Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Who you voting for?

B.W.
<br>I've been here over 45 years and could'nt express myself any better!
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<br>Count on me to support Frank. He is our only choice.
<br>best,
<br>bhtr
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Have you noticed how the Dividend is a big issue in all the election talk, but hunting and game management, and some of the other big issues of the last couple of years are not? I haven't seen the work "subsistence" mentioned anywhere. It was so important Knowles called a special session on it last spring, and now it's not mentioned. Interesting.
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<br>RE: the Dividend. Lots of people abuse the dividend. I turned in info on 1 of them, but I never heard what came of it. First case, several years ago, I got a postcard in my PO box from someone who said they'd had that box the previous year, before I got it, and they were having their dividend check sent there, and would I please call them when it came in, and they gave a phone number. I couldn't believe it. I'd had that same PO box for 11 years. I called the phone number, it was at a business, and they said that person was a new, part-time worker. I gave the info to the state. In another case, a person who was born in Alaska and lived here all their life moved out of state, got a job and bought a house there, and has lived there for 2 years. They still own property in Alaska and visit a couple of times a year. I've know this person for 16 years, and the things they said about the situation really ticked me off. I didn't say anything about it, cause I know of at least one other person who got disgusted with them talking about "keeping Alaska residency to get the dividend" and turned them in this year. I don't know what happened, though. It's so easy to get the dividend, it's easier than getting a library card!!!
<br> Sorry I got this discussion side-tracked, but this seems to be THE topic of the election. I was in Anchorage the day the money was deposited into people's accounts, and I know the definite impression I got was that people really think they deserve it and it's their's, by golly. Keeping the dividend while bringing economic prosperity to the state has become, apparently, not only the politically correct thing to say, but maybe the only way to survive politically. ( BTW,It sure is interesting to see both Hammond and Sheffield writing opinions in the paper.)

Take a look at the following site to see some of the new anti-hunting/trapping stuff coming up. Pay close attention to the names or organizations listed:
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<br>http://www.alaskaoutdoorcouncil.org/newbogpa.htm
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<br>The "Denali wolf buffer zone" has now been extended, so hunting and trapping within that buffer zone is no longer permitted. Stuff like this is what we have been getting from this administration for the past 7 years. There is an article in the Anchorage paper about the "buffer zone" you may also want to read. There was no reason whatsoever for the buffer zone, but the Game Board leans heavily towards animal right groups.

I would like to apoligize to the military folks for singling them out. As ray mentioned alot of civies do it also. I could have worded it differently. I know I made some folks upset by opening the can but its a subject that makes me mad.

Joel,
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<br>Just in case your wondering, I wasn't mad, or even feeling singled out.
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Ditto, Batch. Hope I can hold on - my throat's getting sore from all this mouth breathing. Frank.
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<br>My wife teaches in Kenai and her school just finished a hunter ed course. Frank was handing out gun locks as campaign gifts, so they hit him up for locks for all the parents of the kids that took the course, which of course they got. Almost without exception, when the parents received the lock they responded with - "well, this was a waste for Frank- I was voting for him anyway."
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<br>This is a biased sample, tho - both the parents and this thread. I think Ulmer will win. She has the majority of the women's vote, the educator's vote, and Rural/Native vote. She only has to get maybe a quarter - or less- of the rest, and she's in. Doesn't look good for the good guys (us).
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<br>As for the dividend, I say leave it alone. It's the only way any of us will get a piece of Alaska's mineral wealth, which has been confiscated by the state. I'm in favor of re-instituting an income tax - In fact, I think the old one should have only been scaled back some, and not eliminated completely. Yeah, people sneer at the idea of getting money from the state (it's our money!) on one hand, and paying it back with the other, but both people and the state will benefit, as any money we pay in state income taxes reduce our Federal payment, and its more locally beneficial. Second, This type of system is more helpful to lower income people than a sales tax, or other taxes would be. Can't vouch for this, but I saw somewhere recently that a married couple would have to be making $144,000 jointly before they did not realize a gain i.e. "broke even" between dividend and income tax.

Hot dang! Wrong again!!! YEEESSSS!

las,
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<br>I knew all along that Frank would win. How? Because I counted all the votes here on 24 and Fran didn't have one vote. (grin)

I voted straight "green". Just kidding...Murkowski for me.