Former Murkowski aide pleads guilty

The chief of staff of former Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski pleaded guilty this afternoon to illegally concealing campaign contributions and agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating political corruption in Alaska.

I’ve watched Alaska State politics for several years, and reviewed more years before that. It seems of the same sort of graft, corruption, and nepotism as seen in Chicago or New Orleans — just on a smaller scale. IMO, the average Alaskan is as removed from their State capitol as the average American is from Washington D.C. It seems that Alaska’s State machine is run more of, by, and for itself (its politicians and bureaucrats) than any other state of even several times Alaska’s population. That’s a sad thing to observe for Alaskan’s who pride themselves on independence and freedom.

All the politicals up here are bought and paid for by the oil industry; even them democrats. I remember when Phony Tony wanted to take half the Perm Fund, give it to the oil industry to build a gas pipeline so that then they might develop nat gas in Alaska??????????????? He was our last dem governor before Murkowski. Corruption with big oil is just part of the landscape up here. Actually, I don’t think most Alaskans are too upset with corruption. They accept it and see it for what it is.

LOL

I must say, Alaska has had, for years, the best Government that money can buy.....

I am just waiting for the dime to drop on pretty Sara & her gang of crooks & idiots.....

Ya know what it is: As long as the repubs keep kicking back the dems efforts at creating state sales, income taxes & they don't rob the pfd, & they can pay for limited govt; Alaskans are happy to ignore most govt. I don't even have prop taxes where I live, also don't have the services most Americans would find unacceptable. In the early 90's, I paid over 10-15 gran/yr in state taxes back east. Actually, we have it pretty good as far as taxes go.

Honestly though, I don't want money from oil or govt, just want them to leave me alone. The oil does fund social services & education like nowhere else I have ever been though. In the end it wouldn't matter how high taxes were, I luv this country up here and they couldn't run me out. We do have light years more freedom than any state in lower 48.

Blue, They take out 16 thou a yr of our checks too, but it's the feds, not the state of Alaska. If you ever get to thinking that Ak is a heavily taxed state, just call some friends back east and ask about what their states do to them; sobering reality. Pennsylvania had layers of taxes upon taxes. They had a 6% state sales tax along with local taxes and no 500 dollar limit on what could be taxed. You bought a new truck, you paid 6% on 40 some gran. Then you had state income tax too and all the hidden taxes we don't have in Alaska. I don't pay any prop taxes out where I live but do pay prop taxes for my place in the matsu; prop taxes here are less than half what they would have been 20 years ago in Pennsylvania. Believe me, Alaskan's are not taxed to death, no joke.

The important factor is back east, there's no end to new taxes and quite acceptable to just keep raising them. Here in ALaska, there's an anti-tax sentiment across the board which is reflected thru our conservative government.

THe mindset is different from back east; and in the end we have more freedom with less taxes. Ya know that vicious circle of state providing services from taxes tends to get outta hand. We are quite lucky to have the oil funding much of our govt; politicals can't justify new taxes.

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