If it's January, it must be time for resolutions

Well, the new year is nearly a week old already. With the holidays fading into the rear-view mirror, we here at the Frontiersman are looking forward to another year of bringing the newsmaking people and events to the pages of this newspaper.

Making new year's resolutions may be a bit of a clichéd tradition. Recognizing that, though, we would still offer up our own resolution to continue being worthy of the trust and loyalty of our readers and advertisers by remaining dedicated to the part of our mission statement that says: &#8220As a locally produced newspaper dedicated to being the Valley's primary local news source, we strive to provide complete, accurate and informative news that is relevant to and reflective of the people in our community.”

With that said, we now offer up some resolutions we'd like to see others make:

€ The Alaska Legislature

1- To put the people's business before party business.

Perhaps 2006 will be the year when elected officials realize that more than half of the state's registered voters are neither Republican nor Democrat and honor that fact by replacing partisan hostilities with respectful inclusive and public debate about issues of importance to all Alaskans.

2- To have the vision and courage to finally devise a meaningful long-term fiscal policy.

This state's fiscal ship has been tossed for too long on the uncertain seas of fluctuating oil prices. Difficult, perhaps even painful, decisions must be made to ensure the future stability of Alaska's economy.

3- To remember that just because something is legal doesn't make it ethical.

What it's really time for is wholesale rewriting of the state's ethics laws. As they stand, they are too vague. Too many ethically challenged recent public officials have sought the legal shelter of purposely toothless statutes as support for their clearly unethical behavior.

€ Mat-Su School District

To not lose sight of the importance of humanities.

The recent decision to add a course to the high school curriculum about the Bible as history and literature is a welcome departure from current education trends. Technical and voc-ed training are good tools for use in the real world. But art, music, theatre and literature nourish the soul and become a part of anyone touched by studying them.

€ Matanuska Electric Association

To honor diversity and respect difference of opinion.

Political philosophy should play no part in the operation of our local electric cooperative. The nearly 50,000 people who comprise the membership of MEA come from all walks of life and a variety of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. It should go without saying that none should be considered less important than another.

€ Elected officials

To &#8220walk the walk” when it comes to local shopping.

Remember all those platitudes about supporting local businesses made during campaigns? Chamber of commerce types are fond of pointing out that a dollar spent locally can change hands up to seven times in the local economy. Voters need go no farther than candidates' expense listings on the Alaska Public Offices Commission Web site to know who's just paying lip service to the importance of local shopping.

€ Voters

To remember government is the servant.

Simply voting is not always enough. Diligence is necessary to be sure of what lies beneath a party label and to ensure that all who are elected remain accountable.