Voices from the Flats – A Clash of Visions for Anchorage
5 12 2009Elstun Lauesen is a contributing author to Going Rouge – An American Nightmare from OR Books. He also appears as a panelist on this week’s Moore Up North which will air on KYES Channel 5 on Saturday at 4:00pm.
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There is war brewing in Anchorage; a clash of visions. This war will culminate in April, 2010–the next municipal election. This is a clash between two starkly conflicting visions for our city and our future.
The first vision is one based in fear. It sees Anchorage as a city in crisis. It sees Anchorage as city on the verge of failure. This vision is driven politically by negative views spawned by loud anti-government types who are echoing some talk radio personalities here in Anchorage. Some of these folks have actually stated that they want Anchorage to return to the days of yore when we rattled around on gravel roads and most things were handled by volunteers. “Gravel makes more sense than asphalt” I heard one caller to a radio show argue as he complained about the cost of road maintenance. And the theme of volunteer labor is always used when the anti-government speaker is challenged about the cost of providing public service. These folks hate government so much that they forget that government is by for and of the people and set out to destroy it, in effect cutting off their noses to spite their face. You can hear these folks at every Assembly hearing. They stand up and declare themselves to be the spokesperson for the vast majority, insult the citizen legislators who serve them and then scream to high heaven about how they are taxed to death and how we don’t need libraries and parks and public transit. These folks have a sympathetic ear in the Mayor’s office and they have 5 solid votes on the 11 member Assembly.
The second vision is based on optimism about the future. This vision sees the future of Anchorage as a modern, world-class city. It believes that government is a tool by to build high quality of life and fosters personal enterprise, ambition and success. Great schools, beautiful parks, and a first-rate public transit system are the kinds of services that attract businesses and foster tourism and economic growth. Progressive visionaries understand what it means to work together cooperatively and they understand the value of investing in services, non-profit community organizations and schools. These progressive visionaries are not Democratic or Republican. They are not even ideologically identical. Rick Mystrom was a progressive Republican; the late David Rose could be fairly called a progressive conservative. Both of these men understood the importance of making public investment. They were leaders who were bullish on the future of Anchorage. So while we may all disagree on tactical details, the importance of the progressive vision for Anchorage should be clear. Anchorage has a great, fantastic future if we elect the leadership that shares that progressive vision.
The Municipal election in April, 2010 will determine which vision shall direct our Assembly and that campaign has begun now. The political overtones of the investigation into the Begich Administration’s budget process and the so-called “Wheeler Report” were made explicit by Sullivan’s chief Fixer on the Assembly, Dan Coffey. “This is political” Coffey said of the much-maligned Wheeler report as all but one Assembly member voted to accept it “This is not the last we will hear about this…”(only Harriet Drummond refused to accept what she told a reporter for the Daily Planet blog was a “flawed report full of mistakes and misstatements”). The implication for and the challenge to the progressive visionaries of Anchorage is clear. Coffey and the Regressives are going to use the Wheeler Report as a weapon in the April campaign.
We need a 2010 campaign based upon the progressive vision for Anchorage. And we need good candidates who share that vision and are willing to fight tooth-and-nail.
The great religious leader, Hillel, one of the major contributors to Talmudic scholarship, who lived at the time of King Herod, is famous for the line to his recalcitrant followers: “If not now, when? If not us, who?”
The same is being asked to Anchorage citizens of all stripes who share the progressive vision for the future of Anchorage–Republican, Democratic, Independent, Conservative, Liberal, or in-between. April, 2010 and the future of Anchorage is now!
December 5th, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Wow, it sounds like these people want to go back to the dark ages. So if they don’t want government involvment than why don’t they ask to repeal social security and medicare? Where do these people live? In caves?
December 5th, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Anchorage Dems and progressives failed to step up (or step down as in the case of too many dem. candidates) last fall. As a resident of rural alaska, i’m disappointed that folks in our largest city did not see this coming. i saw it and I don’t even live there. too little too late. I hope you guys can get you act together in the spring. as anchorage goes, so goes the rest of us.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:12 PM
A city that does not grow and change will eventually die. If these people are so determined to live in a place that reflects the technology, culture and traditions of the 19th century, perhaps they should move to a place where they can enjoy that lifestyle and not inflict it on their neighbors.
People lived that way years ago because they had no other options. They also tended to die a lot younger than we do today. Some people still live that way by choice and they are certainly welcome to do that. I personally prefer to live in a world where I can flick a switch and turn on a light, have heat without cutting down trees and call 911 in an emergency.
They are likely the same people who insist that native Alaskans who are struggling in subsistence lifestyles because of the artificial restraints placed on their hunting and fishing should move to the city where they can find jobs.
When exactly did government providing the basics of modern life for the benefit of its citizens become a bad thing?
December 5th, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Maybe those throwbacks should just move to Somalia; I hear laissez faire capitalism is rampant, and there’s no govt, either. After all, the essence of pure capitalism is piracy.
December 5th, 2009 at 1:12 PM
@Granny68-Now that’s a great idea.
December 5th, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Amen Elstun! Hey Anchorage, let’s take our town back from these “gravel pit mentality” types. I plan to work in support of Progressive Assembly candidates from all districts, not just my own. I hope all who care about the future of Anchorage will do the same.
December 5th, 2009 at 3:51 PM
I know the mayor is not up for re-election in April. Which Assembly members are up for re-election, and who is running against them? Does anybody know in a nutshell what’s going to be on the ballot? Any ballot measures coming up, too? Thanks!
December 5th, 2009 at 4:04 PM
I would love to put these guys on a plane and send them to Kenya where a friend of mine lives half the year running a school for poor children. It is exactly what they envision, complete pay to play. From roads, hospitals and schools to police protection, only the well off can afford. Many of the well off are trying to help, but the government is an obstacle instead of a help because they have their hand out at every turn. The anti government types cite our forefathers but won’t see that they believed in a strong federal government. Our forefathers did not come up with these ideas in a vacuum, it developed from their experience in England and Europe.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Free advertising Elson! It happened today when I turned on TV at noon looking for the Texas game. Came across CNN Headline news doing a story of your former queen down at Fort Hood. No, it can’t be. Waited half an hour to be sure and when story played again the botton of the screen reads: Former Governor Sarah Palin signing copies of her book “Going Rouge” (their quotation marks) Maybe she’s wearing a Fruedian slip? Ha and ha again.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:36 AM
@#2 leenie17 Says:
“A city that does not grow and change will eventually die. If these people are so determined to live in a place that reflects the technology, culture and traditions of the 19th century, perhaps they should move to a place where they can enjoy that lifestyle and not inflict it on their neighbors. ”
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We hear similar things here in our little bush AK town. “This is ‘just’ (town name).” “We do things differently here.”
In small-town Alaska, things really ARE different. There isn’t much money for the town, and choices really do have to be made. I guess you might classify us as a 19th-century town; although we do have internet, phone and electricity. However, there’s no better place to witness “the good ol’ boy network” than in small-town Alaska.
It really is true, though. Many folks here figure that if someone can’t make it here, they just need to move to Fairbanks, Anchorage, or wherever they can manage to make it with welfare, food stamps, energy assistance and unemployment.
Just wanted to say …… if you can’t make it in Anchorage or Fairbanks, just try to make it in the bush! Good luck with that!
December 6th, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Found this on Sarah’s FB site …
QUOTE….Angie Cook Hi I am super excited to read your book. I kinda heard that you talked a little smack about my misguided biological father Andrew Halcro. I’m kinda THAT families dirty little secret. So I would love to get them him from another haters point of view
We can hate on together ENDQUOTE
ANY Alaska blogger who can shed some light on this comment????