Democracy takes a beating in halls of Legislature

April 10, 2005

Frontiersman editorial board

It has been said - repeatedly - that we get the government we deserve. While Alaskans went about the daily business of working and playing in the Great Land last week, their elected "representatives" in Juneau proved again that they cannot always be trusted to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with values most Alaskans hold dear.

Values of fairness, unity and a general sense of working toward a common good were disregarded in favor of petty partisan politics in the Capitol, as members of the majority party made it clear they had no intention of letting their cohorts across the aisle participate in deciding how to spend $2.6 billion of our money.

The proposed operating budget for the state was effectively developed behind closed doors in a caucus of the majority party, and what should be a very public process was undertaken without any meaningful public scrutiny.

Is this what democracy has become? Have legislators forgotten whom they represent? Is it any wonder that, nation wide, there is a marked voter-registration trend away from party affiliation?

Most recent statistics provided by the Alaska Division of Elections show that a clear majority of registered Alaskans are aligned with neither of the two major parties.

Alaskans deserve better representation than this. There is far too much at stake for voters to allow power-grabbing politicians to hijack the legislative process. And lawmakers would do well to remember that the voters who entrusted them with public office can just as easily revoke that trust.