Opinion

Where’s our Churchill?

Now that U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has succeeded in helping to pass a major tax reform bill — co-authored by lobbyists — that enriches… Continue reading

  • Mar 16, 2018
  • By KIM HEACOX
In this Feb. 22 photo, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Maryland. (Jacquelyn Martin | The Associated Press File)

NRA stands for Not Rifles Anymore

I was raised in the military where guns were all around me and ever since I moved to Alaska 40 years ago I’ve been in… Continue reading

  • Mar 15, 2018
  • By Kate Troll
In this Feb. 22 photo, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Maryland. (Jacquelyn Martin | The Associated Press File)
Curtis W. Thayer

Opportunity zones for Alaska — time is short to act

As the president and CEO of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, I was pleased with the recent passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act… Continue reading

  • Mar 15, 2018
  • By Curtis W. Thayer
Curtis W. Thayer
President Donald Trump talks with reporters during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 15, 2018, in Washington. (Evan Vucci | The Associated Press)

Fellow veterans: Boycott Trump’s $30M parade

Let me get this straight. We’re going to spend $30 million for a military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue on Veterans Day. Thirty million is relative… Continue reading

  • Mar 13, 2018
  • By JEFFREY G. MOEBUS
President Donald Trump talks with reporters during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 15, 2018, in Washington. (Evan Vucci | The Associated Press)

Juneau should keep local control over mines

Should Juneau give up the opportunity to condition mining to address local concerns? (That sounds like a trick question.) Of course not! Not surprisingly, most… Continue reading

  • Mar 13, 2018
  • By Larri Irene Spengler
In this Sept. 14, 2017 photo, Brandon Howard, a co-founder of Amalga Distillery, left, serves mixed drinks at the distillery’s tasting room at Franklin and Second streets. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Clearing the mix-up over distilleries

Since opening, Amalga Distillery has been overwhelmed by the support of the community and local businesses. We built a truly local distillery and tasting room,… Continue reading

  • Mar 12, 2018
  • By BRANDON HOWARD
In this Sept. 14, 2017 photo, Brandon Howard, a co-founder of Amalga Distillery, left, serves mixed drinks at the distillery’s tasting room at Franklin and Second streets. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

It’s time to stop electing Don Young

Rep. Don Young’s question, “How many Jews were put in the ovens because they were unarmed?” disturbs me even more as I write this today… Continue reading

  • Mar 12, 2018
  • By Michelle Bonnet Hale

Support bill allowing credit unions, small banks to serve customers

In Alaska, credit unions and small banks help our communities thrive and our small businesses grow. The backbone of Main Street is this collection of… Continue reading

  • Mar 12, 2018
  • By Dan McCue
In this Sept. 29, 2017 photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks on the Trump Administration’s energy policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. (Andrew Harnik | The Associated Press File)

Secretary of Interior Zinke attacks America’s wilderness

The Wilderness Act of 1964 promises that our government will protect and preserve wilderness “for the permanent good of the whole people.” Yet, in just… Continue reading

  • Mar 6, 2018
  • By KEVIN PROESCHOLDT
In this Sept. 29, 2017 photo, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks on the Trump Administration’s energy policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. (Andrew Harnik | The Associated Press File)
In this April 2017 photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, right, listens to David Teal, fiscal analyst for the Alaska Legislature, during a Senate Finance Committee meeting at the Capitol. Sen. Dunleavy offered amendments to the operating budget bill to cut funding for public broadcasting and significantly reduced funding for the Alaska Marine Highway system. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Why I stand tall for Alaska

The reason I am running for governor is simple: I love Alaska. I know Alaska’s potential is enormous. Our resources, coupled with our geographical location… Continue reading

  • Mar 10, 2018
  • By MIKE DUNLEAVY
In this April 2017 photo, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, right, listens to David Teal, fiscal analyst for the Alaska Legislature, during a Senate Finance Committee meeting at the Capitol. Sen. Dunleavy offered amendments to the operating budget bill to cut funding for public broadcasting and significantly reduced funding for the Alaska Marine Highway system. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Mr. Smoldon goes to Juneau?

For years, I approached politics the way most Alaskans do. I paid very little attention to the legislative process and then complained about the decisions… Continue reading

  • Mar 10, 2018
  • By Todd Smoldon

The blitzkrieg on American democracy

America has used Blitzkrieg tactics as one of its primary strategies in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. It is now on display in… Continue reading

  • Mar 10, 2018
  • By Anselm Staack
In this Jan. 16, 2013 photo, assault weapons and hand guns are seen for sale at Capitol City Arms Supply in Springfield, Illinois. (Seth Perlman | The Associated Press File)

The gun tortured logic of reasonable belief

A legal definition of reasonable belief is “that which an ordinary person of average intelligence and sound mind would believe.” Rep. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River,… Continue reading

  • Mar 8, 2018
  • By Rich Moniak
In this Jan. 16, 2013 photo, assault weapons and hand guns are seen for sale at Capitol City Arms Supply in Springfield, Illinois. (Seth Perlman | The Associated Press File)

The illogic of cultural appropriation

Melting pot: a place where a variety of races and cultures assimilate into a cohesive whole that often results in invigoration or novelty — Merriam-Webster… Continue reading

  • Mar 8, 2018
  • By WIN GRUENING
Sen. John Coghill

The PFD is not a constitutional right

What was the reason for the Permanent Fund? Is our Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) a constitutional right? Should it be? Is it yours, ours, or… Continue reading

  • Mar 7, 2018
  • By Sen. JOHN COGHILL
Sen. John Coghill
Meghan Williams

Alaska depends on general aviation

It’s no exaggeration to say those of us in Alaska depend on general aviation. Less than 20 percent of Alaska’s communities are connected to Alaska’s… Continue reading

  • Mar 7, 2018
  • By Meghan Williams
Meghan Williams
Nanci Morris Lyon

Bristol Bay’s future is salmon, not Pebble Mine

My business and family depend on Bristol Bay’s thriving fisheries. Because of that, I have paid close attention to the proposed Pebble Mine and the… Continue reading

  • Mar 5, 2018
  • By Nanci Morris Lyon
Nanci Morris Lyon

Recent fishing closures and Tulsequah Chief

Southeast Alaska is facing another year of poor king salmon returns to the Taku and Unuk rivers and, thus, limitations on sport and commercial fishing… Continue reading

  • Mar 5, 2018
  • By Chris Zimmer

Treating the dignity deficit

Here’s the question: should Alaskans who receive Medicaid be required to work or volunteer as a condition of their benefits? I believe so, and two… Continue reading

  • Mar 4, 2018
  • By SEN. PETE KELLY

A lesson for liberals from introspective conservatives

“It is time to read last rites over the American conservative movement,” E.J. Dionne Jr. wrote in the Washington Post last weekend. “Principled conservativism continues… Continue reading

  • Mar 4, 2018
  • By Rich Moniak