Don't let your legislators leave important work on the table

Frontiersman editorial board

The state Legislature is closing in on the end of the session, and much hangs in the balance. At the end of the last session, many of the most important issues remained in the wrapping, and Gov. Frank Murkowski kept his promise to slash spending where the Legislature failed to do so. At that time, the state budget was already in trouble -- more from a lack revenue and leadership than from overspending.

Now, the budget faces even more serious challenges, and some pending legislation seeks to finally tackle some of the tough issues.

In the balance this session are serious funding issues relating to public education in Alaska, serious questions about personal property rights and environmental protection in relation to the coal-bed methane debate, the future disposition of the Alaska Permanent Fund, questions about taxation and the continuing discussion about which services are essential and which are not.

It's also a presidential election year, and nobody wants to paddle too hard, for fear of creating a wake of negative public opinion. It's hard to be courageous when the political risks are great. But that's what we voted for -- courage and a resolve to tackle the tough issues, because those are the ones that matter.

It doesn't matter where you stand on the important issues, as long as you stand firm. What matters is that our legislators understand that voters will not tolerate inaction. Whatever path the Legislature chooses to follow, all Alaskans will be along for the ride. If we sit quietly and allow the Legislature to keep the oars out of the water, we'll continue to float along whichever way the tide takes us.

Now is the time to get educated about the issues that matter most to you. If you have a stand on coal-bed methane development, we urge you to learn as much as you can about the issue and study the legislation pertaining to it, and then to contact your legislators and urge them to act.

If it's education that is most in your mind now, then make the effort to understand how the education system is organized and funded here and study the critical legislation pending on that subject. The same goes for budgetary decisions. This is a critical legislative session, and we cannot afford to allow our elected officials to leave Juneau with any important legislation on the table.

You can learn more about the bills in the Legislature by reading the Frontiersman and also by visiting government Web sites. Visit www.akrepublicans.org and click on the Bills on the Move link.

You can also read about the bills at www.legis.state.ak.us.