail stuff for current news stuff.
    Sorry Kevin and Fritz if you don't like to keep up with the news.

    You do know you don't have to read every post don't you? I skip over ones that don't interest me all the time. You can always put me on your ignore list too! This has worked great for me with a few posters here.
    Jack--
    It's not only presumptuous, but also decidedly egotistical for you to assume that I suggested leaving politics alone because I was not aware of what was transpiring in the political world. Surely you don't think that you are the only one capable of reading or understanding a news story, do you?

    All I was doing was trying to suggest that we steer topics back to more neutral ground where we could work to help each other -- not to argue about politics. For the record, I was trying to do it in as non-partisan a way as I could.

    The fact is that any one here could find news stories that bolster their views. All I have to say at this point is that I'll stand up (figuratively speaking, of course) on this forum and publicly admit I'm wrong if any substantive "middle class" tax cut comes about and truly benefits the country as a whole after Obama takes control with his strongly Democratically controlled Congress. So ask me about it in a couple years. Meanwhile, here's a brief piece from CNBC -- far from a bastion of conservatism. Is Obama Swiping the Tax Cut Issue? - Money and Politics Blog - CNBC.com

    And that's all I care to say on this. I really did wish to steer the posts away from politics. Anything said re Obama is speculation at this point. Let's judge after he actually serves some time.

    Last edited by Kevin Barre; 11-18-2008 at 08:12 PM.

  8. #8
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    Talking More bad news in Alaska

    Latest news: Ted Stevens lost his re-election bid.

    Kevin, I did not make any political comments. I just cut and pasted the item from Comcast. Like I said, if you don't like it, then don't read it.

    I think it's somewhat egotistical of you to tell me what I should post or not post. NO one is forcing you, or asking you to go to this thread, read it, or post your own comments.


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    Default Re: More bad news in Alaska

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann View Post
    Latest news: Ted Stevens lost his re-election bid.
    Yeah, and it was the absentee ballots which did him in, those which were cast BEFORE he was found guilty, so they had OTHER reasons not to re-elect him.

    A side point here, I never realized I had such foreign affairs knowledge of Cuba as I must have, having lived in South Florida for 20 years, and Florida for 50 years, I mean, I can see Cuba from my house ...

    Kevin, see, THAT is a political comment, Jack just posted news.

    Kevin, it seems that back before the election I stated several times that we should stop the political posts, you and others for McCain did not, but now that McCain has lost, you want to stop them.

    See anything strange in there?

    Jerry Peck
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  10. #10
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    This section is General Chit Chat - Items Unrelated to Home Inspections. Like others said, if you don't like it, don't read it. If you don't want to see the topic continue further, you stand a better chance of that happening by not contributing to the thread.

    Maybe we can get Brian to add a Politics section to this site.


  11. #11
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    Default Re: More bad news in Alaska

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post
    Yeah, and it was the absentee ballots which did him in, those which were cast BEFORE he was found guilty, so they had OTHER reasons not to re-elect him.

    A side point here, I never realized I had such foreign affairs knowledge of Cuba as I must have, having lived in South Florida for 20 years, and Florida for 50 years, I mean, I can see Cuba from my house ...

    Kevin, see, THAT is a political comment, Jack just posted news.

    Kevin, it seems that back before the election I stated several times that we should stop the political posts, you and others for McCain did not, but now that McCain has lost, you want to stop them.

    See anything strange in there?
    When you post here, you are -- by default -- asking for comments. Often, those are opinions. I'm not sure that anyone even read my original post. I never told Jack not to post political info or state that he had no right to; I merely stated my opinion that I didn't think anything good would come of it. Seems to me that's been exactly the case.

    The info Jack regurgitated as "news" is a thinly veiled swipe at Palin. It's a laundry list of problems she faces in Alaska. What governor doesn't have problems? Ironically, one of the problems is the lack of projected revenues due to the drop in oil prices. That's rich. (Is that somehow her fault?) But more importantly, it's disingenuous for you, Jack, to claim that you are simply passing along news. Are we to believe that you -- a home inspector in Tennessee --are so concerned about politics in Alaska that you feel the need to tell all of us about it? I don't buy it. You were getting a shot in and I think you should admit it as such. I don't see anyone routinely posting NFL scores on here, or discussing the hijacking of a Saudi oil tanker by Somalian pirates.

    The point is that we can, and do, get general news elsewhere. We don't look for it here.

    For the record, I didn't care for the selection of Palin as VP either.

    As for your comments, JP, I have a couple of observations. In your post above, you state that you asked for the earlier political posts to stop during that time. But if you count your posts on the subject, they easily outnumber mine. As you recently said: "See anything strange in there?"

    But there is a bigger issue as I see it. It seems to me to be crystal clear that the time to talk about presidential candidates and their policies IS during the run-up to the election.A free exchange of information is vital to an informed electorate. Yet that's exactly when you asked to stop discussing it.

    See anything strange in there?

    It appears to me that YOU were trying to stifle free speech when it may have gone against your beliefs or cast an unflattering light upon your candidate. Not me.

    The election is over. Due ONLY to the divisive nature of it, I think the time to discuss presidential politics on this forum should be over also. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are without flaws. Any stupid thing done or said by a member of one party could be matched by someone on the other side of the political fence.

    Want an example? Palin's indefensible comment that she was qualified in foreign affairs due to the proximity of Alaska to the Soviet Union could be matched by Obama's equally stupid campaign statement that "I’ve now been in fifty...seven states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."" Don't tell me he was merely fatigued; that's a boneheaded statement any way you look at it. In fact, it sounds like something Dan Quayle would have said.

    The bottom line is that I was merely trying to short-circuit a thread that was clearly intended to stir up dissension which is not beneficial to us on this forum. I see no reason to post info such as that except, perhaps, to gloat. Funny...I saw a lot of non-Obama fans wishing him their best after the elections on this forum. Which approach is more dignified?

    As I stated in my original post:

    I see no upside to continuing to discuss (argue about) politics.

    We'll get nowhere productive with this. Let's stick to what we discussed before.

    I vote for going back to discussing home inspection, gas prices, new grandkids...even heart surgery. Anything but politics.


    Please.

    If anyone sees anything in there where I told Jack or anyone else that they didn't have a right to post about politics I missed it.


    (I forgot to add that Ted Stevens should have withdrawn from the election.)

    Last edited by Kevin Barre; 11-19-2008 at 06:08 PM. Reason: added comment

  12. #12
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Kevin, there's a high chance this thread would have faded into the sunset on its own with little or no responses. All you are doing by protesting it so much is breathing new life into it.

    Again, you don't have to read or contribute to the thread if you don't like it. If Brian has no problem with political issues being posted on his site, then none of us should either. If the topic is out of bounds, I'm sure Brian will let us know.


  13. #13
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Actually the problem in the US is that politics and the on going dilemmas that his country faces is not discussed enough other than at the time thru the election process.
    It is a sad state of affairs that the general public does absolutely nothing once a president or any other elected official is voted in. Yeah, there are a few that discuss it. Compared to the 300,000,000 folks in the US it is in reality no one.

    Why do you think we are in this mess. If more people spoke their mind about ongoing issues other than a couple months out of every four years and input this to their Representatives in power than maybe, just maybe there could be a change or difference made when needed.

    As for Palin or McCain or Obama or anyone that ever ran for office saying something bone headed. Well, I don't think In my short young life that there was ever anyone I ever met including myself that did not say something bone headed.

    Here is my bone head statement.

    I still think Palin is a pretty good looking woman. Maybe if she were president the other bone heads would be paying a little more attention and maybe something could get done. We all know were most mens heads are at for a better part of the day.


  14. #14
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Nick--
    I'll be brief this time. I NEVER said that politics was not a valid subject. Nor did I even HINT that a discussion of politics should be banned from the forum. That's not my call.

    Ted--
    I agree -- at least with the idea that that politics aren't discussed enough. (You're on your own with the rest.)

    Something is decidedly wrong when the average American CAN tell you who won American Idol or Dancing With The Stars, but not who the Secretary of State is, much less who the Vice President is.


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    Default Re: No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Quote Originally Posted by John Arnold View Post
    Maybe Palin wouldn't be getting so much attention if she didn't seem to be demanding it. Maybe someone needs to tell her the election's over. Oh, and that she lost, too.

    I think John said it pretty well.

    Until SHE stops going on about it and proclaiming the potential for 2012 ... why should anyone else stop?

    Kevin, you really need to get a life and move on with it.

    Regarding Sarah Palin - I just cannot see her supposedly good looks through all of her me-me-me-me-me crap. Maybe that is enticing to some males, but not to all males, very few males want a high maintenance women, and she strikes me as being VERY high maintenance.

    Jerry Peck
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  16. #16
    Ted Menelly's Avatar
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    Default Re: No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post
    I think John said it pretty well.

    Until SHE stops going on about it and proclaiming the potential for 2012 ... why should anyone else stop?

    Kevin, you really need to get a life and move on with it.

    Regarding Sarah Palin - I just cannot see her supposedly good looks through all of her me-me-me-me-me crap. Maybe that is enticing to some males, but not to all males, very few males want a high maintenance women, and she strikes me as being VERY high maintenance.
    Jerry

    Everyone running for any office is all about me, me, me. It has to be. In case you have not noticed all men and all woman are high maintenance. It is all in who we choose and who allows us to choose them. Women have the control. Think about that if you would. They decide when you are in control. Really think about that one.

    Yeah she is good looking once the make up is on. Think about that one.

    Cocky, They all are. Men and women running for office.

    Oh yeah, the election is never over. It is only 4 years between them.


  17. #17
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    Default Re: No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post
    I think John said it pretty well.

    Kevin, you really need to get a life and move on with it.
    Jerry, Jerry, Jerry --
    In typical fashion for you, when you can't rebut what someone says FACTUALLY, you resort to a personal attack. I've been around this forum just long enough to recognize your patterns.

    You have, by far, the largest number of posts on this forum...a large number of which are not factual, but are merely opinions.

    That strongly implies that you spend an inordinate amount of time posting here...yet you tell me to "get a life".

    I'll take your comment that I should "get a life" for what it's worth.

    I suggest that you do the same.


  18. #18
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    Smile Don't like it? Don't care.

    Kevin,
    I didn't go digging for something to bash your girl Sara. I didn't go to YouTube, or Google, or any of that stuff. When I went to check my e-mail, Comcast has the latest news right next to the log in place. Just now, there was a news item about a father drowning trying to save two kids. I click on these things because I like to hear and read news items.

    I posted it because, 1. I found it interesting, 2. I found it amusing, 3. there was so much Obama bashing before the election, I thought it was my turn to return the favor.

    However, I did not add my own thoughts or opinions to my post. I just cut and pasted from Comcast.

    Like I said before, and others have said since, don't read it if you don't want to . I am fully within the guidelines of this forum posting this, and I am exercising my privilege doing so. If you don't like it, don't click on this thread.


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    Default Re: No one is forcing you to read this!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Menelly View Post
    Everyone running for any office is all about me, me, me.
    Ted,

    In case you have not notice this yet (even though it has been pointed out on this thread already) ... she *is not running for office* any more.

    Well, that is what Kevin and others are saying, anyway.

    In which case, until she stops the me-me-me-me crap, people are still going to be posting stuff about her. She does not want to go into the night quietly, so be it. In which case others need to quit harping on others harping on her.

    Until she herself decides to slip out of the mainstream, the mainstream will keep publishing stuff on her.

    Her choice.

    Kevin and others like him may not like it, but *it is* HER choice.

    Heard any more from Joe The Plumber? I haven't. Did he 'just have enough' and disappeared, or did everyone else 'have more than enough' and set him aside? Don't know and don't care.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
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  20. #20
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    I'm just sorry I wasted the time it took to read this thread.


  21. #21
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob White View Post
    I'm just sorry I wasted the time it took to read this thread.
    What are you talkin' about Bob? This is hot stuff. HOT HOT HOT!!!!!!!!


  22. #22
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Barre View Post
    ...Something is decidedly wrong when the average American CAN tell you who won American Idol or Dancing With The Stars, but not who the Secretary of State is, much less who the Vice President is.
    I'm proud to say I don't have a clue who won AI or DWTS. I've never watched either one of them. Probably makes me a SOCIALIST! LOOK OUT!


  23. #23
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Quote Originally Posted by John Arnold View Post
    I'm proud to say I don't have a clue who won AI or DWTS. I've never watched either one of them.
    Same here.

    In fact, when looking at your post and before reading up in the quote, I was about to ask what AI and DWTS stood for, then I figured out that DWTS must stand for DimWiTS, but had no idea about AI ... until I read it in the quote.

    Jeez, I must be way out of the loop.

    Jerry Peck
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  24. #24
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Listening to Paul Harvey news today-Joe the Plumber is now Joe the writer. Seems he's writing a book to be published in December (?) Forgot the name already but it seems that he can write faster than plumb.

    If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest
    Benjamin Franklin

  25. #25
    Russel Ray's Avatar
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    Default Re: Things may heat up in Alaska

    Hey, Jack.

    Does Comcast know that you cut and pasted their story over here? Good thing the AR police aren't here -- LOL.


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