Constitution amendment has the foul smell of ALEC

To the editor:

The Frontiersman is to be applauded for bringing front and center the issue of a state constitutional change regarding funding of non-public schools.

Your editorial of Sunday, Feb. 17 and your editorial comments in this morning’s paper, Feb. 22, as well as Terry Snyder’s Spectrum piece in Tuesday’s paper illustrate a personal agenda by Valley legislators regarding endorsing a change in the state constitution that promotes private, and likely more specifically religious, schools while failing to acknowledge that mandating public funds for a privileged group takes funds away from educating those whose parents can’t provide resources in either transportation, time or funds to allow their kids to participate. Further, it only exacerbates the problems of education funding for those in the Bush.

This whole business has the foul smell of American Legislative Exchange Council. Valley legislators — specifically Wes Keller, Mike Dunleavy, Lynn Gattis and Charlie Huggins — need to revisit their positions on this constitutional amendment. I’ve always considered Huggins in particular as a principled and fair-minded individual. Whatever their personal agendas, this gang of four needs to remember they are in Juneau as public servants for all their constituents. Frontiersman readers also need to take a stand on this issue, as you have indicated.

I have been a registered Republican for more than 40 years and I’m appalled that with only 90 days in the legislative session, Valley legislators are grappling with this kind of garbage and not dealing with some of the real issues facing the state, such as a gas pipeline and resolving the impasse on oil taxes.

Terry Nininger

Wasilla