SJR 1 Resolution

Dear Governor Walker,

As you put together the October Special Session call, I’d like to encourage you to include a resolution that I have sponsored for several years, SJR 1. As you know, SJR 1 would allow the people of Alaska to vote on whether to enshrine the Permanent Fund Dividend in the Alaska Constitution. As I’ve talked with constituents and many people across Alaska, I’ve heard their stories about how important the PFD is to them.

We regularly hear from large corporations that they need fiscal certainty and stability when we set fiscal policy. Don’t Alaskans deserve this same certainty? The recent Supreme Court decision eviscerated our PFD statutes, and allows any Legislature or Governor to set the PFD at whatever amount they wish, or to completely eliminate it.

The PFD lifts tens of thousands of Alaskans out of poverty and has helped make Alaska the state with the least amount of income inequality in America. For the average family of four, it can account for nearly 20% of their annual income.

Alaskans deserve some certainty when it comes to the PFD, and now the only way to provide that is by taking steps to enshrine it in the Constitution. Let’s trust the people of Alaska and let them decide this critical issue. I am willing to assist you in any way I can on this.

Senator Bill Wielechowski
Alaska State Legislature

Dunleavy suspends campaign for Governor’s seat

Alaska gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy is suspending his campaign to deal with a health issue that needs his attention. Dunleavy recently underwent a procedure to correct a condition he has been dealing with that is not life-threatening but is important to resolve.

While he believes the procedure will have the anticipated long-term positive outcomes, the healing and recovery process may take some time – weeks or even months. Until that occurs, his campaign for governor will be suspended.

While this is surely to disappoint many of his supporters, no one is more disappointed than Mike himself. “This is not what I wanted to see happen, because my heart is in it to serve Alaska, but this is something I must take care of now, not later,” he said. Suspending the campaign now will allow him to focus on a better health outcome.

He will evaluate the situation in the near future and make a final determination if he should continue with the campaign. Mike apologizes, and appreciates everyone’s support and understanding.

Alaskans for Dunleavy
Anchorage, AK

We will never forget September 11th, 2001

Friends,

Sixteen years ago I watched in stunned silence with high school classmates as Flight 175 crashed into Tower Two of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m. It was clear then we were under attack. To this day, every time I think of the attacks of September 11, 2001 I am overwhelmed with emotion – both sadness and anger – just as much I was on that day. The pain is very raw and, undoubtedly, will remain as such for the rest of my life.

In addressing the nation, President George W. Bush spoke for all of us when he stated:

“Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”

Americans are a peace-loving people, but we will fight to protect the values that are rooted in our founding. President Woodrow Wilson pronounced a century ago, “America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured.” This is still true for the United States and the many nations who have joined her in the fight against the scourge of violent extremism.

However, it is not enough to only remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001. To properly honor the men and women we lost that day in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania, we must eradicate those who seek to do us harm and wish to disrupt our way of life – to end our American experiment.

President Bush’s address to the nation was the clarion call for our generation. It has defined us. Many from our generation have answered this call in the United States, as well as many others from around the world, in defiance of terrorism for the defense of freedom and democracy the world over. Just as the victims of 9/11 will never be forgotten, nor will the hundreds of thousands of men and women who answered the call in their honor who have fought, especially those who have died, to protect our way of life at home and defend the liberty of people in every corner of the world.

In remembering September 11th we must remain resolute in our commitment to fulfill the mission to preserve and protect our way of life with the steadfast belief that our work is focused on a future where our children and grandchildren can have the opportunity to live in a peaceful world devoid of radical Islamic terrorism and violent extremism under an umbrella of a free, democratic, and open global community.

Jason Frederick Emert, Chairman
Young Republican National Federation