Sarah Palin Tells Rep. Mike Hawker Not to Worry His Pretty Little Head About the Budget.
How to solve budget woes in Fantasyland, AK.
You may recall, I posted last week about Republican Representative and co-chair of the House Finance Committee, Mike Hawker, who, after seeing Governor Sarah Palin’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2010, decided to send her a letter.
The letter was addressed thus:
Gov. Sarah Palin
123 Unicorn Street
Fantasyland, AK 99999
Well, no. It wasn’t. But it might as well have been. Actually, the letter was hand delivered to Gov. Palin’s Anchorage office. Nice touch.
And the letter said, in a nutshell, “Try again.” Palin’s budget had one teensy little flaw. It all works out just fine if the going rate for a barrel of oil is $76. The problem? Right now it’s about $25/barrel, and economists are not in the least hopeful it will reach $76 any time soon.
Since my last post, Rep. Hawker has received a reply to his “try again” letter, which we shall call the “don’t worry your pretty little head about it” letter. He has written about it in The Alaska Standard, a relatively new blog by local conservative pundit, Dan Fagan, who is no friend of Sarah Palin, believe you me.
I’ve been wondering whether Rep. Hawker received a response, and apparently so have many others. Here’s our answer.
Based on my previous experience with the Governor’s office, I did not expect a response to my letter beyond the comments made by her press flack to a television news organization, that I should not worry about the budget until January 21, when the legislative session begins and the real work begins. The governor’s office may think the work begins January 21, but I assure you that my office and the rest of the legislature began working in earnest on the budget the day it was released. (December 15)
Press flack? Ouch. I guess if Rep. Hawker is a secret Mudflatter, he’s voted for Bill McAllister to receive one of the 2008 “Muddies.” He wouldn’t be the only one. He goes on to say:
I was pleasantly surprised to receive an actual response directly from the Governor. However, I was disappointed in the content of that response. I guess the operative statement in her letter was that she “is willing to make changes, as necessary, at the appropriate time.” Juxtaposed with the comment just before that, where she indicates the Department of Revenue will monitor and adjust price forecasts in the “coming months” the questions arise: Just when does she consider changes appropriate? What does ‘necessary’ mean? What is this “months” (plural) thing? Session begins in less than 30 days. We then have only 90 days to totally finalize the budget. Seems to me we need to have a much greater sense of urgency than the Governor is suggesting.
Questions, indeed. I am pleased to know that while the Governor is relaxing in Wasilla, watching the unicorns frolic, and hoping they manage to balance the budget, the rest of the legislature is actually concerned about fiscal responsibility in the real world. And I hope that the rest of the legislature takes a cue from Mike Hawker, that it is possible to call the Governor on the carpet, and live. (Even if you are a member of her own party)
*Snicker @ unicorn address. She probably reads this site. I can picture SP slamming down her laptop and bellowing at the top of lungs at Todd.
Oooh oooh, I want a little unicorn that poops money too!
Where can I get one?
I have to pay for my medication because you know that Sarah Palin person is my freaking Governor!
Rep Hawker- Keep the pressure on this vacuum head. She just can’t be allowed to get away with this stuff. I know she leaves me speechless. I’m running out of responses to her.
At the time of SP’s election, I thought one of the good things about Sarah being our Guv, is that she is divisive in her own party. Corrupt Bastards Club viewed her with great suspicion. Right wing they may be, but right wing religious they are not. Hopefully the middle R’s will rise to the task, put party aside, and go after her with the help of some Dems (but not all apparently). It’s a New Year….one can hope.
I cannot believe how Sarah Palin is causing a total political realignment in the State of Alaska. Here we are cheering on the likes of Dan Fagan and Mike Hawker and cursing the likes of Mike Doogan. I’m not complaining; I’m just in a state of shock. I actually worked for Hawker’s opponent a couple of elections ago but I find myself happy that Hawker won. And what can I say about Fagan and Doogan. I still have to slap myself across the face everytime I realize “My god, I agree with Fagan.” And I don’t even want to address Doogan’s 8th grade behavior. Yes, we do live in interesting times.
“…She ‘is willing to make changes, as necessary, at the appropriate time,’ and so on, and so forth, and also, too.”
You mean to tell me that last part wasn’t in the letter?
Oh, Bill McAllister must have written it…
AKM you have done it again….
I had to write this before I even finished the article…the unicorn shatting out money….with the little rainbow (is that Russia in the background, hills?)
OMG! OMG! Political blog for 2009 anyone???
Wow! Can you imagine what would happen if we paired her with our boy, Blago, back here in Illinois? *shudder*
Hawker and others actually expect Palin to work? And to work on something as over-her-head as a state budget???
You silly peeps, you!! hahahahaaa…
Have ya alls learned nothing?
If the budget sessions go well, she will take credit for other people’s hard work.
If the budget sessions get messy due to her non-participation, she’ll blame someone, anyone.
And so Sarah Palin’s world turns. Until the price of crude stays at half her projected price and people freeze in their own homes, and the next gov’s election comes around. Then the oil is gonna fly.
Hey we need that Unicorn that poops money in CA–we’re about to pay people in IOUs–like we need that now in a recession.
That bubble-brain governor of yours is still trying to do the baby-birthdate shuffle, so she’s WAY TOO BUSY to worry about YOU and your silly little budget problems, AK Citizens.
Oil, schmoil. And $25 is kinda like $76 in Wassilly…
Fire, please meet feet.
Don’t let up on the pressure, from all sides, on all topics.
I guess Alaskans will find out soon enough if the new legislature has the right stuff to hold her accountable, pick your topic. Already she’s booked two weeks off from dealing with the legislature in February. If she’s still in power after this session ends, then I guess one could say, the legislature failed Alaska.
@wearyvoter (20:15:55) : The degree of separation between the two (SP & Blago) is exactly One. Sarah’s good friend, and AG, Talis, was Blago’s ROOMMATE in College.
http://www.adn.com/politics/story/635460.html
pvazwindy
Already she’s booked two weeks off from dealing with the legislature in February. If she’s still in power after this session ends, then I guess one could say, the legislature failed Alaska.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How they can let her carry on with her “incompetence” is beyond me! Dyson/Doogan saying they are not going to hold her accountable for troopergate….now this highly ridiculous budget she has, oil at $76??? Who figured that one out? Piper or Dud? Oh I pray the Leg. will start now, changing the budget to help Alaskan’s and possibility (fingers crossed) decide to impeach her for her incompetence!!!! Otherwise Alaskan’s need to rebel/RECALL!!!! And someone needs to get rid of “BM” hmmmm….don’t I see a little BM coming out of the unicorn’s butt? Well maybe not, but what he says is certainly “BM” Otherwise known as BS or moose nuggets in this neck of the woods….
Just as Reagan would skim along the surface, letting his staff work out
the nitty-gritty details I can’t help but think that swwnbn spends her
days skimming through Boston Proper and Nordy’s catalogs dreaming of what outfit she will don in 2012, posturing for her hardcore fans from the evangelical cathedrals. Budget, smudget…what color pumps will go best
with this Louis Vuitton, no, maybe the Lady Dior accessory will woo them…
I think Rachel and Keith will like this one alot. Leaves me speechless. (wish we could leave swwnbn speechless…)
swwnbin leaves the lower 48 speechless and needs to get to work or get out of office. Keep up the good work AKM. Happy New Year, one and all. Only 19 more days…hope returns to a grateful planet.
Blago: “I dunno, Talis, seems to me that a lawyer’s got to be ethical or something, dude!”
Talis: “No, man, that’s the brilliance of my scheme! Hey, pass that thing… … “I’m going into real estate law or probate or something like that. Not REAL law, man! I don’t gots to be ethical when it’s not, like, you know, real law.”
Blago: “Pass it, dude. But… don’t we have to, oh, I dunno, have morals and stuff, dude? Like, what if I’m against the war… what war are we in now? I forget. Anyway, doesn’t matter. What if I’m against it, and someone, some important person, some guy, says, wow, man. You’re again I mean, what if you’re against the guy, and dude, you get to appoint someone, and wow, dude, that shirt you are wearing is way cool. Did you get it downtown? I like the… … what were we talking about? Hey, dude, turn up the volume. That’s my favorite song! “Everybody wants to party, party…”
Talis: “This is the beauty of it, Blag my man. I just tell ‘em that the law is OPTIONAL, man! Optional, that’s so good! Optional, man. Don’t you get it? Op-shun-nall! It’s like that man, that, dude, you know, in that movie? ”
Blago: “Gee, Tal, I dunno. But, dude, if it makes me money, well, dude, I can respect that! ”
Talis: “Money! Schmoney! This scheme’ll make us both so rich, we’ll be like, you know, Alaskans!”
Booked 2 weeks off in Feb. ??? What the f**k for??? There is no way she still has vacation days………unless she is using days on the lay-away plan !!!! How many days is she entitled to – how many has she claimed ??
not to worry…God will open a door…
What Rep. Hawker says is absolutely correct. Palin needs to learn to listen to others who have more expertise rather than blow them off. Her actions appear to be those of one who really does not wish to face reality and wants to hear only the “good news.”
Thanks, AKM and others who comment on this blog for keeping those of us in the lower 48 informed. This will be good information to have if SP decides to run for president in 2012. I’ll definitely be sharing this with others on the ‘net and in person.
majii in GA
more expertise than SP? she is the nations foremost energy expert, according to…JOHN MCCAIN! y’all are in some serious poop with the drill baby drill lady.
For Palin, it’s loyalty first, then expertise. And that gets you nothing but trouble. This is exactly whats going on now, can’t you picture Todd putting together the state budget as the rest of the Palin clan sits around the table nodding approval.
Exactly, maji, “Palin needs to learn to listen to others … ‘
So I have to share this …
I’m currently dog-sitting for brother- & sister-in-law. I’ve seen this here before, surely put up by Mr. Terps’ Finnish mother, passed on now, but it made me chuckle this morning.
I offer the following as a very approprate prayer for Sarah Palin. I do hope she is reading, or that if she has people reading this blog, that they pass it along to her.
“Dear Lord: Please put your arm around ny shoulder and your hand over my mouth”
sjk from the belly of the plane (05:05:00) :
not to worry…God will open a door…
Right on sjk. Maybe he will open the door to hell for her, so she can she how bad things really are. I do not believe she has a clue how people really live. Life is tough right now for a lot of people. Wake up SP and look around you. There is more to life than just YOU!!!!!!!!
Governor Palin if you are reading this, or one of your “staff” who reports back to you in Fantasyland, here is the thing. You are at the end of a tunnel and the train is coming, fast and furious. Your time to make ridiculous comments about a budget shortfall of over $50 per barrel in oil prices will soon be up. Trust me, “changes as necessary” are right around the corner. Or tunnel as it were. A large dose of reality is winging its way towards you – don’t believe you can duck fast enough to miss this one. By the way, Happy New Year.
thanks Mr. Hawker for doing your job..at least you realize, you have actual responsibility’s.
Hawker is dealing with a short term problem that will have near-term consequences and I applaud his work ethic in getting work done quickly because for the first time in awhile, Alaskan legislators will need to make tough budget decisions.
However, if I were an Alaskan, I would be very, very concerned about the mid-term and long -term prognosis too. Alaska has an economic dependency problem not unlike many of our major corporations now facing bankruptcy because they were not forward thinking. Your state lives and dies with oil. It provides a substantial portion of your state’s revenue directly plus indirectly it provides more jobs than any other industry other than the government itself. Over the next 1-2 years, oil can go in one of 2 directions. It may become sufficiently cheap that people consume it like crazy or the green revolution under this new president and the need for oil will drop precipitously. (Toyota is already developing a solar car). If domestic demand slips enough, the major oil companies will cap their least profitable wells. Because of the current tax structure, that will likely be Alaska. I also suspect that they will begin investing in their own alternative energy sources. All of these scenarios do not bode well for Alaska and it would behoove the legistators there including your esteemed (cough cough) governor to also be forward thinking and plan for these developments whether they occur or not.
Sarah Palin’s New Year Resolutions
1. Put Bristol and Willow on Norplant
2. Get a shorter leash for Todd
3. Leave the kids at home when you go to work and travel on state business
4. Get a new PR team and spokesperson
5. Increase state funding for school sexual education
6. Take public speaking and English grammar courses
7. Drop the phony accent
8. Stop repeating sound bytes from the VP campaign speeches in your current interviews
9. Drop the words “there”, “too”, and “also” from vocabulary
10. Conduct state business in an eithical professional manner.
re: door……….the only door waiting for SP is trap door………
FW – love your list !! But alas……..”Fantasy Island” is not on tv any longer……………
I’m glad I’m not back in Fairbanks having to listen to all my former coworkers –every single one of them die hard repubs. We all know she only got elected cus a lot of guys let the little head do the thinking for the big head, especially in Alaska.
Thanks for the link to The Alaska Standard. Did you see the newest post by Fagan? It’s about Levi’s ILLEGAL electrical apprenticeship. Another addition to the long dirty laundry list of the governor of fantasyland.
I’m glad the repubs in the legislature are starting to call her on things, and also the right wing radio nuts. And to think I used to like Doofus Doogan…
Sarah Palin is going on vacation in Feb? To where is she going? Will she still put in for per diems on those days?
Any takers on whether she’ll do the per diem thing during her two week vacation?
Levi is doing an illegal apprenticeship?
No wonder Sarah Palin likes Joe the unplumber so much.
I know this is offtopic but I don’t know where else to put it…so was there a waiting list and does him (per Palin’s own website comments) doing the GED and apprenticeship program run afoul of federal guidelines/laws?
Can a program get in trouble if they knowingly use different prereqs for different applicants?
http://www.thealaskastandard.com/?q=node/226
The Governor, in trying to dispel rumors the father of her grandchild is a high school drop out, released this statement this week, “Levi is continuing his online high school work in addition to working as an electrical apprentice on the North Slope.”
But federal regulations require any members of apprentice programs, union or otherwise, first obtain a high school diploma, something the Governor’s soon to be son-in-law, Levi Johnston does not have. Some apprentice programs even require the completion of high school level Algebra or the post secondary equivalent.
Bo Underwood, who heads up ASRC’s electrical apprentice program, confirmed Johnston is indeed enrolled as an apprentice. Underwood claimed not to know whether a high school diploma is needed to be an ASRC apprentice and said he would check on it. But federal regulations clearly state a high school diploma is needed before entering an apprentice program. How is it the man who runs the program does not know that?
Underwood also claimed not to know whether there is a waiting list for the ASRC apprentice program he runs. Imagine that.
http://www.doleta.gov/oa/req.cfm
Registered apprenticeship program sponsors identify the minimum qualifications to apply into their apprenticeship program. The eligible starting age can be no less than 16 years of age; however, individuals must usually be 18 to be an apprentice in hazardous occupations. Program sponsors may also identify additional minimum qualifications and credentials to apply, e.g., education, ability to physically perform the essential functions of the occupation, proof of age. All applicants are required to meet the minimum qualifications.
FW, Good list but no good without a brain also, too, Gosh Darnit!
You betcha!
@txdemocrat (12:43:05) :
Yeah, one of the few times I agree with Fagan…
Makes you wonder how he got the appreticeship if there’s a waiting list and a federal requirement to have a HS diploma…
Oh, and NEW THREAD ALERT!
OK, I just gotta’ play devil’s advocate here. With regards to Levi Johnston’s acceptance into an apprenticeship, the regulations that Mr. Fagan is referring to (as well as Andrew Halcro over on his blog) pertain to qualifications for entry into the State of Alaska apprentice program, which is civil service. Levi Johnston is working for ASRC (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation), a private sector for profit business. As a retired sloper I am not aware of any state or federal regulation that would preclude the young Mr. Johnston from participating in an apprenticeship program even though he hasn’t completed high school. However, it is common practice for high school dropouts acccepted as apprentices to be in the process of obtaining a high school diploma or GED as a condition of continuation in the apprenticeship program.
As far as Levi Johnston “jumping the line” with regards to the apprentice program waiting list, I have no dount that this is so. I’m sure many more qualified candidates were passed over to select him. This doesn’t come as any surprise to anyone who has worked on the slope or has tried to get a job there. Cronyism and nepotism are a fact of life in the north slope oil fields. One must remember that Todd Palin is a process systems operator for BP, a position which already gives him plenty of clout to preferentially recommend someone for employment. ASRC is a contractor to BP (among other companies) so they kind of like to keep BP happy. Hiring someone recommended by a highly placed BP employee is common practice. And oh yeah, Levi Johnston’s prospective future mother-in-law just happens to be the Governor. I’m sure that didn’t hurt.
So anyway, I find none of this surprising. I would have been far more surprised had Levi attempted to get employment on the slope and had been turned down. Getting work up there is and has always been a who you know proposition.
At the risk of pissing off some of the more vociferous readers of this blog I’ll go out on a limb and commend Levi Johnston for doing the right thing and pursuing a high paying trade that has a secure future. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and presume that he’s doing this and forgoing college to support his newly arrived child. Were I in his shoes I would like to think I would have done the same thing, no matter who it pisses off. You have to take care of your family first.
@AKM
Sorry about that. I know by previous post wasn’t germane to your article. I just wanted to address the apprenticeship thingy.
@akdennis (14:18:52) :
My read of Fagan’s article included this part, “But federal regulations require any members of apprentice programs, union or otherwise, first obtain a high school diploma, …”
Are you saying that Slope employers don’t have to follow federal regulations?
@InJuneau
Here are the requirements for acceptance into accredited apprenticeship program as set forth by the U.S. Dept. of Labor:
“Registered apprenticeship program sponsors identify the minimum qualifications to apply into their apprenticeship program. The eligible starting age can be no less than 16 years of age; however, individuals must usually be 18 to be an apprentice in hazardous occupations. Program sponsors may also identify additional minimum qualifications and credentials to apply, e.g., education, ability to physically perform the essential functions of the occupation, proof of age. All applicants are required to meet the minimum qualifications. Based on the selection method utilized by the sponsor, additional qualification standards, such as fair aptitude tests and interviews, school grades, and previous work experience may be identified.
Only those program sponsors having five (5) or more apprentices must adopt a written Affirmative Action Plan and Selection Procedures which is registered with the Registration Agency. The program sponsor identifies one of four selection methods available under Title 29, CFR Part 30.”
Nowhere does this mention anything about educational level. Rather, this is left up to the sponsor of the apprenticeship program to determine how much formal (i.e. theoratical) education is appropriate for the trade which they are learning. Please understand that one of the purposes of an apprenticeship is to provide job skills to those who elect not to pursue formal education. I did not go to college but rather served an apprenticeship myself. I generally earned more through my working life than your average college graduate.
I admit, however, that I did not sift through the CFR’s. Mr. Fagan could be correct but I haven’t been able to find any state or federal regulations that back him up. Mr. Fagan has been known to err from time to time and I think he’s wrong about this too. Even were Mr. Fagan correct about this I have no doubt that Johnston would have been hired as a General Maintenance Technician (slope-speak for laborer) and would have been assigned to work with journeyman electrician as such until he received his diploma/GED. They’s all kind’o loopholes.
Hope this clears things up. Oh, and if you locate the section(s) of state and/or federal law that back up Mr. Fagan’s statement then please share with me. Like I said, I could be wrong but don’t think so.
@akdennis (14:55:06) :
Thanks for the clarification. If I find the time to plow through the CFRs for things not related to my work and find the appropriate section, I’ll let you know. Yeah, Fagan has been known to be wrong a time or two (
), but it sounded like he was on to something this time.
sauerkraut (11:48:55) :
Sarah Palin is going on vacation in Feb? To where is she going? Will she still put in for per diems on those days?
————————
Another junket to a hotel pool in Florida ?
As far as ‘per diems’ — You Betcha’ !!!!
(I’m sure she’ll send a postcard to the good people of Alaska who are freezing their butts off while she and family lounge by the pool in Florida, all on the Alaska dime, of course !)
Levi would have never got the job on his own merits…..or lackof either………
Maybe Sarah was having a little New Years champagne and she drunk dialed the offices of People Mag, and left that crazy voice mail about Levi and Bristol.
Honestly, that woman does not know when to shut up.
Hello foot, meet mouth, insert.
Bristol was also quoted that she “obviously discourages” teen pregnancy………uh ………after twice in a row……..obviously there is a problem !!! It is on Huffpo now.
akdennis: “@AKM Sorry about that. I know by previous post wasn’t germane to your article. I just wanted to address the apprenticeship thingy.”
One of my fave things to do (when I have time!) is to try to inject something I want to get out there into the conversation while still being polite and staying on topic. It’s a really good exercise in creative thinking. Try it. I bet lots of people here, including you, would be good at it!
Of course, it can also backfire, depending on the blog you’re on, and bring on Troll Rash, then you have to go buy Troll-Away Spray or the Troll-B-Gone Wipes … you know how it goes.
Anyway, thanks for your contributions thus far, I have found them interesting and most importantly, respectful.
Let’s see, the original article is about the AK state budget and how SP seems less concerned than at least one AK representative wishes she would be. That’s a fair enough statement. This supposes that the next budget is not going to be as easy to put together as the last one, or ones before it were. Where there was plenty of surplus money to go around last year, that may not be the case in the next coming years. The gov. and the legislators will have to look at where the money’s being spent and make some tough decisions that may not make everyone happy. That may include funds going to Apprenticeship Programs to businesses and corporations.
OK, I made a (I hope!) logical link from Fantasy Alaska Budgets to possibly Nepotistic Job Apprenticeships, and at this point, my lack of research forces me to stop. I really don’t know if these programs ARE funded by fed. or state government (I suspect mostly they are – not that there’s anything wrong with that). But my point is, if so, overseeing where (and who) that money goes to, and seeing that there is a measurable return on the investment, is certainly something the AK legislature should be reviewing. Seeing that the programs are administered fairly is what we expect of our government, also.
akdennis, I don’t disbelieve you when you write “As far as Levi Johnston “jumping the line” with regards to the apprentice program waiting list, I have no dount that this is so. I’m sure many more qualified candidates were passed over to select him. This doesn’t come as any surprise to anyone who has worked on the slope or has tried to get a job there. Cronyism and nepotism are a fact of life in the north slope oil fields.”.
I just don’t think it’s right.
Whether anyone can prove Levi getting his apprenticeship was actually illegal under US and/or AK law … I must leave that to those more knowledgeable.
As for the budget, yeah, one of the “talking points” re: SP down here in Fla. has been (still!) the “She’s got an 80% approval rate” to which I and many others said “Well, yeah, if I got a big old check from Gov. Crist every year, I’d like him a whole lot more too!” It way oversimplyfies the situation, but is still relevant. “She took on the corrupt old boys in Alaska politica!” Yes, she did. Since they were pretty much 95% corrupt, and she’s only. say, 65% corrupt. that’s a savings of …. click click click … 30%! 30% less corrupt! Yes, I can easily see how people would vote for the 30% less corrupt candidate.
I repeat what I wrote earlier: it may be true, but it still doesn’t make it right.
Yeah yeah, I know, when I rule the world I’ll make everything perfect (said with MUCH sarcasm) … but really, you have to be able to dream it before you can ever hope to make it happen. And I think I feel most sorry for Bristol and Levi because, at least from what I have seen portrayed and read, I don’t know that either one of them HAS any dreams, and if they don’t, how do they pass the wonder of dreaming on to their child?
I could be wrong about the dream thing – but can anyone link to any information that Levi or Bristol have ever expressed that they WANTED to go to college, or what major/career they were interested in pursuing?
What dreams they put aside to raise their baby?
sauerkraut (11:48:55), asked, “Sarah Palin is going on vacation in Feb? To where is she going? Will she still put in for per diems on those days? Any takers on whether she’ll do the per diem thing during her two week vacation?”
Didn’t McAllister say on Dec 22, 2008 that she’s had an invitation to speak at the CPAC meeting in the lower 48 in February but that she hadn’t committed to going?
But Salon.com said November 17, 2008 she HAD committed to speak at the CPAC.
Another lie? Or did someone forget to make the reservations?
TeamSarah.org said on Nov. 20th that they’ll have a booth at the CPAC with the SBA (Susan B. Anthony) List, whooo, whoo! They’ll be handing out buttons and stickers, and probably autograph pads and Sharpies…
Speakers for the CPAC will be announced in February…which just happens to coincide with Gov. Palin’s vacation.
@Terpsichore
Thanks. I try to be polite because rudeness kills open discourse and exchange of ideas.
I don’t find the preferential hiring of Levi to be any more egregious than the usual nepotism that takes place on the slope. I tried to get a slope job for years before I finally got picked up. I didn’t know the right people. And the way they hire up there surely is not fair.
I do understand why they like to hire “known commodities” because working in the arctic is pretty brutal and not everyone is cut out for it. The powers that be like at least a nod from someone who already lives the lifestyl. By personally vouching for person “X” for employment the recommending sloper is stating that they personally know the candidate and can generally say that person X would probably adapt to the lifestyle and working conditions OK.
There is a certain amount of required “basic training” that every slope empoyee undergoes before being let loose in the field. Employers don’t want to spend the money on the training and then find out that the new employee can’t tolerate the harsh weather conditions and sub-zero winter temperatures, or the time spent away from home while on duty, or some other reason that causes them to quit in short order. I’m not saying it’s right but I do understand their point of view somewhat.
And just to clarify, the government does not generally provide financial support to apprentice programs. It’s more of a way for employers to attract young people just starting out in their working lives and then train them up to a high level of proficiency in a given trade, thus making them more valuable as employees. Apprentices are paid basically as laborers at first and then given pay raises as they demonstrate higher level of competence in the given trade.
Hopefully Alaska will not get its much needed pork and our government has it out for Palin and everything she wants gets flushed down the toilet. Than the people of Alaska bring the signs, re-call votes, and carry Palin out of office and throw her into a giant pile of manure all the while shouting “Sarah is S***”!!! A thorough investigation of her finances and the building of her house is done, where what many of us believe is found, that Sarah is a thief, and all her possessions and everything else are divided amongst Alaskans, with her house becoming an abortion center named “The Sarah Palin Center For Choice!”
I love the unicorn…reminds me of My Little Ponies…however for SP we can call it My Little Phonies!!!! Just because she says it isn’t so (that applies to any topic) doesn’t mean it isn’t. She’s in LA LA land…constant state of DENIAL.
Also noted in the Hawkin article that is not being talked about much is this and he is referring to the 2010 Budget.
“The administration based their budget on an average price of $74.41 per barrel oil for all of fiscal 2010. This past week Alaska crude has been trading well below $30 a barrel. Most, if not all, credible economists do not predict oil prices at the level used in the Governor’s budget.
The difference to Alaskans is whether we have a small budget surplus at $74 per barrel, a “two billion dollar deficit” at $50 per barrel oil, or a “three billion dollar deficit” at $40 per barrel oil. At $25 per barrel, the deficit is beyond the technical resources I currently have to calculate such things.”
(and this is other statement is VERY important also, where he is referring to the 2009 budget! Yes, this years budget!)
“While I did not include the problem in my original letter, there is also the immediate issue of the current fiscal year. The Governor’s 2009 budget update projected an average oil price of $62 from December 15, 2008 through June 30, 2009. Seems to me that we have been near or below $30 every day since she made that prediction.
That means we need an equal number of days with prices approaching $90 between now and June 30 to average things out. ( I know the progressivity component of the production tax equation kicks in, but we still need some unrealistically high prices between now and June 30 to meet the Governor’s forecast.)”
(One of Rep. Hawkin’s points about the 2009 Budget is that it won’t be very smart or very responsible for Gov Palin to wait until Jan. 31, to address THIS years possible shortfalls based on too high oil projections. Get real Sarah and crew. And thank you Rep Hawkin for doing your job.)
http://www.thealaskastandard.com/?q=node/219
My apologizes! Rep Hawker, not Hawkins.