29.0°

My 16-year-old son made a statement to me recently that made me realize just how much this governor of ours has divided our state. My son asked me: Why doesn't Gov. Sarah Palin like us?

I was not sure how to respond to this question. The reason being that Palin has given us, Alaskans, every reason to believe that she is against anyone perceived to be in disagreement with her.

I can't speak for everybody, however, I can say with confidence that many Alaskans are embarrassed by her my-way-or-the-highway mentality. She has become completely ineffective as a state governor. Even her own constituents are beginning to see that she is causing political turmoil in our state with her dictator-like approach.

We are all united as Alaskans - whether you live in Juneau, Wasilla, Nome or Napakiak. We respect our fellow Alaskans regardless of where they live, and we want to work with them, not against them, to continue to move this great state forward.

The time has come to move past Gov. Palin. If her actions lately are a result of a desire to further her national political ambitions, she is wasting her time and ours, because she will never be the president of the United States of America. And I doubt she will be governor for a second term if she even makes it through her first.

Ian Martin

Juneau