Pittu: No offense taken and I understand your viewpoint. While I wholeheartedly agree that AK is unparalleled in many ways (namely, the natural beauty, hunting opportunities and the many good people of AK), I wouldn't at all say my buddy was fair-weather. He was there for 25 years, contributing to the economy and providing a service to many.
At one time, my buddy owned a guiding outfit and the red tape he encountered when renewing his license seemed unreal to me. He was so fed up with it that he allowed his license to expire and purchased a "bear guard" company, with which he continued to provide a needed service to the people and companies operating in AK.
Regarding taxes, yes, there are States in the lower 48, that have much higher taxes than those in AK (i.e CA, IL, NY). AK currently does not have a state income tax, but there's 8 other states that also do not have state income taxes, including TX and WY. In my opinion, should Gov. Walker get his way with his state income tax scheme and if he is able to end or continue to raid the AK Permanent Fund dividend, to fund his ever increasing entitlement programs, coupled with the increased cost of living in AK, many Alaskans will face a bleak future. Simply put, the liberal/Marxist politics/policies are ruining Alaska. I don't know about you, but I refuse to submit to such fascism, incompetence and buffoonery. Again, I mean no offense and I am not trying to imply that any State is better than AK, but there are several States in the lower 48 that are much, much more conservative.
But in a general sense, I believe you are correct in that most of the country is in a similar state to AK in regard to liberal policy. I also definitely believe that you're absolutely correct regarding the fair-weather people in AK. Many of them moved from CA, OR or WA and brought their liberal politics with them - voting in the very same type of Marxists that led them to flee their home states in the first place - obviously they're not very bright people, leach off the producers in AK and only contribute to/cause the horrible financial issues currently faced by AK.
