The Mudflats

This week it was Senator Begich’s turn in the chair on Matt Felling’s View from the Hill. They talked health care, Afghanistan, polar bears, and why Drue Pierce was asked to step down as

Health Care
Proposed senate health care bill will reduce the deficit for our country.  It will focus on saving lives, saving money and holding our insurance companies accountable.  Will cover pre-existing conditions.  No lifetime caps.  You can move your insurance from employer to employer.  Competition for affordable and accessible health care.  He wants to make sure it’s deficit neutral.  Better access for seniors.  People can keep what they have if they want to.   Until they see the bill, he can’t know for sure, but if it doesn’t have those things, he’ll offer amendments.  It would be difficult for Alaskans and Americans to support such a reform if it didn’t have those things.  He and other moderates have been meeting with the Chair of Finance giving views and ideas, and talking about how they could be supportive of a final product.

Afghanistan
Thinks the president is doing what he should be doing.  When he was at Elmendorf speaking to the troops, he was very clear and said that he didn’t want to put them in harm’s way for needless reasons.  Thinks he’s doing the right thing, and believes that he will have some kind of decision in the immediate future.  He’s taking into account input from military advisers, the State Department, about how to move forward.  He thinks it’s important we don’t nickel and dime this issue, and we need to make sure that the troops have the equipment and resources they need to do their jobs.  We also need to make sure that Afghanistan can govern itself in a way that is sustainable, and can reconstruct itself to the point where it has a viable economy.

It costs $1 million per year per soldier to have them in Afghanistan.  This is one of the reasons that the President is taking a careful approach.  Fighting terrorism across the world is important for our national security.  It’s important for global security.  It’s costly.  His role in the Armed Services Committee is to look and ask if this is the right cost for the benefit. and what is the benefit.  Is the cost getting us what we need?  That will be the debate.  Thinks people believe there has been a positive impact but the question is what happens in the next several years.  It’s not only the money the tax-payers have put on the table, but the lives we have put on the table – those who have been killed, or injured, and the families that are affected.

On Drue Pearce being asked to step down as the federal coordinator of the gas pipeline for the Office of the Federal Coordinator

It’s the President’s prerogative to change things around.  Drue Pearce has done a good job, but it’s a good time to change things.  We’re six months away from open season on the pipeline.  The President sees the gas line as one of his top five green job priorities.  We have an opportunity to pitch this as a national interest item.  He thinks this is just a normal thing that happened with a new administration, but also that the timing is good.

Thoughts about why Drue Pearce was asked to resign from the Office of the Federal Coordinator for the gas pipeline.

Setting aside critical habitat for polar bears
Thinks it was handled well.  From what he has heard from the Interior Dept., it will not adversely affect oil and gas.  The industry has been dealing with this all along and they are used to the regulations.  The area selected as critical habitat is mostly pretty far away from oil and gas development.  Thinks it’s premature to be worried at the level that Gov. Sean Parnell is worried.

In short
Health Care - If the Senate health care bill doesn’t have critical features, the Senator will propose amendments to it.

Afghanistan – The President is appropriate in taking time to determine the best course in Afghanistan and we can expect a statement soon.

Drue Pearce- No partisan reason why Drue Pearce was asked to step down. It’s just what new administrations do sometimes, and the timing was good for a new person.

Polar bears – The critical habitat set aside for polar bears is good. The oil and gas industry knows the drill (pardon the pun) and the land isn’t really close to where they are any way.

Pepto Bismol Rating on a scale of 1-7 bottles:

Oooooo.  Nice.  Not even one bottle this time.