Property Taxes

Take a look at your property taxes and you will see a majority of the taxes you pay, go towards education.

The State of Alaska should be fully funding education. However, under the current educational system in Alaska, the budget is done by a centralized body. And as a result, the monies that are generated for educating students is not used fully by the schools.

In House District 25, here are the budgetary figures.

North Star Elementary School.Enrollment is projected at 381 students with 16 teachers, one P.E teacher, one music teacher and .60 for an art teacher. The figures I am using are from the ASD and are available on their web-site.

The cost per student is $12,000.00. The cost to operate the school is projected at $2,296,450.00. This is for everything from salaries to TERS and PERS, to the pencils, books and paper. Everything to include the heating, lighting and refuse.

The generated income that is earmarked for the school is $4,576,000.00. minus-$2,296,450.00 going to costs to run the school. $2,279,550.00 is not going into the classroom.

So where is the rest of the money going?

Next,Northwood Elementary School has a projected enrollment of 335 students. At $12,000.00 per student, the money earmarked for the school is $4,020,000.00. 14 full time teachers, 0.8 P.E. teacher, 0.8 music teacher, 0.40 art teacher.

$4,020,000.00
-$1,962,382.00 costs to run the school
---------------
$2,057,618.00 not going into the classroom.

So where is the rest of the money going?

Willowcrest Elementary School has a projected enrollment of 364 students. At $12,000.00 per student, the money earmarked for the school is $4,368,000.00. 15 full time teachers, 1 P.E. teacher, 0.9 music teacher, 0.50 art teacher.

$4,368,000.00
-$2,068,636.00 costs to run the school
---------------
$2,299,364.00 not going into the classroom.

So where is the rest of the money going?

Stellar school has a projected enrollment of 272 students. At $12,000.00 per student, the money earmarked for the school is $3,264,000.00. 11.30 teachers, 0.20 technology teacher, 0.40 reading, 1 nurse.

$3,264,000.00
-$1,546,521.00 costs to run the school
---------------
$1,717,479.00 not going into the classroom.

So where is the rest of the money going?

Central Middle School of Science has a projected enrollment of 646 students. At $12,000.00 per student, the money earmarked for the school is $7,752,000. 34.1 teachers, 0.5 technology teacher, 1.0 reading teacher, 1 nurse, 1 librarian, 2.6 counselors.

$7,752,000.00
-$3,902,699.00 costs to run the school
-----------------
$3,849,301.00 not going into the classroom.

So where is the rest of the money going?

What stands out is less than half of the money generated for the school budget makes its way into the classroom.

The ASD states that 8.77% of the budget is spent on pupil transportation and operations and maintenence.So you have about 49% of the money going to these schools and then 8.77% of the budget covering the costs of transportation and maintenance. That is a total 57.77% of the school budget going to running the school, transporting the kids and maintaining the schools.

Add another 13% for debt reimbursement and 2.3% for food services, then you have 73% of the budget going to the total package to run a school in the ASD.

That leaves about $165,000,000.00 dollars that are not going into the operation, maintenance and construction of our schools. Guess who is paying for that? Property owners, renters and businesses.

The State of Alaska, the federal government and "other" than the city, contribute together, 68.64% of the school budget that goes to the running of the school.

So where is the rest of the money going?It is not that the school district is short on money, it is how the money is spent.

I stated that the State of Alaska and the federal government could fully fund the education system, but it can only be done under a decentralized system.

Next time you look at your taxes, see how much you pay in property taxes. Then under a decentralized system, think what it would be like to have that tax burden taken from you.

Getting Schooled On the Exit Exam

Today I attended a meeting at the Disability Law Center, where parents of children with disabilities were discussing the state law dealing with the Exit Exam and the new Alternate Assessment Testing program.

Via teleconference, Aran Felix was talking about the program and fielded questions from the parents.

The law in concern was AS 14.03.075. Secondary Student Competency Testing.

From listening to the parent's concerns and Aran Felix, what I found is, the state law on the Exit Exam is complicated and the Exit Exam needs to be tiered.

The standardized exam is based on a "normal person's" cognitive abilities. The law has made adjustments for the disabled but the law does not adjust the standardized exam.

In making laws that deal with school funding, the state will take into account the child's needs and disabilities. As such, you have a tiered funding plan that takes into account the child's disabilities.

The same should apply to the Exit Exam. A child who is autistic should be taking an entirely different exam than one taken by a child who is deaf or is without disabilities.

The other impression I was left with is, the parents of these children want their children to be challenged and want their chidren to receive a diploma instead of a certificate of completion.

One woman told of her son not being challenged by the school her son attended in another state. She felt her son was negatively affected by this.

Her story reminded me of my own story in that my mother, when I was young, would tell my teachers that I needed to be held accountable and I should be challenged.

And I was not a disabled child.

The state needs to correctly address this issue. If not, the state may then find itself in a lawsuit that should never come to be.

The solution is very simple and no blame can be placed on the No Child Left Behind Act.

The IEP of the child can be the directive to place a child in the appropriate tier on an exam suited to the child's true abilities.

Now to the Anchorage School District. On an IEP, a parent or guardian has to consent to various tools to be used in the Alternate Assessment portfolio.

I am looking at a 3 year IEP that is of a student who is in eighth grade. The date of the IEP meeting is February 9th, 2006 and the district has checked off without the signature of the parent.

It is important that the IEP team ensure that all blocks are filled and the parent is notified and their input is taken. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the issue.

Enough said.

The School Board Race

A change in plans for the moment. Today I filed for the school board race in seat F.

The incumbent, Jeff Freidman is a fine person, but he and I have different ideas on how a school district should be run.

The issues will be talked about on this blog for the duration of the campaign for the school board seat. If I lose, I will contiue to campaign for the House District 25 race.

There are many challenges that face the school district and I believe that I have some answers to the problems that the school district faces.

Again, Jeff is a fine person and I hope to engage in a spirited debate with Jeff on how best the school district can be operated.

Update: Due to campaign finance laws I will have to keep school board issues separate from the House Seat race.

For the Love of Money

You have to love the NEA and AEA. This is a union that has the mantra that to get good teachers and keep them, you have to pay them the money to keep them.

If this is true, then why is it that private school teachers who get paid less, do a great job in teaching.

Is the union going to blame the parents and the kids in public school for the poor reading and writing skills or are they going to accept blame for the policies they seek that keep tenured teachers on the job and they can't teach.

Teaching is a profession that you do from the heart, not the wallet.

As I said before, the NEA needs to put its money where its mouth is. Instead of spending money on political action committees that many of their members may not agree with, they need to contribute to their members health care or cut back on union dues.

Let the NEA cut back on all of those administrative salaries and positions.

Think the NEA/AEA will do that. Hell no.

In an Anchorage Daily News article we find what the NEA/AEA thinks a "quality" teacher should get.

Now when you read below,keep in mind, this is a starting teacher who may be just out of college and is twenty years old and has no experience what-so-ever in teaching.

http://www.adn.com/news/education/story/7428715p-7339592c.html

The union's offer has much larger raises, with a new teacher starting at $47,030 in the contract's third year.

It gets even better.......................

Health insurance was a serious roadblock during last year's negotiations. The union wants the district to pay 90 percent of its members' health insurance premiums over the next three years.

Like I said, the NEA/AEA, needs to put up or shut up.

http://thomasalamb.blogspot.com/2006/01/shudup-already.html

Say What? A Slap to Senior Citizens

The Daily News editorial staff need to go on a field trip to Utah. Here is why. The staff has to visit Utah to see what you can buy for $150.000 to $75,000. Instead they try to use an off hand remark to what a house in Anchorage might cost in Utah. The figure $260.000? Try less than that.

First to the article. http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/7425739p-7336845c.html

Tax truth

Running away from Anchorage means running into real taxes

Published: February 7, 2006 Last Modified: February 7, 2006 at 02:57 AM
It's easy to complain about taxes and government spending. It's a way of life in Alaska, much like talking about the weather, ruts in the roads and moose on the highway.

And it's easy for elected officials to repeat what their constituents tell them, especially if they agree.

But the public needs the full story, not just a sound bite.

For example, the Anchorage Assembly on Friday discussed the School District's request to place $99 million in school bonds on the April ballot.

Assembly Chairwoman Anna Fairclough noted that many seniors are feeling pressured by rising property values, which means rising taxes.

More school bonds would add to taxes. She said an acquaintance had told her he was selling his home and moving to Utah to escape Anchorage's heavy property tax burden.

Someone should tell him Utah has sales and income tax.

Yes, Anchorage has a higher property tax rate than many cities, but that's because we have no sales tax, no income tax, no state revenue sharing, nothing to diversify the revenue sources to run our schools and public services.

But state law does exempt senior citizens from property taxes on up to $150,000 of a home's assessed value, and Anchorage adds an exemption of up to $20,000 of a home's value. Meaning that Ms. Fairclough's acquaintance would pay no taxes unless his home is worth more than $170,000.

For the sake of this discussion, let's assume his home is worth $300,000. He would pay tax on $130,000 of that value, or about $2,100 a year at the average tax rate in Anchorage.

Now let's look at Utah, taking Salt Lake City for example.

Utah state law says homeowners pay property taxes on just 55 percent of a home's value. Using national statistics, an average $300,000 home in Anchorage might cost $260,000 in Salt Lake City. Taxed at just 55 percent of value, that property would ring up $1,150 a year in property taxes in Salt Lake City, about $1,000 less than the Anchorage example. Good news for Ms. Fairclough's acquaintance.

Then start adding. Salt Lake City shoppers pay a 6.6 percent sales tax, which includes state, county and city sales taxes, a mass transit tax and a botanical, culture and zoo tax. And that tax goes on top of everything: Utah taxes food.

Utah residents also pay a state income tax, at a top rate of 7 percent of gross income after standard or itemized deductions. And that top rate is easy to reach -- everything over $4,314 in annual income.

The list goes on. Utah's motor fuel tax is 24.5 cents per gallon, three times the 8 cents in Alaska, which is the lowest in the nation. Salt Lake also imposes a 6 percent "energy tax" on natural gas and electricity.

Let's not judge Anchorage's tax burden by only its property taxes. The grass may look greener elsewhere, but it's those sales and income taxes that pay to keep it so green.

BOTTOM LINE: Look at the whole story in debating whether Anchorage can afford more school bonds.

The editorial revolves around seniors, so here is the tax structure in Utah.

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate3.html#UTAH

UTAH Sales Taxes

State Sales Tax: 4.75% (prescription drugs exempt); 2% on residential utilities; local option taxes may raise the total tax to 6.35%.

Gasoline Tax: 24.5 cents/gallon

Diesel Fuel Tax: 24.5 cents/gallon

Gasohol Tax: 24.5 cents/gallon

Cigarette Tax: 69.5 cents/pack of 20

Personal Income TaxesTax Rate Range: Low - 2.3%; High - 7%

Income Brackets: * Lowest - $863; Highest - $4,313 Number of Brackets: 6

Personal Exemptions: ** Single - $2,400; Married - $4,800; Dependents - $2,400

Standard Deduction: Single - $4,750; Married filing jointly - $9,500 Medical/Dental Deduction:

Federal amount Federal Income Tax Deduction: 50% of federal taxes

Retirement Income Taxes: Each taxpayer who was age 65 or older at the end of the tax year may be entitled to a retirement exemption of up to $5,700.

A married couple filing a joint return may claim up to $15,000, if they are both 65 or older, depending on their income. This is in addition to the standard or itemized deduction and their Utah personal exemptions.

The deduction and exemption are reduced by 50 cents for each dollar of income exceeding $32,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly, and $25,000 for single taxpayers. Each taxpayer who was under age 65 at the end of the tax year and received retirement income, may qualify to deduct up to $4,800 of the qualifying income.

The deduction is only available to the taxpayer who earned the qualifying income. A surviving spouse is entitled to this deduction for qualified income received on behalf of a deceased spouse; children or other nonspouse recipients are not entitled to the deduction.

Qualifying income for those under age 65 include pensions, annuities, taxable social security benefits (excluding disability and survivor benefits), early retirement distribution if the retiree meets the retirement criteria of the employers plan, and qualified income received by a surviving spouse on behalf of a deceased employee.

For more information, click here.Retired Military Pay: Up to age 65, individual can deduct up to $4,800 of qualified retirement; $7,500 at age 65 or older.

Deductions apply to survivor benefits. Military Disability Retired Pay: Disability Portion - Length of Service Pay; Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless combat incurred.

Retired Pay - Based solely on disability: Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless all pay based on disability and disability resulted from armed conflict, extra-hazardous service, simulated war, or an instrumentality of war.

VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Not subject to federal or state taxesMilitary SBP/SSBP/RCSBP/RSFPP: Generally subject to state taxes for those states with income tax.

Check with state department of revenue office.

Property Taxes Property taxes are assessed and collected locally. The taxable value of a property is 100% of its fair market value, less any exemptions that may be permitted. The assessed valuation of a residential property is 55% of its fair market value.

The median rate is $1.30/$1,000. Homeowners 65 and older who earn $23,108 or less can get a credit for property taxes paid up to $616, plus a credit equal to the tax on 20 percent of their property's fair market value.

A circuit breaker tax credit for persons age 65 or over (or surviving spouse) permits an abatement or deferral of property taxes but the amount of the credit varies with household income and can apply to the portion of rent that goes to pay property taxes.

Contact the Tax Commission at 801-297-3600 for details or click here for details on tax rates.Inheritance and Estate TaxesThere is no inheritance and the estate tax is limited and related to federal estate tax collection.

Here is what you can buy for $260,000.00

http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyGUID=a87093e4-dcdb-4840-af92-0bdde9ea8542

Property Details: MLS #: 551820Price: $254,900Property Type: Single FamilyStyle: Rambler/RanchBeds: 6Baths: 3.00Approx. Square Feet: 3313Project/SubDivision: TRADITIONS County: Salt Lake Neighborhood Statistics Acres #: 0.09 Garage: Attached Roof: Asphalt ShingleExterior: Brick, StuccoYear Built: 1998Landscape: Full Landscaping, Vegetable Garden

Home Interior Features:Basement: FullCooling: Central Air ElectricHeating: Forced Air, Gas CentralFireplaces: 1Flooring: CarpetSchool District: GraniteElementary: PlymouthJunior High/Middle School: EisenhowerHigh School: Taylorsville Get School Information

Here is what you can buy for $120.000.00 to $75,000.00. A senior citizen living on a fixed income in Anchorage would be hard pressed to find anything in that range.

http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyResults.aspx?MinPrice=75000&MaxPrice=120000&MinBed=0&MinBath=0&MinSqFT=0&MaxSqFT=999999&MinAcres=0&OfficeID=0&counties=&cities=31805&zips=&proptypes=SFAM&vt=False&justlisted=False&openhouse=False&fireplace=False&garage=False&BuilderID=0&PropertySearchType=0
These are other homes.

http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyGUID=6a61c911-eac7-4766-ae29-943007403937

http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyGUID=98bae0e5-4c65-41b3-a0f4-c14957fd45d4

http://www.utahhomes.com/Property/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyGUID=7c6ac461-5def-4d2d-b9f5-135f8b5a2b36

The issue is disposable income for retired folks on a fixed income and how they can live.

The price of gas in Utah? 12 cents cheaper than what it is here. With the sales tax, $2.23 per gallon. I pay $2.30 at the Holiday near my house.

http://www.utahgasprices.com/ $2.11

http://www.alaskagasprices.com/ $2.21

To see a comparison on the price of gas in Alaska versus Utah go here.

http://saltlakecity.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=saltlakecity&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.utahgasprices.com%2F

The editorial staff did not mention the Income tax deductions for senior citizens, nor the credit for property taxes. Nor did they mention how much cheaper homes are in Utah. That is the point.

And as for revenue sharing, the State of Alaska reimburses the School District for school projects that are too expensive and the State of Alaska contributes over 60 percent to a school budget that is growing at a tremendous rate.

The issue is how can a retired senior citizen afford the growing debt and cost of the school district on a fixed income. Here is a thought, Anchorage is growing old and who is going to wind up paying for the services? Are you going to take away the exemption or raise it?

Because you will have to or you will have to increase the tax rate on families who are not retired. Either way you parse the argument, the Daily News editorial staff has no business telling the elderly they don't pay enough taxes and that is precisely what they did in their editorial.

The Daily News owes an apology to the seniors of this community for their insensitive and demeaning manner in which they cast aside the true concerns of the elderly.


Update: To those who say property taxes don't affect renters. I just got a twenty dollar a month raise in my rent. I live in a six plex.

Back Seat Driving

http://www.adn.com/opinion/guest_columns/story/7408760p-7320829c.html Gas line should be built on our terms By TONY KNOWLES

Why oh why does this guy keep giving opinions on what is in the best interest of Alaskans. Was not the Performing Arts Center a lesson?

The money quote:

Since 2002, there has been a significant structural change in worldwide natural gas supply and demand, with the price of natural gas almost five times its previous level. This change puts Alaska in the driver's seat. Projects previously uneconomical are now considered extraordinarily profitable.

Alaska is not in the driver's seat. The cost of building the gas line is hugely expensive when looked at and compared to other projects abroad.

December 9 2005 16:30

GAZPROM LAUNCHES CONSTRUCTION OF ONSHORE SECTION OF NORTH EUROPEAN GAS PIPELINE


NEGP

The first joint of the Russian onshore section of the North European Gas Pipeline has been welded today in the town of Babayevo (Vologda region).

Attending the event were Mikhail Fradkov, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Michael Glos, Economy Minister of Germany, Alexey Miller, Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee, Jurgen Hambrecht, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF AG and Wulf Bernotat, Chairman of the Board of Management & CEO of E.ON AG.

NEGP’s offshore section will be engineered, constructed and operated by North European Gas Pipeline Company incorporated on 30 November 2005 in the canton of Zug (Switzerland) by Gazprom (51%), BASF AG (24.5%) and E.ON AG (24.5%).

“Today we’ve started establishing a cardinally new route for natural gas transmission. Projected over a long term and aimed at meeting the united Europe’s soaring needs in Russian gas, the North European Gas Pipeline will substantially enhance the reliability and flexibility of gas deliveries from Russia. Gazprom’s long-lasting experience of operations in the gas business as well as our alliance with the prominent German companies BASF and E.ON are the keystones for our success, with the foundation of a special purpose Gazprom, BASF and E.ON joint venture being undoubtedly a landmark event in this regard,” maintained Alexey Miller.

“For so far 15 years BASF and Gazprom have been successfully working as a team in the gas trading sector. In 2003 we launched joint business in the geological exploration and production sectors. By now intensifying our partnership ties, we’re making another contribution into prospective natural gas supply of Europe along the entire value chain, from a Siberian drilling well to a European end-user,” said Jurgen Hambrecht.

“Welding the first joint of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is a symbolically meaningful event. Our reliable partnership ties in the energy sector have been a connecting bridge between Russia and Germany over many decades. Our countries have close relationships and have managed to find the best way to understand each other. The North European Gas Pipeline construction under the Baltic Sea will be another crucial step towards promoting our cooperation,” stated Wulf Bernotat.

Reference:

The North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP) is a fundamentally new route for Russian gas exports to Europe. Targeting at Germany, the Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and Denmark, NEGP is of great significance for meeting Europe’s soaring gas demand.

Back in December 2000 the European Commission resolved to award the NEGP Project with the TEN (Trans European Networks) Status.

With no transiting countries along its route, which excludes any potential political risks, NEGP will directly link the United Gas Transmission System (UGTS) of Russia with the European gas network and will ensure the utmost in reliable gas deliveries to West European consumers. Additionally NEGP will play a special role in providing abundant gas supply to the Kaliningrad region.

To link NEGP with UGTS of Russia, a 917-km-long Gryazovets-Vyborg gas pipeline will be built through the Vologda and Leningrad regions. Commissioning this pipeline will also help meet growing gas requirements of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.

To be built in the Portovaya Bay (near the town of Vyborg, Leningrad region), an onshore compressor station will be a starting point for NEGP’s offshore section (1,198 km) that will run under the Baltic Sea to Greifswald (Germany) with a potentail gas lateral to Sweden and then will go across Germany and the Netherlands to Bacton (the Great Britain).

NEGP’s working pressure will account for 210 Ata. With its nominal capacity to reach 27.5 bcm/y, the first line of NEGP is slated for 2010. Upon construction of the second line, NEGP’s design capacity will double to 55 bcm per annum.

NEGP will carry gas to be withdrawn from UGTS.

An eight-member Shareholders Committee has been set up to operate the North European Gas Pipeline Company joint venture.

The construction of NEGP will meet the most rigid environmental standards and won’t disrupt the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

The costs of this line? Estimated cost, 10 billion. And the Alaska/Canadian line will costs what? 20 billion?

What about Gazprom?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/13/business/gazprom.php Gazprom is seeking a foothold in the U.S.

Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of Gazprom, said during an interview that the company's long-term strategy involved establishing a foothold in the U.S. market.

"Our aim is to gain more than 10 percent of the U.S. market share by 2010, increasing to 20 percent," he said.

The natural gas to be sold to the United States would be extracted from the Shtokman field in Russia's Barents Sea, north of the Arctic Circle.

Gazprom already supplies a quarter of the European Union's natural gas needs, including a third of Germany's.

Medvedev said Gazprom was in the final stages of choosing an international consortium to finance the project, conduct exploration and drilling, and ship the natural gas to the United States in liquefied form.

The shortlist of contenders, reduced to five companies from nine, consists of ConocoPhillips and Chevron of the United States, Statoil and Norsk Hydro of Norway, and Total of France.

There is more.

http://www.bellona.no/en/energy/41209.html

Shtokman gas to be supplied to Europe via Baltic pipeline

Natural gas from the giant Shtokman field on a Barents Sea shelf in Russia's north will be delivered to Europe via various routes, including through the 745-mile Baltic Sea natural gas pipeline.

2005-12-12 11:31

"The pipeline will be built in the second phase of the Shtokman field development and natural gas will be pumped, including by the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP)," CEO of the state-owned giant Alexei Miller said.

Miller said the Yuzhno-Russkoye deposit in northern Russia, which had been chosen as the main source of natural gas to be pumped by the NEGP, would provide the necessary amount of gas, RIA Novosti reported.

Valery Golubev, head of Gazkomplektimpeks, Gazprom's subsidiary that supplies material and equipment for natural gas and oil facilities under construction, said two legs would be built to pump gas from Yuzhno-Russkoye to Vyborg on Russia's Baltic coast, where the Baltic pipeline will begin.

Golubev said that if a decision was made to pump natural gas via the NEGP from Shtokman, with estimated reserves of 3.2 trillion cu m of gas and 31 million metric tons of gas condensate, two legs would connect the deposit to Vyborg.

Production at Shtokman will begin in 2010 and achieve its full capacity in 2011-2012 and liquefied natural gas (25%) will be delivered to the United States and Europe.

The project is estimated at $10 billion.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/01/20/10012801.html Gazprom to send more LNG cargoes to the United States

Berlin: Russian gas giant Gazprom plans to ship at least six cargoes of liquefied natural gas to the United States this year in a partnership with energy major Shell, a top executive said yesterday.

"We are planning to deliver a minimum six cargoes of LNG [liquefied natural gas] this year,"

Alexander Medvedev, deputy chief executive officer of Gazprom told reporters.

LNG is gas which has been cooled into liquid form for easy transport by tanker.

A single ship can deliver enough gas to supply London for a week.

Gazprom entered the global LNG market last year when it sent two shipments to the United States.

The company does not produce any LNG of its own and acquired those cargoes in swap deals in return for pipeline gas deliveries in Europe.

These two cargoes were delivered to an import terminal at Cove Point in Maryland on the US east coast where Shell owns regasification capacity.

Gazprom has multiple LNG projects, all of which are set to come on stream at the end of this decade.

The company has said it is keen to carry out swaps to learn more about the LNG business.

The facts on LNG exporters.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/global/exporters.html

Tony Knowles has shown his political will and his ignorance on where Alaska is sitting in the world market on LNG.

Alaska is definately not in the driver's seat. And Knowles is like the child in the back seat that keeps asking "are we there yet."

Up in Smoke

The Attorney General for the State of Alaska makes a good case for passage of House Bill 149.

Opportunity to toughen drug laws

By David Márquez

This week the Alaska House of Representatives has the opportunity to strengthen Alaska's laws by passing House Bill 149, which targets three drugs that pose particular dangers to Alaska's youth: methamphetamine, marijuana and anabolic steroids.

Methamphetamine, or meth, is extremely addictive and dangerous, and it's being made throughout Alaska. The key ingredient is the cold medication pseudophedrine.

Changing this cold pill into an addictive drug requires toxic chemicals such as acetone, iodine, phosphorous and ammonia, and the by-products of the cooking process are corrosive acids and poisonous and explosive gases.

Making meth is literally like making a time bomb. And it could be going on right next door to you.

Meth cookers have absolutely no regard for other people who might inhale the poisonous residues of their meth production or who might be burned by the acids and toxins created as part of the production of this drug. They have no regard for their own children, who often are living where the meth lab is located, so why should they have any regard for your children?

HB 149 would eliminate easy access to the raw materials used in meth labs. It also will increase penalties for making meth in buildings where children reside. HB 149 has an immediate effective date. Each day that goes by before this bill reaches the governor's desk is another opportunity for meth dealers to risk the health of all Alaskans.

The bill also makes it a crime to possess anabolic steroids that are used by professional athletes and, increasingly, by high school athletes. Steroid abuse has serious long-term health risks, and is especially dangerous for kids who too often look to the professionals as their role models.

Marijuana is the third drug covered under this bill. Marijuana users like to wrap themselves in the Alaska flag and proclaim that all they care about is the privacy of Alaskans. They say that anything adults do in their homes is OK, as long as it doesn't affect anyone else. That's all well and good, but let's put aside all the marijuana mythology and take a fresh look at some facts, and the constitution.

Alaska's Constitution specifically provides that we have a right to privacy, and the state's Supreme Court ruled in Ravin v. State that privacy in the home is particularly important.

The right to privacy, however, is not absolute. If there are good reasons to regulate conduct in the home, then the courts allow the Legislature to do that. After all, mere possession of child pornography in the home arguably hurts no one else, but it's still a crime. Anabolic steroids arguably hurt no one except the user, but no one is contending there is a constitutional right for adults to use steroids in the home.

Even with marijuana, the Supreme Court's Ravin decision left the door open for the Legislature to determine that there is new evidence about marijuana that justifies laws prohibiting use in the home.

Don't believe all the falsehoods about this bill: It does not change or lessen the right to privacy in Alaska — only the voters can do that by amending the constitution. Instead, this bill reflects the Legislature's judgment, after a careful look at the evidence, that there are serious problems with marijuana in Alaska, even in the home. To put it plainly, that's the Legislature's job.

Two of the many problems with marijuana involve kids and violence. Alaska high school students who use marijuana started, on average, at the age of 13. As is the case with cigarettes, kids are more likely to use marijuana if their parents use this drug.

An Alaska study shows that children of parents who use marijuana are four to five times more likely to use it themselves. And where do they get it? Studies show they often get it at home, or at a friend's home.

Marijuana was found in the urine of nearly 70 percent of adult male domestic violence abusers arrested in Anchorage, but only 5 percent of men arrested for other crimes.

Statisticians may not be able to conclude that marijuana causes violence, but there must be a reason why so many more domestic violence abusers use marijuana compared to other criminals. Fifteen percent of the defendants arrested in Anchorage for sexual assault used marijuana just before committing their assaults. Ten percent of their victims also used this drug.

In the final analysis, the courts will decide if the Legislature was correct in concluding that the evidence about today's marijuana is sufficient to get meet the constitutional standard. We have no doubt that the law will be upheld. The members of the Alaska Senate should be commended for sending a clear message about meth, marijuana and steroids. Now the members of the House have a similar opportunity.

David Márquez is the attorney general of Alaska.

However, in today's news we find this: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7410653p-7322664c.html

The Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a bill that would make possession of small amounts of marijuana a crime.

Reading further, the ACLU gets a few words in.

"There were a lot of good reasons to vote against it," said Michael W. Macleod-Ball, executive director of the Alaska Civil Liberties Union, which opposes Murkowski's marijuana proposal.

Well what would you expect from a group that supported the free speech of NAMBLA.

Max Gruenberg came up with the most responsible statement.

"If we're dealing with something that has significant constitutional issues, we need to have some hearings on this and have some evidence so we can vote on it intelligently," said Rep. Max Gruenberg, D-Anchorage.

The Representatives might want to listen to family and child advocacy groups that know of infants that have had levels of THC in their blood because the parents are smoking dope in their resident with babies around.

Second Hand smoke is part of the equation. The ACLU needs to get a life. And the Ravin decision should be overturned.