Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska The astonishing claims of Byron Mallott

Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott was in high dudgeon at the Democrats’ convention this weekend: “In the 50 years of Alaska statehood, I know of no single incentive that has been put in place to develop rural Alaska.”

It’s not the first time he has blasted the very American system he has used to become a millionaire. And if past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, it won’t be the last.

Mallott forgot to tell his audience about ANSCA, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. He forgot about the RurAL CAP grant siphon, which has directed billions of federal dollars to rural Alaska since its inception in the mid-1960s.

On RurAL CAP’s history page, it boasts:

“In the nearly 50 years since it began, it is difficult to imagine any aspect of rural Alaskan lives which has not been touched in some way by the people and programs of RurAL CAP. From Head Start, parent education, adult basic education, and elder-youth programs, to Native land claims and subsistence rights, energy and weatherization programs, and alcohol and substance abuse prevention, RurAL CAP has left a lasting mark on the history and development of Alaska and its rural Peoples.”

Mallott, the second Alaska Native to hold that office (Loren Leman was the first), forgot about subsistence co-management. He ignored Native-owned mines and the clear-cutting that his own Sealaska Corporation has been doing all over Southeast Alaska. He apparently didn’t recall that oil in Alaska is a rural economic engine that has made the North Slope Borough the richest borough in Alaska.

The long-time partisan politician chose to skip over Red Dog Mine, Donlin Mine, and alas, Pebble Mine, which Democrats and the EPA beat into submission, thus leaving Western Alaska once again a job-free zone.

Even now, Democrats, the environmental lobby, and the Y-K Health Corporation have started a campaign against the Donlin Mine. Y-KHC says the mine would harm village culture. People with jobs might get used to having nice things, and then they would want to move away. No jobs, no hope — that would keep people mired in poverty and hooked on Y-K’s health services.

Mallott skipped over the great legacies of Ted Stevens, Don Young and Lisa Murkowski, and the major improvements they have brought across Alaska, including the airports, health clinics, schools, broadband and sanitation.

Back in the 1970s, 85 percent of rural Alaska homes had no running water or flush toilets. Today, more than 80 percent of rural homes have both.

The list goes on: Rural Alaska Village Grant Program, Denali Commission, the work done to advance a gasline, not to mention 8(a) provisions: Mallott may want to try that “no incentives for rural Alaska” laugh line at the national 8(a) conference next month in Anchorage.

In fact, progress in rural Alaska has been blocked by rural Alaskans themselves, and by the environmental lobby, not by his imaginary foe — the business establishment.

Mallott, a millionaire who has served on the boards of major corporations in order to become wealthy, came from rural Alaska. His roots are there, but he’s lived a comfortable existence in the city for most of his life. He, like all of us, can’t have it both ways: If you want development in rural Alaska, that means resource development, and the inevitable trade off for other ways of life.

There has been no greater opponent of a resource-based rural economy than the Democrats. And this weekend, they let Mallott play the victim card like a pro. His astonishing words went completely unchallenged by a complicit audience and an oblivious media.

http://mustreadalaska.com/astonishing-claims-byron-mallott/

I have had a few toddies with Joe Vogler at the long defunct Arctic Circle Hot Springs,
too bad that are both gone.
Joe would have something to say about that half breed.

Byron Mallott should have been plenty of proof that Walker is a total POS...

thought Byron left the Demo party to run with Walker.

Telling lies is always preferable to giving any credit to Uncle Ted, no?

All walker voters left the democrat party

I don't think anybody wanted the Pebble Mine.

The monied DSMF lodge owners and people who don't actually live there don't want the mine.

So you are in favor of the Pebble Mine?

Obviously you know nothing about the mine and the dangers involved... particularly the character and quality of the Canadian outfit that wanted to dig that hole...

Don't forget about the post office subsidies !..... Post office is a good well paying job ....yet they can barely keep and employee out in the villages...reason> its to hard of work when / .gov check time comes around and people order in their boxes/cases of food and liquor... Its heavy hard work...wwwwaaaaaaa

ahhhh Joe Vogler, how I miss the old guy, would have enjoyed a few more conversations with him.

I hope Manfred gets his azz beat daily in the joint.

I'm in favor of the permitting process to run its course to decide whether the mine develops or not the way it's supposed to.

I wondered how long it would take for the Pebble Mine seem like a better idea as oil revenues diminished.

Totally agree with this statement!

So the fact they intend to drain tundra to a depth of 3,500' including the headwaters of two of the most famous monster rainbow trout streams in AK is okay?

Building the biggest earthen dam in history on a frigging tundra sponge is okay?

Allow the process to continue? Like Frank the Bank intentionally causing the use of asset description forms for saltwater areas to eliminate all fish and game values in the area (since overturned by a Native Corp lawsuit) to allow the process to even start?

There is a ton of garbage out there on both sides of Pebble and I tend to be very pro-development, but ANY review of true facts in this case makes it very obvious Pebble is a very bad idea.

And AK would get next to nothing for the risk taken...

It would be dumber than voting for Murky...

That can all really depend on what agency does the permitting and how politically they are tied to whom.

Working for small town, I mean tiny, government, its all crooked as hell. If I'd have known that it reared its head in small town I'd have likely never started there.

So you will never really see the true issues in permitting. YOu can have the tied to the side that hides all the negatives and will permit anything as long as you pad the right pockets, and then you have have the side thats tied to EPA type greenies that would likely prefer to ban animal sex in teh wild for its dangers....

And, in times of financial difficulty like we face now, that price is not as high as it was previously.

My first regular tax paying job was at Mallots General Store, in Fall 1983, after school and weekends. Bagboy janitor extraordinaire. Got enough cash in the first couple months to buy myself a new Rem 700 Classic 7mm mag and a 3" 870 Wingmaster.... Maybe brothers or guessing it was a sister and brother inlaw thing, as my boss was the uncle of a very cute younger las, whereas he had a lil bit older equally cute daughter, a fair bit lighter. By cute I mean really, not just "Yakutat cute". Can't recall Byron from a Wiki picture but don't think he's who I worked for directly, so figuring inlaw... Actually, can't remember much 'cept those Mallot girls were real cuties. Carry-on.


Added. Remembered, I worked for the brother-in-law, Powell.

The concept of allowing an unlawful, rigged, immoral, illegal, and completely corrupt "system" to decide if the most ridiculous and dangerous project in Alaska's history be allowed to move forward is hard to stomach. We should be challenging government to show us why they HAVE to be involved in any project.

On Pebble they would fail.

Frank POS Murky should be in jail for a huge number of moves on his part to shove Pebble down our throats... it takes very little research to find his steps...