Good Thing I Biked Yesterday

They're saying 4-8 inches and more tomorrow. Good thing we came home yesterday when it was sunny and the streets were clean and snowfree.

Juneau Anchorage with Juneau Folkies

Unfortunately, the closest we got to the Juneau Folk Festival was at the airport today. What with getting ready to go, the session heating up, but mostly J's foot needing to rest, I didn't get to the event everyone told me I needed to go to. What can I say? But clearly our plane had its share of folkies. Here are some at the airport.

We boarded and took off without incident. It wasn't long before we were in the clouds.

And soon we were approaching Anchorage, a sight I never tire of. 

As you can see, the clouds ended just before Anchorage.

As we flew over Anchorage and then across the inlet and back to land from the North, I was already thinking how flat it all looks.

  The mountains aren't vertical walls right downtown.  

After I managed to get most of the stuff out of the suitcases and scattered all over the house, J thought I should go to the post office and see about the mail.  Realizing that the streets were all snow free, I decided to get on my bike for the first time in - four or five months I'd guess.  I did stay on the sidewalks rather than try the bike trails.  As I passed Chester Creek trail along Lake Otis, I knew that was a good decision.  They looked really slushy and unridable.   The streets and sidewalks look much cleaner than last year, but the trails look much worse.

Bye Juneau - Thanks for a Great Three Months

Mostly packed, but still things to do. So just a quick thank you to all of you - in the Capitol and outside it - who have been so warm and welcoming and understanding. We're off for a short visit home and then to go see our kids. We'll miss you, but Juneau will be with us forever.

Here are a couple of pictures I liked but never got posted.  Thanks!

Judge Disses Lawyer and other Anonymous Blog Tales

I recently responded to an anonymous comment on a post about the Lt. Gov,

"I encourage you to try this again, but replace 'sleazebag coward' and 'lowlife' with specific incidents that bring you to that conclusion."

Anon, replied, in part,

"So Stevie, get a grip,because I don't have to answer to you."

This anonymous poster may well fit into one of the few legit categories of people who ought to be able to post anonymously - people who legitimately fear retaliation.  She said she was the wife of a National Guardsman and she was criticizing the leadership of the guard.  But I got the impression that she felt she could say whatever she wanted, however she wanted, on my blog.   That implied sense of entitlement had me scratching my head.

[Update April 14: Sometimes responding politely can change the tone of the conversation. I got this comment from Anon today:

I apologize Steve. I was lost in the moment and am trying to get a grip on myself as my husband was treated so badly while in the Alaska Guard by Campbell's cronies. My husband is a decent, honorable soldier and made the mistake of speaking out about unethical situations. He was reprimanded severly and he had just returned from his second tour in Afghanistan. He served America with great honor and is a wonderful family man. I apologize for my tangent.]

So this New York Times article today "News Sites Rethink Anonymous Online Comments" got my attention.  This part was particularly interesting.

The Plain Dealer of Cleveland recently discovered that anonymous comments on its site, disparaging a local lawyer, were made using the e-mail address of a judge who was presiding over some of that lawyer’s cases.
That kind of proxy has been documented before; what was more unusual was that The Plain Dealer exposed the connection in an article. The judge, Shirley Strickland Saffold, denied sending the messages — her daughter took responsibility for some of them. And last week, the judge sued The Plain Dealer, claiming it had violated her privacy.

The paper acknowledged that it had broken with the tradition of allowing commenters to hide behind screen names, but it served notice that anonymity was a habit, not a guarantee. Susan Goldberg, The Plain Dealer’s editor, declined to comment for this article. But in an interview she gave to her own newspaper, she said that perhaps the paper should not have investigated the identity of the person who posted the comments, “but once we did, I don’t know how you can pretend you don’t know that information.”

Some prominent journalists weighed in on the episode, calling it evidence that news sites should do away with anonymous comments. Leonard Pitts Jr., a Miami Herald columnist, wrote recently that anonymity has made comment streams “havens for a level of crudity, bigotry, meanness and plain nastiness that shocks the tattered remnants of our propriety.” [See the whole article here.]

I'm trying to pack today.  We've put this off to the last possible moment - we return to Anchorage tomorrow.  I'm trying to show that I can restrain my blogging habit, so I'm not going to comment more now.  But it discusses an issue I've thought a lot about.  Okay, Steve, just stop and leave it at that and pack. 

House Minority Caucus Before Floor Session

I'd heard about the House Minority caucuses held before most (all?) floor sessions.  It's a time when the Minority representatives discuss the measures coming up in the floor session.  What's most interesting about these meetings is that they are open to the public.  (There are a some rare strategy sessions, I'm told, that are closed.)

There was a floor session scheduled at 4:30 or 5 pm yesterday, so representatives headed over from the crawfish party to the caucus.  So I hitched a ride and went, in my last Sunday in Juneau, to my first caucus.  In the picture above Minority Chair Rep. Kerttula just finished taking a call from her mom and dad while waiting for a few more members to get to the meeting. 

This was Sunday and members were coming over from the crawfish boil and dressed fairly casually.   But the rules require that male representatives where a coat and tie on the floor. 

Here's Rep. Gara arriving at the caucus and tying up in preparation for the session. 

There was one reporter there for a while - there are lots of things going on in the Capitol and maybe 20 or so credentialed media, so they can't cover everything.

It turned out that the Floor Session was postponed for an hour or more while Finance was still working,  and so the meeting adjourned with an hour or more to spare.  Here  are Reps. Doogan and Gardner.

Harry's Crawfish Boil

I was told this was one of the biggest events to see and be seen at. Next Sunday is the last day of the session and committees were meeting this Sunday in both houses as well as both houses having sessions. In the midst of this last leg of the session, where people are trying to get legislation out of committees or projects into the budget, comes the annual crawfish boil.

Rep. Harry Crawford is from Louisiana and for a number of years now has been hosting a crawfish boil with fellow Louisianan Jenny Dawson and her husband Kent.

 The Yacht Club is pretty low brow.

Here's Rep. Crawford cooking up another batch of crawfish.

Politicians of both parties were there to enjoy the food.

I got to talk to Willie Hensley.  His book, Fifty Miles From Tomorrow, he told me, is now out in paperback and will be coming out in Korean. 

Here's Jenny Dawson.  She and her husband Kent  co-hosted this affair.  She said they first did this at their house, but it got too big.    I also learned Jenny and Kent Dawson are registered lobbyists.  Since I have one of the lists of registered lobbyists on my computer, I looked them up.  Here's what it says (the original formating was much nicer than this, sorry.):

Dawson, Jenny
PO Box 20790 Juneau, AK 99802
Kent Dawson Company, Inc.

Contract Lobbyist; monthly fee $1500.00
Legislative and administrative issues regarding the clients of Kent Dawson Company


Dawson, Kent
P.O. Box 20790 Juneau, AK 99802

Alaska Recycling Energy
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $75000.00
Waste to energy and coal to liquids technology; Alaska energy issues

City of Galena
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $40000.00

Utility, energy, and capital projects. City financial matters.

City of Seward
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $77000.00
Regulations and laws impacting municipalities. Capital budget projects.

Council of Alaska Producers
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $75000.00
Laws and regulations pertaining to mining including taxation, and coastal zone management.

Doyon, Limited
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $75000.00
Oil and gas exploration, taxation and tax credits, higher educational/vocational education tax credit legislation.

Galena City School District
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $51750.00
School District finances, capital projects, distance learning and issues relating to the boarding school program.

Kodiak-Kenai Cable Company, LLC
Contract Lobbyist; monthly fee $3000.00
Construction and funding of airport and dock facilities; energy generation projects

NANA/TECK
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $20000.00
Northwest Arctic Borough government/school district support. Capital projects and school funding.

Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $15000.00
School district finances including capital projects.

Princess Tours
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $78000.00
Legislation relating to the cruise industry initiative; administrative and legislative action as requested

Sequestered Solutions Alaska, LLC
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $72000.00
State of Alaska technology projects and data hosting services

Teck Resources Limited
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $72000.00
Mining and resource development issues.

Usibelli Coal Mine. Inc.
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $84000.00
Legislation and regulations pertaining to coal industry taxation, export, transportation and port development


The other name on the poster is Wendy Chamberlain.  Here's the list of her clients:

Chamberlain, Wendy
224 4th street juneau, AK 99801 PH:

Alaska Association of REALTORS
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $50000.00

All real estate issues incluidng right of way, licensing, eminent domain, registration, fees, land issues

Alaska Auto Dealers Association
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $26000.00
auto industry issues. emissions, frachise laws, fuel tax, booster seats, regulatory oversight

Alaska Cruise Association
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $50000.00
All issues relating to the cruise ship industry

Alaska State Home Building Association
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $37000.00
All building code issues, housing standards, contractor licensing, fire standards, fire sprinklers, AHFC funding, construction academy funding

Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $60000.00
Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center is seeking capital funding for a new health center.

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $50000.00
All alcohol related issues, taxes, distribution legislation, underage drinking etc

Calista Corporation
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $125000.00
mining issues, local government issues, native and tribal issues, capital and operating budget

City of Nome
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $75000.00
Local government issues, revenue sharing, capital budget

Geohedral, LLC
Salaried Employee; monthly wage $7000.00
Mining interests

Marathon Oil Company
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $90000.00
Issues relating to oil and gas, land, enviromental issues, taxes, permitting etc.

Matanuska Telephone Association
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $60000.00
All issues relating to telecommunications

NANA/TECK
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $20000.00
All issues relating to mining, mineral taxes, environmental issues, land claims, native resource issues, capital budget, operating budget, regulatory issues, Red Dog mine.

Northwest Arctic Borough
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $15000.00

All issues relating to local and municipal government, taxes, school funding, municipal dividend, mining, capital budget, operating budget

Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $13333.00
School district funding, capital budget, operating budget, school foundation formula, cost differential, pce, preshcool funding, headstart, local school match requirements

Pebble Limited Partnership
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $120000.00
All issues relating to mining, mining taxes, permitting, environmental, water quality, water rights, mixing zone, etc

Providence Health & Services Alaska
Contract Lobbyist; annual fee $72000.00
All issues relating to health car

People who get paid this much money obviously know what the laws say. So I have no doubt that this event was perfectly legal. I'm also sure that this is not at all unusual. But I can't help but think that this is more than two people from Louisiana throwing a party. But these lobbyists represent a lot of people who are paying them a lot of money. Should legislators be this cosy with the lobbyists?

Mt. Roberts Hike

Here's closer trail head - at the east end of 6th Street.  You go up the hill and then up the steps.  Turn right here onto a small dirt path. 

There's a fallen tree that has led hikers to blaze a new, muddy shortcut not far from here.  At this point, there are houses all around. 

About 20 minutes in I got to a small shelter in front of an opening in the trees with this view of Juneau.  Our place is the yellow house in the enlarged insert.  I called J from there and I could see her walk out into the yard, but even with the binoculars, she couldn't see me in the trees.

Here's the view she would have had from our doorway back up.  But I took this picture just now and the hill is in the shade.  But I'm guessing I was somewhere in the oval. 

There were lots of glimpses through the trees of Mt. Juneau and some of Juneau itself.  But mostly I was in in deep shade on this glorious sunny day. 

As I got higher up, it started getting icy on the trail

I saw snow shoe tracks as I was going up and eventually met the person wearing them on his way down.  As I went up, it seemed like a good idea since the trail was well packed.  As it turned out, going down was fine just in my tennies. 

And then I was in snow.  

And eventually I could see the top of the tram.  The sign said it was 2 1/2 miles. 

At first it looked like the trail ended on the back side of the building, but it wound down then back up and around to a big deck where I could sit in the sun and enjoy the warmth and the view.  This is the structure you can see from below in the first picture above.   PM ran up with Apollo and he caught up with me as I got to the tram building.  He took 36 minutes and I took 90.  But I did stop to take pictures and to try to get J to see me at the viewpoint.  (I know, lame excuses.  He's also 15 years younger and training to do the Chilkat in one day this summer.)

Shortly after these two delightful young women showed up and Apollo was very friendly with them.  They both grew up in Juneau and have returned after school Outside. 

PM decided to walk back down with me instead of running.  But Apollo kept us moving at a much faster clip than I would have alone.  The snow and ice were much easier to navigate than I expected. 

I think dogs may be the secret source of energy for the future.  This dog ran up and back carrying this huge stick all the way down the mountain.  Apollo probably did 10 miles to our 2.5 back.  And was still running hard when we dropped him off at his house.  (PM picks up Apollo whenever he goes running or hiking.) 

Signs the Session Is Almost Over

1.  They're having weekend floor sessions.

Multi Bill Display : House and Senate Calendars for 04/10/10

HOUSE CALENDAR
BILL	SHORT TITLE	STATUS	DATE
HB 70	ALASKA GROWN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS	TRANSMITTED TO (S)	04/10/10
HB 363	AIDEA MEMBERSHIP	TRANSMITTED TO (S)	04/10/10
HB 381	SELF DEFENSE	3RD RDG,4/11 CAL(H)	04/10/10
HB 408	MISCONDUCT INVOLVING WEAPONS	TRANSMITTED TO (S)	04/10/10
HB 36	INITIATIVES: CONTRIBUTIONS/ PROCEDURES	PASSD(H) RECON NTCE	04/10/10
HJR 8	CONST. AM: APPROP. LIMIT/MINERAL REVENUE	3RD RDG,4/11 CAL(H)	04/10/10
HCR 22	ALASKA NORTHERN WATERS TASK FORCE	TRANSMITTED TO (S)	04/10/10
AWAITING ACTION
HOUSE LEGISLATION AWAITING CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
HB 101	EXEMPTIONS: LIFE INSURANCE; ANNUITIES	(H)AWAIT CONC/RECED	04/06/10
HB 162	SOUTHEAST STATE FOREST	(H)AWAIT CONC/RECED	04/08/10
HB 360	YOUTH ACADEMY: STUDENT RECORDS	(H)AWAIT CONC/RECED	04/06/10
HCR 2	IN-STATE GAS PIPELINE	(H)AWAIT CONC/RECED	04/05/10

---

SENATE CALENDAR
BILL	SHORT TITLE	STATUS	DATE
SB 220	ENERGY EFFICIENCY/ ALTERNATIVE ENERGY	(H) ENE	04/10/10
HB 334	MILITARY DEPLOYMENT AND CHILD CUSTODY	(H)AWAIT CONC/RECED	04/10/10
HB 336	ELECTRIC & TELEPHONE COOPERATIVES' VOTING	AWAIT TRANSMIT GOV	04/10/10
SB 303	WORKERS' COMP; CONTRACTORS & OTHERS	RETURNED TO (S) RLS	04/10/10

---

HOUSE

ADJOURNED TO 5:00 PM, SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010

---

SENATE

ADJOURNED TO 1:00 PM, SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010

2. House committees are hearing more and more Senate bills. And vice versa.

3. Packing labels have been delivered to all the legislators' offices.

Herding Cats and Other Bad Cliches as Leg Takes a Picture

The cliche "hard as herding cats" is frequently used here to describe getting legislators together on anything - particularly Democrats.  Well, on Friday the herd was rounded up for a picture.  House Majority Press Secretary Will Vandergriff said it took a month to arrange - what with everyone's schedules, getting the Juneau City Government's people available to block off the street, and to get the Weather Service to provide sunshine. 

But they took advantage of Friday's joint session for approving nominations when they had everyone together. 







Above we have everybody - all the senators and all the representatives and lots of the staff and other people who work in the building. 

Below, we have just the House Minority with their staff. 

The video below is the House Minority - just the legislators - trying to get their picture taken.

Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell Swears in New AmeriCorps Volunteers

As I went to the Capitol this afternoon, I saw this crowd getting ready to take pictures.  It turned out to be new AmeriCorps volunteers from around the US being inducted by Alaska's Lt. Governor Craig Campbell.  They don't have their assignments yet, but they are headed all over Alaska. 

From the AmeriCorps website:

This year AmeriCorps will provide more than  400 individuals the opportunity to provide intensive, results-driven service to meet education, environmental, health, economic and other pressing needs in communities across Alaska.  Most AmeriCorps grant funding goes to the Governor-appointed Serve Alaska, which in turn awards grants to nonprofit groups to respond to local needs.  Most of the remainder of the grant funding is distributed by the Corporation directly to multi-state and national organizations through a competitive grants process.  Other individuals will serve through AmeriCorps VISTA, whose members help bring individuals and communities out of poverty by servingfull-time to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses and increase housing opportunities, and AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a 10-month, full time residential program for men and women between the ages of 18 and 24.   In exchange for their service, AmeriCorps members earn an education award that can be used to pay for college or to pay back qualified student loans.  Since 1994, more than  3,100 Alaska residents have served more than 4 million hours and have qualified for Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling more than  $7,400,000.