“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” — H.L. Mencken I don’t blame junior assembly members Will Prisciandaro and Sean Maidy for wanting the borough to take over the trash business and to…
Former Alaska Gov. Walter Hickel, who was sometimes a visionary, said Alaska one day would be the OPEC of fresh water. Wally dreamed of a pipeline to carry Alaska’s water to the thirsty parts of the American West. His point was well-taken. Oil, as a commodity, is replaceable with new technologies. But there’s no substitute for fresh water. It’s the…
Two weeks ago, I felt compelled to contact the news media: I ate a juicy peach in Haines. My experience was purely accidental, as I don’t buy peaches at local stores. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy peaches as much as anyone, probably more, and I shop at home. But buying a ripe peach in Haines – or in Alaska,…
“This is the time to infuse government resources into nonprofit organizations to maintain critical public services.” Economic Report by Alaska’s Foraker Group, January 2018 If you think the Haines Borough won’t zero out grants to non-profits, you haven’t been watching lately. Non-profit funding, the amount of money the government sets aside for competitive grants to citizen groups…
I am learning to go on with my daily life despite corruption and imbecility in the White House. I am developing personal acceptance that all three branches of our federal government, much of our state government and oftentimes our local government are either directly controlled by or at the beck and call of selfish, malevolent interests. I’ve come to understand…
One day soon, the Haines Borough will need a pile of money and the best way to get it is taxation that taps into pockets of special interest wealth rather than broad-based taxes that are generally regressive, forcing all to pay an equal percentage of their money for services that are not enjoyed so equally. Exhibit A of these special…
As it has been for years, the recent negotiation of a union contract with Haines Borough employees was a secretive, then rushed affair that did not serve the interests of the borough, its elected leaders, union workers, or the general public. About 15 years ago, the union and borough leaders agreed that all negotiation issues – such as what workers…
The Haines Borough may soon be asking you for more tax support to keep it afloat. That’s understandable. Our government leaders in Alaska and Washington, D.C. at one time believed that they owed support to places like Haines, and we received it. That was about 30 years ago, before our national ethos shifted from “women and children first” to “every…
Three years ago last March, a living-room-sized boulder rolled off a mountainside and into the ferry terminal parking lot. The boulder wasn’t just big, it was preposterously big. At the sight of it, people either laughed or swore. Smooth and rounded at its edges like a giant beach pebble, it resembled something drawn by an animator of the old Flintstones…
Let’s get some things straight about the “aqueous storage” ordinance before the Haines Borough Assembly. The ordinance is all about Constantine Minerals Resources’ development of a mine near 40 Mile. That was its origin and its motivation, and that’s perfectly okay. It’s unclear that the State of Alaska can adequately protect the Klehini River from mine pollution, as the state…