Does anybody know what these people are talking about?

Frontiersman editorial board

Maybe the reason the Murkowski Administration feels picked on sometimes, and why some people are confused by information coming from it is simply that we're talking different languages - seeing the world in different ways.

When independent investigator Robert Bundy's report was released this week, Attorney General Gregg Renkes announced he'd been cleared of any wrongdoing in the KFx controversy that has plagued him since October.

We read that report a little differently. What we found was that Bundy was not satisfied with the ethics regulations that allowed Renkes to get into hot water in the first place. Bundy found that according to the state's ethics code, Renkes had come close to violations, but had not stepped over a very hazy line.

His ultimate recommendation was that the state clarify its ethics code to avoid such problems in the future. He didn't find that Renkes's actions were worthy of praise, only that they were not punishable under the current, weak rules.

Renkes, the state's leading law enforcement official, also explained that while his portfolio did contain KFx stock while he was working on a trade deal that could increase the value of that stock, he had no personal knowledge of it. He didn't know his broker had purchased KFx shares, Renkes said.

Again, we're confused. We were under the impression that ignorance is not a suitable defense. "I didn't know the gun was loaded," has never worked in a court of law - never will. We're also left to wonder why Renkes didn't make the effort to tell his broker which stocks to avoid. He could have avoided even the impression of conflict by simply ensuring his broker steered clear of troublesome stocks.

Another case of the Murkowski Administration language barrier hit the wires this week. The governor announced his desire to levy an increase in the alcohol tax. His justification was that increased alcohol taxes would discourage alcohol use.

We're not buying that one, either. No sin tax was ever levied with the intent of reducing use. The purpose of sin taxes is to raise revenue, and there should be no shame in admitting that. Higher alcohol taxes will not result in an increase in lemonade sales. It will result in more people complaining to their bartenders, and it will give some people just one more sorrow to drown.

It would be a lot easier to debate issues if we could all first agree on which language we're speaking.