 By David G. Hanger September 27, 2005
Ketchikan Sportfishing, developed over two decades by my parents, paid out annually $65,000 or so in sales tax for an extended period of time as consequence of sales tax laws written specifically to ensure that charter boat operators pay max sales tax even on sales on board cruise ships. Mike Salazar's flightseeing pays no sales tax because of special laws written to ensure flight jockeys don't have to pay. It really is a deal being a member of this extra special club, isn't it? Seley Log and the Shipyard need to swallow the rest of us whole merely to continue operating, and these people are considered competent managers. I am not sure they can walk without doling out millions of dollars just to keep them standing; and these losers you consider amongst your business leaders. Rent paid for the whole damned shipyard is $1500 a month, and we pay their power bill. Even so they need millions more from the government. It really is a deal being a member of this extra special club, isn't it? At the candidate forum Friday night the questions were put to the candidates by an exceptionally objective individual who works for an outfit that is massively promoting the bridge and was also instrumental in promoting the PIPS scam locally. Another key local promoter of PIPS turns out be a local 'family values' obsessive. Telling other people how to live for 20 years, and it turns out it is small-time grifters doing the talking. It really is a deal being a member of this extra special club, isn't it? Sam Bergeron tells me the City is sitting on $30 million in reserves, and they want us to fund how many more bond issues? The current members of our City Council and apparently those running for City Council are all trying to figure out what 'no' means. Go touch a stove or a hotplate. The burn you get is why your mother told you 'no,' perhaps a good starting point for understanding certain definitions. We have an outside industry that makes all the money and craps all over the town, wants $70 million in improvements but is not willing to assume any risk. The citizens of the community, however, are expected to assume all of the risk for something like 30 years. This and other considerations those in office or running for office try to morph into Bill Tatsuda and a few south end property owners not happy because they are not getting their fair share; and it really is a deal being a member of this extra special club, isn't it? Hell, you can even re-invent reality. Anybody over there know what 'no' means? Any clue? There are only two major issues in this campaign: First, elect candidates who are prepared to fire the City Manager and the Borough Manager. The second issue is deciding what kind of government you want. What you currently have is government for the few paid for by everyone else. Keep paying if you want. I won't. Why should 'King Karl' be fired? We could wonder about a KPU manager who in KIS hearings testified to the court over pages and pages of testimony respective issues associated with the business he purportedly manages over and over again the same mantra, "I don't know." I am prepared to take him at his word, and fire him for incompetence; that's good enough. I don't know how much KPUnet is losing annually at present, but the court records indicate it was averaging $500,000 in losses a year; and that did not include the cost of millions of dollars of equipment. All the private sector 'technical support' jobs were outsourced by KPU, and the DSL light they provide is to this day not a high quality service. The private sector was trying to resolve the problems with bandwidth starting in 1996; KPU followed all the dead-end trails the private sector had long since discarded. KPU destroyed the private sector and also destroyed any prospect of high quality broadband service in this town any time soon. Amylon assures us government can do it better than the private sector, and now KPU is about to start offering TV service. If necessary, they will outspend GCI 10 to 1 just to destroy them. For internet service they outspent the private sector by a considerable margin, and the return for the community has been a much higher level of exposure to viruses, bombs, and other nasty hacks. Amylon is a fascist, more than willing to use public funds to destroy private business enterprises. He is establishing quite a track record. I think those are more than adequate reasons to fire the man. The Borough manager has a problem with his son, a $750,000 problem to be precise. There are choices that people have to make. One, for example, is whether you want to be Borough manager, or to have your son's name appended to the Borough's supposed #3 funding priority. It really is a deal being a member of this extra special club, isn't it? For a chance at representative government the only choice is DAVE LANDIS, MIKE SALLEE, AND JOHN HARRINGTON. For government for the few paid for by everyone else you have those three peas in a pod, Tipton, Sarber, and Coose. Holston has an axe to grind, and the other two candidates are wasted votes. They may be fine future prospects, but they are no shows in this contest. John Harrington went out of his way to tell us where he stands. We now have a pretty good idea what we are getting with Mr. Harrington. Joe Williams does not impress; Mike Salazar impresses even less. Vote JOE WILLIAMS, Jr. FOR BOROUGH MAYOR. Beats hell out of Salazar. Your only chance at representative government on the Borough is LANDIS, SALLEE, AND HARRINGTON. With the exception of George Lybrand the candidates for City Council are an indiscernibly gooey mass. George is more than happy to fire the City Manager. If two others volunteer, vote for them as well. Otherwise, it's dartboard time. For School Board the issue is not renewing the superintendent's contract. It's who will insist on teaching your children "intelligent design." Two will, two won't. Vote for the two that won't, SUSAN AND KEITH. I have finally figured out what the conservatives mean when they talk about smaller government: Smaller and more expensive government for you and me, much bigger and excessively profitable government for them. Which one of the good old boys gets to spend the $9 million it cost the Borough $20 million to make? Take your town back. David G. Hanger
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