Some random thoughts for a Sunday

• Watching the news on television. Channel 2 had a series about the troubles Bush communities are having given the cost of fuel and now possibly higher rates to ship goods to the north and west. Thursday night the film crew was in a remote village and took some footage in the local market. As the tape unfolded, a piece of prime rib was shown. Price tag? $90. Just thinking. Maybe that store owner wouldn’t be in such bad shape if he didn’t ship up meat that nobody can afford.

• Of all the attorneys out there who, allegedly, are bright, smart and forward-thinking, how in the heck did Gov. Palin decide to pick Wayne Anthony Ross? No matter how much some might think of the governor, this is starting to look like good ol’ girl politics. Or family friend politics. Either way, there had to better choices out there. But who knows, maybe his Roughrider personna might be a bright spot.

• The boroughwide sales tax has no chance of survival. It will be surprising if it even makes it to the June ballot. Borough Assembly members can see which way the hurricane is blowing. Putting it on the ballot as it is structured now is plain foolhardy. If the assembly members wants tax reform, they better do some rethinking. Spreading the burden is good, but people just don’t believe their property taxes will go down when the sales taxes go up. They want assurances back by force of law, not theories.

• A reader wrote in saying he found irony in two headlines in Friday’s paper. One was about the boroughwide tax and the other about a Hatcher Pass ski area remaining a possibility in the minds of borough leaders. The two aren’t that much different. In order to spread the tax base around, the Valley could use a new business like a ski area. It would create jobs in the short term to build the facility. There would be permanent jobs to keep it operating. It would also draw some tourist traffic that would also create more money spent here. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. And lastly, there’s nothing wrong with having a place for people to enjoy themselves. It just adds to a better lifestyle.

• Anybody else out there — among Internet users — getting sick of the style of posting on the Frontiersman website? The majority have nothing to say except to tell someone else how stupid they are or call them names based on political beliefs. If the postings represent civil discourse, then we’re living in a world of hate and ignorance. Send suggestions to the editor about how you think the paper should deal with the inanities that plug up reasonable discussion: tc.mitchell@frontiersman.com.