Voters have a choice on Tuesday

It is quite evident to Valley residents that the current political situation we now have in Juneau is broken.

Some Republicans and all Democrats have joined up to form a Democrat-controlled caucus in the Senate. While individuals within the caucus may claim they are for what is right for Alaska, the actions of this Democrat caucus tells a much different story. This caucus has caused total gridlock with none of the very important issues facing this state being resolved. With no plan to stop the decline of oil flow in the pipeline, the senate has instead adopted the spending patterns of the federal government. While spending goes north, oil production goes south. As a result, we now find ourselves in jeopardy of losing the lifestyle and standard of living Alaskans have enjoyed for almost 30 years.

When it comes to the concept of fiscal restraint and resource development, there appears to be no real differences between these Republican and Democratic senators currently in control of the Senate. Their liberal agenda has permeated every aspect of our state government in the form of a “more” agenda — more spending, more bonding, more government, more dependency — all the while shouting a resounding “no” to natural resource development. “North To The Future” may have to be replaced with “No Future” if this paradigm is not changed. Like a slow-moving train wreck, we can all see what will happen if action is not taken to correct the course our current Senate has put us on. Without change, the prospects are not good.

So long as the state Senate retains the same faces, same Democrat controlled caucus, and same agenda; Alaska will get more of the same — less wealth, less revenues, less jobs, and a lower standard of living over time. Where many of us could never envision an Alaska without oil revenue, we may have to plan for that very reality. Where once we could never imagine the concept of reinstituting an income tax again, it may not be too long before we engage in such a discussion. Like the nation, some Alaska politicians have forgotten, or have left behind, the values, concepts and approaches that helped make our great state the embodiment of the American dream.

Republicans and conservatives, if we do not stand together now and vote for conservative leadership in this Aug. 28 state primary, the Alaska we know may disappear, replaced by a welfare state — where everyone feels entitled, but very little is produced. If we do not go to the polls we can almost guarantee that the same senators who put us in this untenable position will continue to oversee the demise of our great state. We need to restore Alaska to the state envisioned by the likes of Wally Hickel and Ted Stevens, or we will slowly dissolve into a second-rate state dependent upon Juneau and Washington for our day-to-day needs.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

To prevent this from happening, we need to elect leaders that will go to Juneau and put the Valley and Alaska first. We must elect leaders who have a vision for and believe in Mat-Su Valley, Alaska. This vision must include:

1. Alaska as a major player in developing and marketing its resources. Where oil, timber, gas, fish, minerals, coal and other resources are marketed worldwide, providing a steady stream of revenue for state government.

2. One that involves creation of good paying jobs that can support families, where our children do not have to leave Alaska to find their future.

3. Respect for the environment where we can continue to enjoy the Alaska we all love.

4. Having Alaska treated as a sovereign state by the federal government and not as a large national park so that the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies don’t shut down opportunity after opportunity and dictate how Alaskans should live.

5. Cheap plentiful energy for residential use so we as residents can continue to support a high standard of living and attract industry.

6. Large and consistent returns of salmon and game managed for abundance for generations to come for sport and personal use.

7. A world-class education system that is the envy of all whereby our children will have the skills to pursue any future they dream of.

For the reasons outlined above I have decided to run for state Senate District D in the Valley — not to make politics a career, but to join with other like-minded people to ensure Alaska realizes its full potential for the benefit of its residents.

I, Mike Dunleavy, am respectfully asking for your vote on Tuesday, Aug.28.

Mike Dunleavy is member of the Mat-Su Borough School District School Board who is running as a Republican to represent District D in the Alaska State Senate.