Comments

Doh wrote on Nov 7, 2008 5:43 PM:

" RE “My understanding from hospitals and reading the signs on the wall is that no one, no one can be refused health care,” the quote reads.


How idiotic was this statement?! It's exactly what drives the cost up for eveyone else! "




Just Curious wrote on Nov 6, 2008 9:10 AM:

" If VECO is such a sound business adventure, why would it be nessasary to bribe anyone?

Is it because there were other companies competeing for the same contract and the only way to ward the competition off was through bribes? Once they were given the contract why would it be nessasary to continue bribing your legislators?

! hope somebody has the time and energy to answer this question for me as it is really nagging "




To all the mean spirited nasty democrats wrote on Nov 6, 2008 5:45 AM:

" To all those nasty democrats who tried to disparage Carl Gatto -

Scoreboard. Your negative attacks were soundly rejected.

I hope he remembers your ugly attacks. "




Independent Alaskan wrote on Nov 3, 2008 1:21 PM:

" Once you get to know David, you realize that he is a man of his word, with integrity and a vision of Alaska that is badly needed. Carl Gatto had his chance and it's time to let others willing to work for all Alaskans have their chance. "




Go David Go wrote on Nov 2, 2008 4:12 PM:

" David Cheezem is the most honest, most decent person I have ever met, and I for one will be very happily voting for him this November. And judging from all the conversations I've had with folks around the Palmer area, he may actually win this thing. I can't find anyone who actually says they are voting for Carl Gatto. "




Sorry David Cheezam wrote on Nov 2, 2008 1:48 AM:

" Sorry David Cheezam and sorry to your supporters. You seem like nice people but David has no chance.

It must be drive you crazy to know that a liberal has no chance. But take heart you do have the great one running for President "




Mr. Gatto wrote on Nov 1, 2008 8:24 PM:

" I have cancer. With proper treatment, which I could not afford without the excellent insurance I have as a Tier 1 public employee, it probably won't be fatal. I am nevertheless offended by your "no one can be refused healthcare" quip. You know fully well that if you don't have insurance it is pretty much impossible to get quality healthcare, and that if you don't have insurance the best cancer treatments aren't available to you. That you try to cover it up now by talking about some half-baked "coupon" plan ads insult in injury. Please stop. "




Union Money wrote on Nov 1, 2008 4:04 PM:

" Ok, I am starting to get sick of the union bashing that Carl and the other Republicans love so much. Exactly when did it become a standard republican talking point to slam people who work hard every day to earn a living? Especially from Gatto, who is a retired union member himself. Would he be so upset by "special interest union money" if he was getting it himself? I watched Gatto bad-mouth the unions at the Republican Women's Forum, in front of Linda Menard (who's supported by basically all the unions) and thought she would at least say something. "




Gatto Ineffective pt 3 wrote on Nov 1, 2008 2:54 PM:

" Then, there is the bill to allow birth certificates for stillborn babies. Rep. Gatto counts this bill as one of his priorities, and when he speaks about the need for it and the calls he receives from women in this position, his very real tears show exactly how deeply he cares. Even then, with a sympathetic Governor, Republican House, Republican Senate, and a Senate President in his own Valley delegation, the bill was allowed to die in the Senate. If he had just called Lyda and said this was important, it would have gone to a vote and probably passed. "




Gatto Ineffective pt 2 wrote on Nov 1, 2008 2:51 PM:

" My problem with Gatto, aside from him sitting silent when he should have been screaming from the rooftops, is that he just isn't very effective. When I looked at his legislative record, I found a long trail of bills sponsored or co-sponsored, but very few of substance passed. Those that where passed were either substantive bills supported by nearly everybody, or feelgood legislation that no one would possibly oppose. I mean, does anyone really think that declaring Alaska Agriculture Day was a hard-fought accomplishment, or that it really was tough to pass Ethics Reform after the FBI came in? "




Gatto Ineffective wrote on Nov 1, 2008 2:47 PM:

" I don't really think that Gatto was bribed by VECO, and when I read the mail piece Cheezem sent out, it doesn't look like he's saying Gatto was, either. He says that people knew that VECO was buying legislators, and Carl should have stood up publicly to bring it to light. That's all. And since Carl keeps saying that VECO stopped liking him when he refused to support Pete Kott, then standing up publicly should have been easy for him. That he didn't do it, and let Berkowitz do so instead, says a lot about character. "




TTOSBT wrote on Nov 1, 2008 8:22 AM:

" A great example of an "empty suit"...Gatto needs to return to private life where his occupational skills are useful.

David Cheezem is articulate and thinks through issues. He will make a terrific representative for this district. We need representation that is not pre-determined by corporate interests or directed from the balcony of the legislature. "




Walter T Franks on the PPT wrote on Nov 1, 2008 7:18 AM:

" Let old Walt do a little educating for you that attended the union and liberal ran public schools.

NUMBER 1 No corporation in the history of the world has ever paid taxes. Period end of discussion

But wait Walt, yes they do. Their IRS filings show that they do. (I will continue to type slowly so that I will not confuse you) When a corporation pays the tax that governments levy, they simply raise the price of their goods to cover the tax. The consumers of those goods then pay for the tax for that corporation.

WTF "




WellRead wrote on Nov 1, 2008 12:29 AM:

" If I could vote for this seat, I'd vote for Cheezem. He's a self-made man who put his money, his sweat and his time on a new and successful business in downtown Palmer. It's self-made men like him who, not beholden to anyone, will move Alaska and our borough into the future. "




To RoadWarrior wrote on Oct 31, 2008 6:37 PM:

" Just to set the record straight, Sarah Palin's office authored HB 281, and Gatto and Lynn introduced it. HB 281 was based on the Ethics Whitepaper authored by Ethan Berkowitz at the request of Governor Sarah Palin.

Also to set the record straight, neither HB 320 nor HB 314 passed, and the final bill passed, based on SB 200, was substantially different that the house bills Gatto signed on to. My question is, if Gatto fought for HB320 and HB314, why didn't he at least sign on to SB200? "




RoadWarrior wrote on Oct 31, 2008 6:06 PM:

" Just to set the record straight...Gatto sponsored ethics legislation, HB 281 with Rep Lynn and it was signed into law in June of this year.

In 2006 he also sponsored HB 320 and co-sponsored HB 314, both of which dealt with the use of deadly force in "defense of self, other persons and property." "




Re Castle Bill wrote on Oct 31, 2008 1:27 PM:

" Actually, Gatto didn't author it, sponsor it, or co-sponsor it. A lot of other House members co-sponsored though. Where was he? "




To Gatto Mailer wrote on Oct 31, 2008 12:59 PM:

" While I would never vote for Gatto, I feel I must come to his defense. While he didn't actually author the "Castle Bill", he did sponsor the initial changes to the Alaska Statutes regarding self defense regulations. "




To REELECT wrote on Oct 31, 2008 12:23 PM:

" Ok, I hate piggybackers. This story has nothing to do with Ted Stevens.

And you do know that Nancy Pelosi is in the US HOUSE, not the Senate, right? "




To Firefighter wrote on Oct 31, 2008 12:07 PM:

" Hmmm...Carl used to be a firefighter, right? I wonder..

Anyway, PPT did NOT prevent the oil industry from "soaking" the public. Unless by "soaking" the public you mean soaking them in additional revenue. PPT, while it did close some loopholes that needed closing, set the tax rate significantly lower than the revision brought on by ACES. And ACES was a direct response to VECO bribing our legislators during the PPT debate.

Spin it however you like CARL, but PPT hurt Alaskans and would have been terrible for the economy if it hadn't been for Sarah Palin demanding reform. "




Absolutely RIght wrote on Oct 31, 2008 11:50 AM:

" Carl's votes are all right there to read. During the PPT debate he voted to kill an amendment to raise oil tax to 25% (which he later supported during the special session rewrite). In fact, through the entire debate, he voted AGAINST EVERY SINGLE ITEM THE OIL INDUSTRY OPPOSED.

More important, people knew that VECO was buying votes on the house floor, and he didn't stand up publicly. THAT"s the take home message. There was a HUGE problem, and Carl didn't do a thing to stop it or bring it to the world's attention. "




greg kgb wrote on Oct 31, 2008 11:26 AM:

" Alaska has the worst record of political corruption in recent American history. It would seem accurate to assume that much of that muddy water is stirred up by oil 'producers'. The same companies who extract THIS STATE'S (limited) natural resources are tainting the same political process that THOUSANDS of veterans have died to preserve. These companies spend millions yearly o
n feel good ads talking about the great job they're doing. Lets vote to MOVE THE CAPITOL NORTH into TRUE public view where we can look into their eyes, not through the liberal medias filtered lens. "




Gatto Mailer wrote on Oct 31, 2008 11:23 AM:

" I just checked my mail and had a mailer from Gatto. In it he takes credit for the Castle Law (allowing you to defend your home with force), which he neither sponsored nor co-sponsored and which passed unanimously. Way to go Carl...you sure worked hard on that one. Oh, and the Ethics Reform bill, which was at the specific request of Sarah Palin and Sponsored by the entire RULES committee and largely based on the work she requested of ETHAN BERKOWITZ. Again this passed unanimously, in the middle of an ethics scandal. Carl, such a hard worker. "




REELECT wrote on Oct 31, 2008 11:14 AM:

" Senator Stevens suffered a Miscarriage of Justice! The trial is DISPUTED.

Egregious errors alone by the US Attorney in attempting to prosecute are at grounds for a new trial. The Judge's errors in not declaring a mistrial several times will result in his eventual acquittal on appeal.

Senator Stevens had better get REELECTED.

If he isn’t, guappo Pelosi gets herself a lapdog who doesn't know where the bathrooms are in the Senate and Alaska WILL BECOME A PRESERVATIONIST STATE. Kiss off the gas pipeline, offshore drilling, and 100,000 jobs just for starters. "




ValleyVoter wrote on Oct 31, 2008 10:42 AM:

" If I wasn't voting for David Cheezem before, I sure am now. The Carl Gatto "triage and coupons" health care system alone is enough to convince me Carl doesn't know what he's talking about. "




Firefighter wrote on Oct 31, 2008 10:34 AM:

" Gatto voted YES on the PPT which PREVENTED oil companies from soaking the public. Gatto again voted YES TO allow Alaskans to share the wealth when oil prices were going through the roof. To say or even suggest he voted in favor of tax breaks for oil companies is exactly reversed from what he did do for us. The facts are there for anyone to see because all his votes are recorded. Blog all you want but please make statements, accusations, or anything else that are the true reflection of a persons voting "




brvak wrote on Oct 31, 2008 9:55 AM:

" Diisgusting attempt by the Cheezum campaign to make something out of nothing. Underhanded and misleading to cast dispersions into the final news cycle before election eve. This drama just proves Cheezum and his ilk are Thespians. "




No worries... wrote on Oct 31, 2008 9:38 AM:

" Dems in the valley don't actually vote, they just blog. "




Why is it... wrote on Oct 31, 2008 9:26 AM:

" Why is it when Democrats point out facts without drawing any misleading conclusions or trying to place motive, they are considered deperate and liars. David Cheezem did nothing more than point out facts about Gatto. He didn't call him corrupt or a bad man. Cheezem simply said, if you believe in "this" why did you do "these" things that are direct opposites of what you believe in. And frankly, on Gatto's follow-up to the health care issue, Gatto further made it clear that Gatto has no clue about the reality of the health care system in Alaska. Coupons? Seriously? "




PACs wrote on Oct 31, 2008 9:12 AM:

" I wanted to check out Gatto's statement about Cheezem's money, so I went to the APOC web site. While there I checked out Gatto. Since he first got elected, Gatto has taken over $36,000 from Labor groups and industry PACs, including the IBEW, Teamsters, Carpenters, Realtors, BP, Conoco, VECO, CH2MHill. And that doesn't include the VECO money, which is also right there to see, plain as day. "




FACTS wrote on Oct 31, 2008 8:57 AM:

" FACT - Carl Gatto has received $10,700 from VECO. Check it out on APOC Website.

FACT - Carl Voted FOR PPT, which gave the oil industry billions of dollars in tax giveaways.

FACT - Gatto knew what influence VECO was pushing in the House and Senate. Gatto did nothing to stop it. "




Of Course wrote on Oct 31, 2008 8:50 AM:

" Gatto "didn't go into detail about the legislation" - he's MAKING IT UP! This is what Carl does! He has NO IDEA what he's talking about, and NO INTENTION of doing anything to solve the problem. Cheezem is out there talking about small business health coverage, and clinics for Medicaid and Medicare patients, and actually trying to get something done. "




I love it wrote on Oct 31, 2008 8:39 AM:

" when the Republicans start griping about candidates receiving money from Labor. At least it is a predictable part of every campaign. Do we care that Linda Menard, the REPUBLICAN, has received THOUSANDS of dollars in Labor money. When unions endorses a Democrat they are evil and out to subvert the democratic process, but if they endorse a Republican I guess that's just fine. "




Mailer wrote on Oct 31, 2008 8:26 AM:

" Received the Cheezem mailer yesterday, soooo inaccurate and a last ditch effort at saving his campaign. To associate Carl w/ convicted felons is shameful. Dear Mr. Cheezem, we in District 13 are not stupid, please speak of what you offer, rather than what you regurgitate from the ADN. I'll stick w/ Carl, Thanks. "




Oh Really wrote on Oct 31, 2008 8:21 AM:

" So when Ethan Berkowitz was standing up on the House floor in May of 2006, telling the world that VECO was buying votes and giving orders to legislators on the House floor, where was Gatto? Why didn't HE stand up right along side him? Why didn't the "honorable man" do the right thing and blow the whistle on these people then and there, instead of voting against the interests of the Alaskan people one more time? "




RoadWarrior wrote on Oct 31, 2008 7:29 AM:

" Gatto's votes have always been for the best interest of Alaskans! To suggest otherwise is inaccurate! "




Cheezem is cheesy wrote on Oct 31, 2008 6:41 AM:

" Democrats always pull this desperate act when they have nothing else to say. "