Alaska Draws Ire From The Left, Time To Cut Them Loose.

[twyacht]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2010/08/19/newsweek-thought-experiment-why-not-cut-alaska-loose-union

Newsweek 'Thought Experiment': Why Not Cut Alaska Loose From the Union?
By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive)
Thu, 08/19/2010 - 15:42 ET

Back in September 2008, MSNBC's Chris Matthews floated a specious allegation that then-Governor Sarah Palin had ties to an advocate of Alaskan secession named Joe Vogler. Although the charge was roundly discredited, it was one of the many early attempts to smear Palin as a wacky extremist.

Two years later, it appears at least one writer for a liberal magazine thinks Alaskan secession would be a fun little topic to bat around the Web.

"Thought Experiment: Should Alaska Secede From the U.S.?" asked the headline for Daniel Stone's August 18 The Gaggle blog post at Newsweek.com:

    August is slow around Washington, so we figured it’d be high time to toss around the idea of kicking Alaska out of the union—or the state leaving on its own accord.

The reason? Those darn Alaskans are too conservative, too critical of federal government intrusion, yet they are net recipients of federal aid from Washington spending:


    A New York Times report from today points to the reason why: Alaskan politicians love to slam Washington for its over-the-top taxes, spending, and regulation of the state’s hefty reserves of natural resources. But when it comes to Washington giving back, Alaska is happy to take more money per capita than any other state. As of May, the Last Frontier, as it’s called, accepted $3,145 of stimulus funding per resident—money, mind you, that one of its senators and its sole member of Congress voted against. That's not to say all Alaska lawmakers turn up their noses at D.C., but with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country—7.9 percent, which is still high, but not as high as, say, Michigan at 13.1 percent—there's an implicit question of how much Alaska needs Uncle Sam, and how much Uncle Sam needs Alaska.

    If the 49th state were to leave the union, the impact would be, at first, economically devastating, according to Gov. Sean Parnell. But over time, could Alaska, by taking control of its own regulation over oil and gas, open the state for new business, perhaps allowing it to boom in a way that, until now, Washington has apparently stifled?

This sudden academic interest in secession wouldn't have anything to do with Palin Derangement Syndrome on the part of the media, would it?

***

If Alaska, Texas, Arizona, and Montana, would be the only free states left, well...That's not so bad....ANWAR is still there, and the left, just loves to print money and pay for crap anyway...

[fightingquaker13]

Pailin aside (well lets include her just for fun ), if Alaska were to seceed? She really would be able to see Russia from her house, because the Russian tanks would be on her street and Todd would be working for Gaz Prom. Seriously, tarring her for hanging with these folks is stupid. I go to work and I hang with PC idiots because I have no choice. I go on this board to find sanity and I find people talking about rope. Shes a Conservative in Alaska. Who comes to the meetings? Fans of the UN? She can't help it, she has no choice, leave the poor woman alone!
FQ13 who did actually type that 

[Fatman]

I remember NYC floating the idea of breaking off from NY and becoming a state. Upstate NY was thrilled at the concept, being that 50% of their state taxes went to NYC...

Never found out why the idea was quashed, I was living in NY at the time and thought it was a wonderful idea. We would finally be rid of a liberal albatross that continually forced their ideas (through voting block and Sheldon Silverstien) on the rest of the state.

[saltydogbk]

You stated the reason, 50% of NYC income comes from the rest of NY.

[tombogan03884]

FQ, you're dreaming about the Russian tanks, They lack the dedicated sea lift capacity to launch that sort of operation.
It's a heck of a lot more complex than driving across the border into Georgia.
And we are not talking about the WWII "Red Army" here, but a poorly trained batch of 2 year conscripts in an organization that since WWII has beaten unarmed civilians in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, and in a week managed to defeat the 30 tanks of the Georgian Army.
Not the most imposing combat record.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

FQ, you're dreaming about the Russian tanks, They lack the dedicated sea lift capacity to launch that sort of operation.
It's a heck of a lot more complex than driving across the border into Georgia.
And we are not talking about the WWII "Red Army" here, but a poorly trained batch of 2 year conscripts in an organization that since WWII has beaten unarmed civilians in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, and in a week managed to defeat the 30 tanks of the Georgian Army.
Not the most imposing combat record.

Yeah, but they've always got Kursk to reminice about.
FQ13 who is sadly reminded that we aren't doing a much better job in Afghanistan than they did.

[ratcatcher55]

Agree with Tom. Russia is currently not up to the task.  Secondly the US and Canada would never want the Russians on our side of the pond. Third, Alaskans are tougher than the Finns and better armed. Finns do make better boot knives but that's about it.

I actually think HI would leave before AK.

[r_w]

FQ13 who is sadly reminded that we aren't doing a much better job in Afghanistan than they did.

The Afghans today = Us in the late 1700's.  No way we should have one against the superpower of the day,  but we did through grit and determination. 

The only way to win is do EVERYTHING right and to stay through multiple generations.  There was a reason the Isrealites wandered around until the previous generation died off.  Even God couldn't win the current generation of leadership back.

[tt11758]

Pailin aside (well lets include her just for fun ), if Alaska were to seceed? She really would be able to see Russia from her house, because the Russian tanks would be on her street and Todd would be working for Gaz Prom. Seriously, tarring her for hanging with these folks is stupid. I go to work and I hang with PC idiots because I have no choice. I go on this board to find sanity and I find people talking about rope. Shes a Conservative in Alaska. Who comes to the meetings? Fans of the UN? She can't help it, she has no choice, leave the poor woman alone!
FQ13 who did actually type that 

Who the hell are you, and what have you done with FQ? 

[tombogan03884]

Who the hell are you, and what have you done with FQ?  

Didn't you ever watch "Body Snatcher's", It's a pod person duplicate of course .  

The Afghans today = Us in the late 1700's.  No way we should have one against the superpower of the day,  but we did through grit and determination.  

The only way to win is do EVERYTHING right and to stay through multiple generations.  There was a reason the Isrealites wandered around until the previous generation died off.  Even God couldn't win the current generation of leadership back.

Very true, Until the French started sending supplies and troops Washington never had a chance of winning. But then He did not need to, He, like the Taliban, only had to not lose, until frustration, expense, other commitments (Napoleon ), and loss of public support, forced the British to to cut their losses and leave.
Come to think of it, that was British experience in Afghanistan as well.