It was never my intention to be a stay-at-home-mom. I have a master’s degree that I still have every intention of making use of. However, when we decided to move here and start a family in Juneau five years ago, we were completely unprepared for the extremely tight child care market in both cost and availability. I had our son on a couple wait lists around town so I could get a job, but it took between 14-16 months for any spots to open up for him.
Alaskans have always cared about one another and have always been generous when others need help. Whether it is an earthquake, a flood, or a crippling blizzard, Alaskans help each other out. That is the motive behind expanding Medicaid, helping our fellow Alaskans who need medical coverage.
A well-known, and embarrassing statistic that all Alaskans should feel some sense of shame about is living in the state that has the highest per-capita rape rates in the nation. One would feel that our state government would make changing this horrific situation a top priority. People march, wave banners, lecture children, all in an effort to create public awareness.
Juneau has much to gain from Gov. Bill Walker’s proposed expansion of Medicaid. Health care is one of the top private employers in the borough, and Juneau can expect to receive some of the $1 billion in federal revenue that will come with Medicaid expansion. This will add jobs in the health care sector at a most fortuitous time, when state government is eliminating jobs in Juneau.
Alaskans need to know that the movement to ban set sets in the five urban, non-subsistence, areas of Alaska is based entirely on conservation of resources and the best interests of Alaska as a whole. It isn’t about greed. In fact, the initiative to ban set net fishing in urban areas is based on conservation and sustainability. It’s about giving Alaska’s king salmon the brightest future possible. In order to have a thriving fishing economy in the future, it is imperative we are mindful of our actions today.
I saw the Empire article about Eaglecrest Ski Area pass holders. Eaglecrest general manager Matt Lillard indicated pass holders may not receive any credit back for the lack of being open this season. Lillard said pass holders have been lucky the last couple years because our passes went further those years. What bearing previous years have on this year’s pass contract is beyond me. I will say that due to our family’s work, sport and school schedule, that has not been the case for us.
As bartenders for the ferry system, we’ve been asked to comment on responses from the Alaska Marine Highway System management to questions our legislators raised regarding their shocking rationale of saving $750,000 by eliminating the ferry bars during this budget crisis.
We’re happy to report the AMHS cost analysis regarding the ferry bars is thankfully the result of probable bureaucratic error.
I recently read Bishop Burns’ column, “Suicide is never a solution”. I couldn’t agree more with his position relative to our suicide rate, especially among young people and in Bush communities. Unfortunately, he only devotes one quarter of his article to this very serious problem.
The last three quarters of his writing was devoted to end of life issues for terminally ill patients. This is where he and I disagree.
Although we sometimes seem to be far removed, the people of Southeast and the rest of Alaska do have at least one thing in common: Fish come first.
No, this is not about the Board of Fisheries or Roland Maw. It is about a proposed coal mine on the far side of Cook Inlet that would destroy a watershed that supports all five species of salmon.
In the past year I’ve seen legislative attacks on reproductive care travel through the Alaska House, Senate and eventually to the governor’s desk. When issues like abortion, contraception and sexual education become highly politicized, Alaskans lose out on critical care. It is my hope that lawmakers this session can work to implement smart initiatives — like comprehensive sex education in high schools and programs to inform students about sexual assault — to improve reproductive outcomes in Alaska.
