(Lame duck Alaska) House blocks gay benefits, adjourns

[harpboy_ak]

House blocks gay benefits, adjourns

SPECIAL SESSION: Senate yet to act on measure to keep state from obeying court.

http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/story/8419607p-8313889c.html

By ANNE SUTTON
The Associated Press

JUNEAU -- The state House essentially thumbed its nose at a court order to provide state employment benefits for gay couples and adjourned a special session Friday.

House Republicans said the less-than-week-long session -- which is estimated to cost about $25,000 a day -- was money well spent.

House Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, said lawmakers sent the public a message that the Legislature, and not the courts or the administration, should decide employment benefits.

"If the court forces it on us, then it forces it on us. We just want the public to understand it's the court doing it," he said.

Democrats said lawmakers could have accomplished the same thing by writing a letter.

"I think history will look back and say this Legislature tried to stop the march of progress, the march of civil rights, the march of health care," said Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz, D-Anchorage.


More at link....

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[Erika]

1. It took decades for the civil rights against slavery to take place

Give Alaska one more election. They are out of step as bigots.

[northofdenali]

2. Our majority-Repuke State House & Senate

will do whatever it wants to do, regardless of court orders. They've shown their contempt for us voters who have twice rejected aerial hunting of moose. At least Ralph Seekins lost to Dem. Joe Thomas!

Palin is a nightmare waiting to happen. She is way, way worse than Murkowski, who at least was visibly corrupt and in Big Oil's pockets. She is much farther to the right than Murky or even Uncle Ted.

I fear for my state. Before Big Oil bought it, we were pretty liberal/libertarian leaning. Keep outta my business unless I need help, ya know?

[Erika]

3. Remember the right wing kooks will be reigned in by the Dems

No longer any pork to GOP states. It will change a lot of minds fast.

[depakid]

5. I sure hope so

The "rugged individualists" might find that life's not so simple without subsidies from the federal government.

[northofdenali]

9. I am a long-time Alaskan -

and the pork has definitely been welcome, since we were America's bastard state until the pipeline was built.

The feds own about 1/2 of Alaska's land and waters. We now have a missile "defense" base at Ft. Greely, right outside Delta and only 90 miles from our 2nd largest populated area - the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Alaska, per capita, has more veterans living here than any other state. The feds don't subsidize the PFD; that comes from the state. And by the way, The fund stood at nearly $30 billion as of the end of the 2005 fiscal year, on June 30, 2005. The money for the PFD's are a PERCENTAGE OF THE INTEREST of the fund. Yes, anyone who's been here a year and intends on making this "home" can apply for a PFD, but only 217,000 folks out of all qualified residents applied in 2005. http://www.juneauempire.com/market/2006/sto_20060929019.shtml $30 Billion goes a long way for a state that has a population of about 800,000. We have 2 major Army posts and 2 major Air Force bases. The 172nd Stryker Brigade, who have taken heavy casualties in Iraq, is based in Fairbanks. Let's see, we also have a number of Coast Guard folks, Alaska National Guard, and Alaska Air Guard (who have also been deployed, the first time for our National Guard since WW2), not to mention the Air Force Stations.

I don't think our "rugged individualists" worry much about losing our subsidies. Most of them come in the form of our military, their spouses and kids, spending money with our local merchants.

By the way, except for income tax refunds, most of us don't benefit from the subsidies - unless you're in construction. Life is NOT simple up here. It's 24 below zero today. How about your weather? Try being homeless in Fairbanks in the winter. We have no freeways, and most of our communities are remote - you fly, snowmachine, dogsled, or take a boat to get to them. The federal "pork" helps maintain our roads (there are more miles of road in the City of Los Angeles than there is in our entire state, including the Haul Road to Prudhoe) and allows our remote communities to get their mail and supplies flown or boated in for a reasonable price.

I think, depakid, you should think about your posts before you actually post them, or do some research on those you slam. Yes, there are those that suck at the federal tit - but most of them are large, Outside corporations (think BP, Exxon, Citgo etc.).

Most of us "rugged individualists" here wouldn't live anywhere else, subsidies or no. Our Permanent Fund CAN be used to offset loss of federal subsidies, by a 2/3 majority vote. I would hope, however, that this great state would secede first. Don't think that's only my opinion. You hear it on the streets every day.

[Toots]

8. I heard that Palin won't even be sworn in at the Capital because Juneau

voted mostly for Knowles. She chose to be sworn in in Fairbanks just to put a thumb in the eye of Juneau. A petty and vindictive person it would seem. I wonder if she will even live in the house provided for her by the people. It is in the Capital after all. Alaska seems to be pretty damn slow on the up take...

[northofdenali]

10. I hope it's 55 below that day!

Ice fog, cars won't start even after being plugged in all night..... And I hope she doesn't bring her insulated Carharts!! She is worse than petty and vindictive. She is anti-woman (wants a law like South Dakota has) bigoted (would not even meet with our Native villagers or corporations) and anti-environment.

C'mon to Fairbanks, Sara - we'll teach you to openly prefer Wasilla. Wasilla, for those who aren't familiar with it, is basically a suburb of Anchorage, which is a suburb of Seattle. (OK Anchoragites, don't yell - just a little railbelt rivalry, right?)


Juneau and a large chunk of Anchorage, Homer, and most Alaska Native villages turned blue this election.

With luck, we'll add Fairbanks to this list.

[Ian David]

4. I guess Eskimos vote Democratic? Hence the war against the Kyoto Protocols? n/t

[Toots]

6. Republicans consistently show their contempt for the LAW

They say it is the courts that tell the state how to act when in reality it is the Law and the court is only there to interpret and enforce the Law and the Constitution. Republicans have a real tough time with the Constitution. It grants rights to ALL and they do not like that...

[Strathos]

11. A-Men!

I was going to say the same thing, but I was going to add "fuck the republicans"! LOL

[Bassic]

7. Social conservatism is downright dangerous for democracy

and for human rights in general.