November 10, 2016
Thursday PM

Editor Sitnews:

The election has been held, the results are known. Best wishes to the successful candidate.

This District 36 House election for me personally has to have been the hardest to make a determination. That said as the goal of dealing the the state budget gap is so huge as to require a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice on the part of elected officials in a true dedicated effort to bring the deficient down over a reasonable amount of time. In my opinion, the thinking to success will require reviewing conditions know to exist during the depression of the 30 s to gain perspective. Perhaps conditions are not that sever, yet, they sure as heck are not very rosy. Will or would either Dan or Bob be able to deal with what will be required?

Up to the very end of the pre-election I bug-tussled with which of the two would I support with my vote. Dan Ortiz has to this point of his political career reflected much of what I once told him, the Oral Freeman approach to governing. An official that did have the support of all Ketchikan residents following any election that Oral was involved. You may voted party line and lose, if so, supporting Oral following that was not a hardship, The Ziglers, Father and Son, too were elected officials that I recall shared the support of the common community after an election.

However, in the end, Dan tends to support the more liberal segment of our community including in my opinion, too easy approach on the subject of the 2nd amendment. Shall Not Be Abridged seemingly escaped his career as a U.S.History teacher or so it seems, then too, he is a bit lacks on the subject of abortion, to which I am dedicated opposed.(I am adopted)

Yet, to the day of voting Dan had my consideration, and thanks for returning calls, emails. That we disagreed and still maintained a civil relationship is the more important result.

Bob Sivertsen, whom I am acquainted and in fact, recently related to through family member marriage, has received the approval of the NRA, of which I am a member, and had surely had a fair career as an elected City councilman. He tends to support a more conservative view of politic which is comforting to me. He to has been under consideration up to the voting day.

The more down side of voting for Bob has two segments. The first is being a staunch member of the local Republican Party apparatus, shares in a lacking that really affects my vote. He and the other Republicans of the local party did nothing, nothing to show support for the Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump whom I supported. The fact that Mr. Trump had to fight the Establishment which includes the local party and the Democrat Party/Media gave me heart burn.

Secondly, the local Republicans were quick to ask for support for Murkowski, Young, Stedman, and Sivertsen, but not sliver one of support visually for Trump. Then too, that Murkowski is pro Planned Parenthood with its abortion policy at tax payers' expenses. as well her RINO voting lost my vote for the Republican slate.

Between these two candidates and the reality of addressing the coming years of budget debate will be asking blue jays to become songbirds.

Then, along came Kenneth Shaw, a Outer is the term, a new comer who professed no great scheme or solutions other than to be conservative and not promise the moon. and more importantly he professed his strong stand against abortion.

I chose Kenneth for my District 36 vote.

Voted in good conscious as in my opinion after reading various proclamations from various legislative candidates across the State including Dan and Bob, came to the conclusion that each and every one of them is bent on saving from cuts or reductions, any and all near and dear funding at their district level. They all brag on how They Were Able or will Save For Their Respective Districts funds that are on the block. The end result while there were initial reductions to state spending, nothing of any real consequence is being addressed now to really cut programs and divisions of State government or social programs that have grown huge over the many years of oil money going forward.

Instead, once the door was open to the various State's saving funds including the cutting of the dividend fund, the sound of Cutting came to a halt. Not until ALL the available funds have been sucked dry, income tax, sales tax, reduction or eliminations of exemptions, state and local have been instituted will the realization of what the depression days of the 30 s might have looked, will reality set in.
Then folks like Kenneth Shaw will be the ones who will carry out the required actions not worrying about the next election, but the next generation.

To you Kenneth let me say, Be proud of the Son you have raised, he is a complement to good parenting. As to politics. Know this. You may stand alone, This doesn't mean you are wrong, it just means you are standing alone.

Regards,

A.M. Johnson
Ketchikan, Alaska

Received November 08, 2016 - Published November 10, 2016

About: "Normally an optimist yet optimism towards our state budget woes is like "Going after Moby Dick in a row boat and taking the tatar sauce with you!""

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