Hawaii/Alaska

[AkSaber]

An Alaska topic. My favorite kind. Actually, a rather large issue we Alaskans pay close attention to is who will let us develop our land. States' rights if you will. And the Republicans fit the bill. Even the Democrats up here look out for the state. Tony Knowles, a liberal Democrat, was a very strong supporter of ANWR. And Alaskan Dems usually have to be moderate in order to win anything up here. Again, Tony Knowles was against gun control.

[AkSaber]

Right. A true Alaskan knows Alaska. The only cities in Alaska that even came close to going democratic were Juneau (which did) + Bethel. Bethel most likely because of its large native population and Juneau because it is the capital city and where all the environmentalist "wackos" from the lower 48 flock to when they want to enjoy Alaska's natural beauty but don't want to be surrounded by those who hate them.

Ketchikan is one of Alaska's most republican cities. This is because it has NOWHERE to expand - a typical problem in Alaska. All of the land surrounding it is protected. I remember reading the Juneau empire last summer while on vacation and reading a surprisingly unbiased article about Bush signing or supporting something (don't remember details) favoring allowing the state to decide whether or not to build roads in the Tongass. For those who don't know - although it isn't an island you can't drive to Juneau, nor any of the other areas in the bush. Correct me if I am wrong on any of that AKsaber.

Alaska is a libertarian state with some of the lowest taxes in the nation. They also seem to almost separate themselves from the other 49 states in a way that no other states seems to do (ok except Texas). States rights is a huge issue. All that rural land and EXCELLENT hunting makes it one of the most anti-gun contoll states in the nation. I have mentioned it too many times. Rural areas SHOULD have looser gun regulation. Living where I do now I would be inclined to vote for most gun controll measures. If I lived in Alaska I would probablly be against those EXACT SAME measures. In NJ the only animal that is around to be hunted is usually people (and that isn't a good thing). Self-defense is much more necessary when your nearest neighbor that can help you is a mile away and no one can hear your screams (I am a sick little SOB). Lets see here - the environment. They hate it and they hate environmentalists. If you live in NYC all you see is people, pollution, and metropolis. It looks like people are destroying the planet. If you live in Alaska you see pristine wilderness and undeveloped land. This is why rural states are against environmental regulation.

Exactly! From the 2000 borough map of Alaska, way out in the western part of the state, Bush won all the boroughs out there, and they have high native populations. The only reason he won those was because of Ralph Nader. And I take it you know what we Alaskans think of lower 48 environmentalists who want to run our state..

Yeah, Dubya and the Republican party fit the bill for us Alaskans. I remember like in the late 90s, Tony Knowles actually sued the Clinton Administration because Clinton wouldn't let us build a highway in the Tongass forest. But, you are correct. The only way to get to Juneau is by ferry or airplane.

Correction: we have the lowest taxes in the nation! We're number 51 of 51. Gun control is a losing issue up here. Being allies with environmentalists would be suicide. And our beautiful state is mostly untouched and we have a lot to look at. You know RED NJ, you'd make a great Alaskan.

[AkSaber]

I'll give you a hint. Where I live, this place contains 42% of Alaska's population.

[AkSaber]

Gotta love Anchorage. How is it? What is it like in Anchorage? I am thinking about moving there later in life so if you could give me some info and some stuff about your city that would be nice.

Anchorage is a very nice place. Summers here are beautiful. Clear blue sky, nice sun. But for summers, get t-shirts! No sweaters. Last August, for something like 20 days, it got over 80 degrees. The winters are also nice. Heavy snowfall, with a white Christmas. Although, the winters for 2000-2003 were mild for us. It would snow one day, and the next day, it would rain. But the winters for 2004-2005 were more of what we want. Moreso in 2004. This is a Republican place. The gun laws here are nice. There is something else. By like 2015 or 2020, the city of Anchorage will run out of land to build on. But not to worry. You see, there's this place called the Mat-Su borough, which is just to the north of the Anchorage one. And that place is experiencing a population explosion because Anchorage is getting too big. Now, by driving to there from Anchorage takes like 45 minutes. You have to drive around the Knik Arm. But, what some politicians want to do is build a bridge across it. With the bridge in place, it would take maybe 20 minutes to drive to the Mat-Su valley. Then the population will really take off! So you might want to consider moving there.