Veteran Alaska Musher First to Reach Iditarod Halfway Point

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A veteran Alaskan musher looking for his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race victory became the first to reach the official halfway point late on Thursday, pulling into the trail’s northern most community.

Aaron Burmeister, 39, arrived in Huslia on the fourth night of this nearly 1,000-mile race, which commemorates a 1925 rescue mission that carried diphtheria serum by sled-dog relay to the coastal community of Nome.

Welcome signs and cheers greeted Burmeister in this largely native Alaskan village of fewer than 300 people that serves as a checkpoint in the famed race, now in its 43rd year.

Huslia became part of the trail when race officials designed an alternative route after deeming sections of the traditional trail unsafe for competition.

Iditarod blogger and former competitor Sebastian Schnuelle wrote on the Iditarod website that “the whole town seemed out and about” awaiting Burmeister. (Read more from “Veteran Alaska Musher First to Reach Iditarod Halfway Point” HERE)

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Alaskan Crossroads: Massive Medicaid Expansion will Only Result in Misery [+video]

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It has come to my attention that the republican controlled legislature is seriously considering supporting the governors call for an expansion of the Medicaid program here in Alaska.

An expansion of Medicaid will usher in the necessity for new revenue streams in order to pay for this program. We are seriously looking at a substantial fiscal shortfall now. The last thing we need to do is to expand any programs which would put an extra financial burden on the citizens of this state. (“Alaskan Crossroads” continues below)

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Listen to the Foundation for Government Accountability Skewer Governor Walker’s Medicaid expansion plan:

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Before we remotely consider expanding the federal Medicaid program, perhaps we should demand the federal government fully fund their own mandated health care programs.

As an example, the Indian Health Services through the BIA is currently being funded at approximately 55%. The inability of the federal government to fully fund a medical program they are 100% obligated to, is putting massive pressure on ANMC and native health services throughout the state. Currently ANMC is unable to field the personnel they need so many doctors and nurses in their organization are met with massive overtime and are not compensated at the level of other health services in the area. ANMC is having a very difficult time recruiting and training personnel to stay in their ranks specifically due to the shortcomings of funding through Indian Health Services.

Additionally, Medicaid expansion into the native community is clearly a mechanism to absorb the Indian Health Services into Obamacare. It is a method the Obama administration is using to drive up Obamacare numbers in order to preserve President Obama’s legacy with his signature legislation.

Certainly, it would be far more advantageous for the State of Alaska to demand that the Federal Government fund their own programs fully before they come selling other programs when they clearly intend to transfer the financial burden to us.

Here are just a few questions I would like every state legislator to answer before they consider voting to expand Medicaid:

1. Do you know the amount the State of Alaska will currently be forced to pay based on the shortfall?

2. Do you know the amount the State of Alaska will pay in two years when this program goes to 90% funded?

3. Do you know the rate of decrease over the next ten years regarding the federal government’s commitment?

4. Do you know the penalty of “opting out” if this program becomes economically unsustainable at a state level.

5. What additional revenues are you planning in order to meet the increased obligations?

6. Do you know this program may have an adverse effect on employers dropping healthcare on employees who qualify?

7. Do you know the rate Medicaid will pay and if medical institutions and doctors will accept patients at a lower level of reimbursement?

8. Are you aware of the substantial administrative costs passed to the medical profession in order to implement such program?


Any legislator who votes for expansion is voting to either implement a state income tax or raid the PFD in order to sustain this program. Their term in office may recede into the historical library of the legislature, but Alaskan’s will be forced into paying this government expansion of healthcare in perpetuity.

It is my considered opinion that expanding Medicaid in Alaska is a short sighted gain for a long term loss. Within a very short period Alaskans will be paying for additional revenues to comply to the federal mandate of matching funds. It will be economically impossible to “opt out.”
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Michael Chambers is a former educator in Alaska, currently the Chair of the Alaska Libertarian Party, Chair of United for Liberty, and a self employed professional artist.

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Preliminary Alaska Fiscal Hall of Shame

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Photo credit: roger4336Please, this is Serious. TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THESE FACES [below images]. These are the people that make decisions that affect our lives and our liberties. These people are also the ones who will either “destroy individual Alaskan’s financial liberty from state government” or “save it.” Right now, we are at a critical juncture and on the wrong track. ALL but the newly elected Governor and eight Representatives are responsible for past budgets with the greatest deficit spending in the history of Alaska. This excessive deficit spending has put Alaskans on the fast track to a statewide income/sales tax and an eroding PFD. If this happens, these are the names and faces to blame. You are witnessing with your own eyes the “Crime of the Century.”

They were all forewarned that their current spending was unsustainable and would lead to extreme financial consequences in the near future. They were all forewarned that delaying these difficult spending cuts would only exasperate the situation and increase the complexity in the future. THEY DID NOT LISTEN. Last year’s deficit was $1.67 billion, with oil prices down it’s now approximately $3.8 billion. We are bleeding $10 million a day from savings. They have done nothing to try and stop it.

The drop in oil prices is NOT the problem. They are using that as a scapegoat. The anomaly is NOT low oil prices; it is high oil prices, check history. The PROBLEM is their spending addiction. Low fuel prices should be a time of celebration because it keeps more money in ALL Alaskan’s pockets. Instead we are singing the blues because of our spend thrift leaders, who should have been saving the excess revenue during the unusually high oil prices and adhering to a Sustainable Budget Model were instead supporting their pet projects, growing the size of government, and raising the dependency baseline. That is clearly irresponsible and negligent. That is white-collar crime! Billions of dollars, GONE! Now we are supposed to be understanding and accommodating. I’m mad as hell and you should be too! My liberty and yours came at a great price and we should let no one chip away at it or destroy it. They failed our trust.

The sad fact is Alaska re-elected all but four who chose to run again. This CAN NOT happen again! Every Senator who is currently in office was part of the “28th legislature high rollers club.” They were gambling with billions worth of our liberty and all Alaskan’s financial future, not their own. Their gambling losses will force us to pay in far more ways than just dollars.

Once Alaskans start defending their liberties with the PASSION of our founders this type of behavior from our elected officials will cease at ALL levels of government. Shame on all of them! They all took an Oath to uphold and defend the U.S. and Alaska Constitution. That Oath is there for a reason. They are not free to do as they please. The time for applying extreme pressure to these folks is way over due. The photo chart was designed to help identify the ones who need it the most. By the time this session is over we will know who our champions are, who needs to leave office and who needs to be behind bars.

For now focus on the Main Drivers. Senator Kelly was a Senate Finance Co-Chair last legislature and again this legislature. Maximum fault will be on his shoulders if Alaska fails financially. In a recent Senate Finance Committee he stated that he had just had an “interesting revelation about the magnitude of the problem.” WHAT?

Where in the world has he been? Why is he Finance Co-Chair again? Next are Representative Neuman and Senator MacKinnon who were both Vice Chairs of finance last legislature. Now they are both in the driver’s seat along with Thompson who sat on finance last legislature also. These are the next guiltiest if this falls apart. Governor Walker is front and center. He ran his campaign on 16% cuts and beat Parnell. Where are they Governor or did you already forget? We didn’t.

The Crime of the Century!!!

The ones that are no longer in office are still just as guilty and we need to not forget who they are. That is why their photos are included. Also, this chart focuses on the budget because that is the main focus right now and they’ll be tracked all the way through both sessions. Other main topics to be concerned with are the unconstitutional programs of Common Core and Obamacare Medicaid Expansion. Stay tuned for the Hall of Blame (Common Core) and the Hall of the Lame (Medicaid Expansion). If you like and want these programs, they are in other states, please consider moving!


LEGEND: — First off, print and hang the chart of photos on a wall. Familiarize yourself with the names and the faces. Know who these people are. — Top Row: These are the Financial Drivers. They hold the power to make or break a budget and they are the Governor and the two financial co-chairs of the House and Senate. They are most responsible and liable. — Left and Right Columns: House members are on the left and Senate members are on the right. They are in order by their seniority from top to bottom. If you believe in term limits you will find this helpful. — Oval Mats: Identifies the Financial Drivers in the 28th and 29th legislature. — Oval Circles: Identifies those on the 28th and 29th finance committees; 2nd most guilty group! — Gray Frames: They are near the bottom and newly elected. That does not make any of them innocent; several ran on pork promises. — Slash or X across the Photo: At the bottom. “Slash” indicates they did not run again. The “X” indicates they ran but were not re-elected. In 2016 I’d like to see that number rise, dramatically. — Text: The year they came to office is before the name followed by the party affiliation. A slash separates their time in the House from their time in the Senate. After the name, identifiers indicate if they were in the House Finance (HFIN) or the Senate Finance (SFIN) preceded by the specific legislature (28th or 29th). Last is their Juneau phone number. Call Often!

Passionately start defending your liberties. Get involved! Educate yourself. Listen to the legislative committee meetings (live or archived): https://w3.legis.state.ak.us/index.php. There is a call-in number. Call and email the Governor and legislators. Make public testimonies. Write public testimonies (very important). If you need help getting started, contact me. Anything is better than nothing.

*** If you are a true fiscal conservative and constitutionalist (small government and greater individual liberty/personal responsibility) please consider running for office. Duty calls!

NOTE: If you are a Legislator that is taking this Fiscal Crisis serious, removing Common Core from the state, and not implementing ACA(obamacare) Medicaid Expansion, your actions will be reflected positively in future updates and charts.

The new Sustainable Budget Number is $4.5 Billion!!!

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Warm Weather Forces Iditarod Race Farther North [+video]

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By Mark Thiessen. Much of the start of the world’s most famous sled dog race is covered in barren gravel, forcing Iditarod organizers to move the start farther north where there is snow and ice.

A weather pattern that buried the eastern U.S. in snow has left Alaska fairly warm and relatively snow-free this winter. . .

The nearly 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race starts Saturday with a ceremonial run through Anchorage. But the official start two days later has been moved 225 miles north, over the Alaska Range, to Fairbanks to avoid the area that left many mushers bruised and bloodied last year. Iditarod officials said the conditions are worse this year. (Read more about pushing the Iditarod race farther north HERE)


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Record Number of Women to Compete in 2015 Iditarod Race

By Ch2ktuu. In 1985, Libby Riddles was one of just 5 women out of 61 mushers to compete in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Today, 30 years after Riddles claimed the title, a record number of women — one-third of the field — are starting the race. KTUU’s Abby Hancock tells how times have changed.

(Read more from this story HERE)

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Original Musher from First Iditarod, Friend of Joe Redington, to Appear on The Joe Miller Show Next Week

One of twelve living mushers who completed the first Iditarod will be interviewed on The Joe Miller Show next week. Rod Perry has written a book on the race and also helped produce a successful documentary on it. The Joe Miller Show airs daily from 2 to 4 p.m. Alaska Time (6 to 8 p.m. EST).

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Alaska’s Deadliest Hemorrhage

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The crash in world oil prices has sent Alaska state financial officials reeling. After years of high oil revenue, nearly unrestrained government growth, and unrepentant “bring home the bacon” pork spending, Alaska now finds itself with a whopping fiscal year deficit expected to exceed $3.5 Billion. If you divide this amongst Alaska’s tiny 738,000 population, this financial bloodletting amounts to a staggering $4,742 per individual Alaskan, $18,970 for a household of four, or $28,455 for a household of six.

For years Alaska has grown our state bureaucracies on autopilot by mathematical formula (around 6-9% per year) into cash draining behemoths. We now employ over 24,000 state employees- many of which to help protect Alaskans from themselves.

Our legislature also writes huge annual checks to literally hundreds of state funded non-profits for myriads of diverse social causes or even to entertain us, such as the Alaska State Fair. If you want to get a good laugh at some of the more humorous titled non-profits getting state funding just from just one state agency- Alaska’s Department of Health and Human Services, download their FY2014 report. I caution you not to try to print it out because it is 302 pages long and you may run out of ink, or paper, or patience trying.

Perhaps the worst example of legislative largess is found in the Capital Budget (I call it Alaska’s pork budget which may be a little harsh considering some of it is good). This is the part of the budget where new roads and bridges are funded. Who can argue with that right? This has however devolved into a catch-all category where legislators fund micro “pork” projects at every level in their voting districts- from sewer pipes, to extra fire engines and police cars, to senior center vans. These can be argued as good things to fund from a social viewpoint, but shouldn’t local governments fund local projects with local tax dollars and not rely on the state legislature to bridge the gap between their bronze-plated haves and gold-plated wants?

Last but not least is the profligacy of local entities continually voting to sell bonds for capital improvement projects such as roads and schools where the state is on the hook for paying back 70% of the bond debt back while the local entity only pays back the remaining 30%. Alaskan bond debt is now a crushing $40,714 per Alaskan– the highest in the nation.

At this hemorrhage rate, the legislature has only about three years’ worth of savings left in the financial blood bank before it turns anemic and must adopt new revenue sources such as a state income tax, a state sales tax, new oil taxes, or a raid on the PFD. All are being actively discussed for implementation as early as 2017. We need not go limping down this gray government-bricked road.

The University of Alaska Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) has calculated a maximum annual sustainable budget amount of $4.5 Billion (unrestricted general fund that is currently around $6.1B or $6.3B if you add the $262 Million annual PERS/TERS retirement contribution to make yearly comparisons). This is the amount we can spend annually nearly into perpetuity without having to implement ANY new taxes or raid the PFD.

With oil trading at $60 per barrel, Alaska will only generate about $2B in oil revenue. In this scenario Alaska will generate more income from our savings invested in financial instruments than from oil. However, if the Alaska legislature continues to plow through our savings like a Valdez snowplow in January on Thompson Pass, we will have no investment income left and therefore the sustainable budget number will also plummet to around $2B. It is absolutely essential therefore to reduce the state budget from $6.3B to $4.5B. If I were governor, I would rip the Band-Aid off in one year by vetoing any budget that came in a penny over $4.5B (this number does not include federal grant money which is additional). However since I am not governor, the current plan is to reduce our state budget to $4.5B over a three year period to help reduce price shocks in the economy. The goal then is to reduce state spending to $5.5B this year, then $5.0 the second year, and $4.5B the third year and thereafter. Many grassroots politicos are putting the entire political weight of their organizations behind this plan. Big-spending scoffers will likely find us funding their opponent during the next political primary.

Many legislators from both political parties would rather increase revenue rather than cut spending owing to the intense lobby pain being inflicted on them by special interest groups (who are also the largest campaign donors). The big-government ideological phrase now echoing through the legislative halls in Juneau is, “You cannot cut your way to prosperity.” Really? Imagine yourself as a CEO at the helm of a large corporation that was losing fistfuls of cash because of having too many redundant employees on their books that used that phrase to their investors. The board would fire the CEO immediately. Historically, states like Texas that have had the most prosperous economies in the nation have also governed themselves in the most businesslike manner by attempting to keep their bureaucracies small, budget balanced, and taxes low. Those that have tried to overtax and spend their economies into a Utopian existence like California always seem to be in financial trouble and have high unemployment. You cannot spend your way to prosperity either.


Having too many state bureaucrats living off the private sector reduces Alaska’s prosperity in three fundamental ways. First, public pay and benefit costs must be born on the shoulders of the private sector. Secondly, the state loses out on the potential economic growth from state employees that could be otherwise similarly employed in the private sector. Thirdly and not insignificantly, too many red-tape producing bureaucrats can slow new economic activity to a crawl as potential new natural resource developers are dragged through a veritable glacial mud steam of regulations, fees and permits.

Alaska’s economic future now rests in the strong hands of State Representative Mark Neuman (R-Big Lake). He is Co-Chair of the powerful House Finance Committee and in charge of Alaska’s massive Operating Budget (the Capital Budget is assumed to be nearly zero during this financial crises). Rep. Neuman told me he has a goal to reduce the Operating Budget by $600-700M which would put Alaska on the recovery trajectory. However, he is facing enormous opposition from special interest groups to keep spending levels near their historic highs.

Quite frankly, the special interest voices being heard in Juneau for continued levels of spending can be much louder than their district grassroots voices for spending restraint. The Roman Senate had a famous saying of vox populi, vox Dei or “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” Though somewhat blasphemous for a person of faith like myself, I am convinced that many legislators informally poll their districts daily by the volume of daily phone calls, emails, and faxes they receive as their district vox populi. If you the grassroots are silent on this issue, than the budget will likely follow the voices of the special interests and your family will soon be facing a state income tax, a state sales tax, an industry stifling rise of oil taxes, or the raiding of your PFD- or possibly all at once.

Keep Alaska financially solvent and a good place to do business and raise a family. Contact Rep. Neuman today to encourage him and his staff along with your local legislators. Crimson red now paints the Alaskan skyline. Whether it is on the east or western horizon is up to you. Contact Rep. Mark Neuman at 907-465-2679 or [email protected] to give him encouragement along with your local representatives. Remember, our elected legislators work for us, not the other way around.

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Italian Tourist Killed When Hit by Piece of Alaska Glacier

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A 28-year-old Italian tourist was killed in Alaska when he was crushed by a chunk of ice that broke from a glacier, authorities said.

Alaska State Troopers said Alexander Hellweger, of Sand in Taufers in northern Italy, died Sunday at Lake George Glacier, north of Anchorage.

Hellweger was with a group of eight friends from Italy and Belgium who were vacationing in Alaska. Guides had taken seven members of the party to the backcountry by helicopter to go skiing.

The party was later taken to the glacier site by helicopter. Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said the group began gathering for a photo.

“Alexander was away from the group, but making his way there when the others in his group of heli-skiiers reported hearing the crack of ice as if it was going to calve,” Ipsen said in an email. “Some members of the group ran when they heard the ice start to crack. The glacier calved and a chunk fell on Alexander.” (Read more about the Italian tourist being killed HERE)

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Alaska Flights Cancelled over Ash from Volcano

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A volcano in Russia led to the cancellation of flights in Alaska over the weekend.

“We canceled two roundtrip flights between Anchorage and Bethel, and Anchorage and Nome after an advisory of low visibility,” Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Halley Knigge said.

Ash from Russia’s Shiveluch volcano was the culprit behind the flight disruptions Saturday, said Jeff Freymueller, a scientist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The volcano erupted Friday, shooting ash into the atmosphere some 30,000 feet. Winds blew the ash cloud across the Bering Sea and into western Alaska, Freymueller said. (Read more about the Alaska flights being cancelled over the ash from the volcano HERE)

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FBI: ISIS is in Alaska, Putting the Terrorists in All 50 States

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Three Brooklyn, New York, residents are behind bars Thursday, charged with conspiring to support the Islamic State . . .

FBI Director James Comey said the agency has current investigations into homegrown radicals in every state.

“Those people exist in every state… Until a few weeks ago there was 49 states. Alaska had none, which I couldn’t quite figure out. But Alaska has now joined the group so we have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states,” Comey said.

The FBI said more than 20 people in just the past year have been arrested trying to fly from the United States to join ISIS.

The arrests are just the latest examples of the growing dangers of “lone wolf” terrorists inspired by ISIS – and the possibility that more such terrorists could attempt attacks in the future. (Read more about how ISIS is in Alaska HERE)

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Alaska Just Became the First Red State to Legalize Marijuana

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Photo Credit: WNDOn Tuesday, Alaska became the first red state to legally allow the possession, gifting, and growing of marijuana.

The legal change comes after Alaska voters in November approved a ballot initiative that fully legalized marijuana in the northernmost state. Alaska is the third state to legalize the drug after Colorado and Washington. Oregon and Washington, DC, will follow later this year.

As of Tuesday, Alaska’s Ballot Measure 2 lets adults 21 and older possess up to one ounce of pot, maintain six marijuana plants, and gift and transport the drug. Smoking in public remains prohibited.

The measure will eventually allow for the commercial production and sales of marijuana. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, or a Marijuana Control Board if one is created, will regulate commercial production and sales. These rules must be finalized by November 24. The board must then begin accepting and processing applications for marijuana businesses by February 24, 2016. Sales are expected to begin sometime after.

Although the measure makes Alaska unique among Republican-controlled states, it’s well within a fiercely independent and libertarian streak that has at times put the state’s residents and courts at odds with its political leaders. (Read more about Alaska being the first red state to legalize marijuana HERE)

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Feds Dump on Alaska Again, Impose New Billion Dollar Regulatory Costs on Arctic Drilling

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As Americans hurried home to avoid last weekend’s snowstorm, the Obama administration unveiled new regulations that, for the first time, propose strict mandates on drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean.

The administration’s proposed Arctic offshore drilling rule will cost $1.2 billion — the most expensive provision being a requirement that oil companies keep backup rigs ready to dig relief wells if there’s a spill. The rule comes as the Obama administration has been making parts of the Arctic Ocean off-limits to oil drilling.

The oil industry has criticized the rule, saying that while it brings some certainty, it is costly and could stymie U.S. drilling in the Arctic at a time when countries like Russia, Canada and Norway continue to drill or plan on drilling more.

“Is America ready to be a leader in the Arctic for generations to come and what do we want our legacy to be?” Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, said. “Will we continue to lag behind other countries such as Russia, Canada and Norway, all countries that have drilled or plan to explore Arctic waters?”

“Rules that take years to make tend not to reflect the best and newest technology being developed and used by industry on a daily basis,” Luthi said. (Read more about the arctic drilling HERE)

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