Closed primary takes more power from Natives

A Spectrum, by Hal Engelstad

To my way of thinking, as a duly registered voting, tax-paying U.S. citizen, I feel politically exploited, slapped in the face and hung out to dry to be expected to vote for a party that somehow worked its way all the way from Texas, Florida and you may as well throw in Oklahoma in this blatant attempt to undermine Alaska's Democratic process that took place under the Knowles administration. The closed primary should not be taken as a simple blunder. If there ever was a conspiracy to confuse and bungle the minds of Alaska's voters, that "this is the way it will be, we vote PARTY," the closed primary is it. If the Alaskan voters let this one fly, God, have mercy!

Has anyone figured out Murkowski's refusal to go toe-to-toe with Fran Ulmer? Or why he replaced his campaign manager with a Washington, D.C. lobbyist? If Murkowski's campaign strategy amounted to a bit more than the decades-long unfulfilled promises that are repeated decade after decade. I, too, would fear a knowledgeable, honest, dedicated individual that Fran Ulmer is, whom Murkowski refused to debate. So, how would a voter know what in the pit of eternal fire, they are voting for? Since the early '90s, Alaska has been trying to run on political high hopes and it's time the voters have the choice of the performance and accomplishments of an individual and not the hot air of the party that raises the most campaign cash -- including pay-back favors, is not a voting process of a free people.

Has anyone ever stopped to ponder what Alaska really is? In general, seven months of winter. Construction, a bit more than five months, leaves five months unemployment compensation if you qualify. One of the most costly welfare programs. Nearly all the west coast villages pay two times the cost of living. A gallon of milk is seven bucks, if you can find it. Where, if things went wrong just right, heating oil is flown in at minus 40 degrees, just touches some of normal life in the far reaches, but not so far that the deathly dread of April 15 resembles a death sentence when you don't even have a "pot."

There are many very important issues that need to be resolved but none so important as a voter who goes to the polls in dire need. There are many tens of thousands of these unfortunates who cannot compete with the hundreds of dollars that buy the pay-backs, leaving the poor souls subject to fines and political slams for trying to feed their people with whatever they can grub up.

An ongoing, blatant violation practice of the Native claims act of 1971 is the use of shareholder investable funds in full page image enhancement in newspapers, includes radio and TV costs. The claims settlement document plainly states, "The sole purpose of the Native claims act corporations is for management to invest shareholder funds the profits of which to be disbursed to shareholders in the form of dividends." This then, would include every penny these corporations donated to "non profit affiliations," which should be the decision of the shareholder who may need that deduction for tax purposes.

With the scratch of a pen, there are no longer any Alaskan Eskimos, (which invalidates my birth certificate which states myself as "three-fourths Eskimos). The same would pertain to the Aleutian Island Eskimos.

As this is the case beyond a doubt, this, then, would invalidate every aspect of the Native corporations as having any legal connection to the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The fact remains, the Alaskan Natives are human beings that pay U.S. taxes as U.S. citizens that the United States Constitution should apply to all. The ANCSA document excludes the Alaskan Natives their constitutional rights. I beg that something be enacted by Alaska's legislature to modify or abolish the federal income tax for those that are forced to live in those locations who pay two times more than those who are fortunate enough to drive to a highway store without having airfare costs added to retail prices.

In too many cases it's the adverse power of the campaign dollar that is lost to those that direly need legislation which in many cases are life threatening. These are the folks who need help but do not have the funds to pay for legislative enactment. I know there is the voting process. But voting for a 'party' deprives the voter of their freedom to choose whom they want to represent and act on their behalf. I would declare the last closed primary 'null and void' and ask our state capitol to return Alaska in compliance to The Constitution of the United States of America and leave the 'party' system to third-world countries.

Hal Engelstad is a Wasilla resident.