Susitna independence now

The Alaska Constitution recognizes we have inherent rights, including a natural right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the enjoyment of the rewards of our own industry; that all persons are equal and entitled to equal rights, opportunities and protection under the law. All government originates with the people, is founded upon our will only and is instituted solely for the good of the people as a whole.

Whenever any government becomes destructive of these ends, it is our right to alter or abolish it and institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles as seem most likely to affect our safety and happiness. Governments should not be changed on a whim.

Experience shows we are inclined to suffer, while evils are sufferable, rather than abolish the government we are accustomed to. But when a pattern of abuse demonstrates a design to enslave us, it is our right — it is our duty — to throw off such government and provide a new means for our future enterprise.

Such has been the patient sufferance of residents in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and such is now why we are forced to alter our system of government. The history of the Mat-Su Borough is one of repeated injuries.

The time has come to dissolve the boundaries of the Mat-Su Borough and create two boroughs, a Matanuska Borough and a Susitna Borough.

This decision is prompted by several recent actions:

• The push for a borough sales tax, which is overwhelmingly unpopular and has been repeatedly rejected. This tax, placed on top of the cities’ sales taxes, is wrong for many reasons, such as unresolved and unmanageable differences between the proposed tax and the existing city tax codes, the negative impact on struggling local businesses and the lack of accountability on the part of the borough to ensure essential city revenue streams flow uninterrupted.

• The proposed Gravel Extraction Ordinance and existing Power Plant Ordinance that allow the borough override the autonomy of the city governments and impose unwarranted restrictions within the cities.

• The unilateral decision to abolish EMS (ambulance) in Houston, thereby increasing response times, needlessly expending borough taxpayer dollars in purchasing land and constructing unwarranted buildings and endangering the lives of Houston residents.

• The unilateral decision to alter the Parks Highway in a manner to harm existing businesses.

The borough often attempts to “consolidate” city and borough functions to give more power to the borough. The above actions appear to be another way of accomplishing that goal. The borough is attempting to usurp the authority of the cities and further dominate borough residents. These actions diminish the autonomy of the cities, causing a decline in their viability and sustainability.

The current borough, an area the size of West Virginia, is too large and has too diverse a population to be managed effectively as a single borough. Moreover, the growing disparity in resource allocation between what the “core area” continually receives and what the rest of the borough manages to survive on has become an intolerable situation. Despite all property owners having to pay a borough-wide base mill rate, and often additional amounts to fund local service areas, there is great inequity in the level of borough services provided that seems directly related to the distance one resides from Palmer. Caving into the environmentalist fringe, the borough goes out of its way to prevent resource extraction, hinder commercial and industrial development, and leaves the property owners to shoulder the tax burden alone.

The only viable solution is to divide the borough into two boroughs and thereby establish the Susitna Borough that will seek to efficiently meet the needs of rural residents and allow the cities to meet the needs and wants of those who choose to live in a more structured environment.

We have had enough. This action is long overdue. The time has come for us to part company, chart our own course for the future and achieve the benefits of our labor. Susitna independence, now!

Lance Wilson is a resident of Houston.