Capitol doesn’t have to move to be effective

There are peculiar defects in how the state Capitol and legislative move bills are being considered by Alaska’s Legislature, despite public testimony.

1. Sponsors do not cite constitutional or form of government founding writings from U.S. and Alaska Constitution framers to back their bills. The idea that optimum lawmaking occurs in the vicinity of the most population is actually derived from how European monarchies ruled semi-literate populations. This was a natural recreation of a population-control principle practiced by ancient Rome.

2. Sponsors use hearsay instead of documented, verified evidence of civic participation stimulated by lawmaking done near population centers. The histories of national and continental state capitol locations affecting government are neglected by the legislative homework behind these bills. Furthermore, the records of four decades of public testimony to Alaska legislative committees and census data weren’t organized into a display of civic participation by area. Sponsors aren’t providing evidence of bill legitimacy anyone can verify.

3. Our political heritage, which includes poorly used or unused solutions for public control of government, was ignored. For example, 125 years ago, the potlatch (there’s a better Tlingit word) had successfully executed political functions similar to the Legislature, despite then having no roads, planes or ferries to travel over the same distances we do now.

4. By law, a note is soon required covering the bill’s financial consequences. Yet, one bill even tries to repeal the Frank initiative, which legally repeats this same requirement. The only legitimate reason for a capitol/legislative session move was articulated by Benjamin Franklin in his last speech to the U.S. Constitutional Convention: “Sir, I agree to this constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general government necessary for us, and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the People if well administered; and I believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism as other forms have done before it when the People shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other.”

If Alaskans have verifiably become too lazy to bear the burdens of true representative government, the state Capitol must be moved to Anchorage at once so political circuses and mob appeasement a la ancient Rome can be better done.

Stuart Thompson

Wasilla