COME REASON TOGETHER

During today's special session I made the following comments on the House Floor:
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This special session is costing the State of Alaska a lot of money. The legislature didn’t call the special session, the governor did. But it’s the same amount of money, no matter who called the special session. Whatever, we’re down here to do a job, and we need to get on with it.

On the top of that list is the oil tax. We need to walk out of here with a new and better oil tax, whatever it is. I’m talking about the House, and I’m also talking about the twenty folks in the other body (Senate) down the hall. Sensible compromises are going to have to be made.

And I could say the same thing about the proposed gas line contract. We need to act - but act prudently - with all deliberate speed. There’s a golden opportunity out there to take our gas to market – finally – and add to what’s good for Alaska as well as what’s good for the country.

The fact that there’s a gubernatorial election going on, and everybody and their uncle is running for governor – and that some of us in the legislature are backing one candidate or another is irrelevant. We must not fail to act, just to give some candidate or some political party a perceived advantage in the upcoming elections.

It doesn’t matter who the governor is, or who the next governor may be. Evaluate the tax proposals, and try to fix the pipeline contract - and I think it’s fixable, without getting into gubernatorial politics. And I think we can fix what needs fixing without being bullied by the administration, or the producers, or bullied by the folks in Washington DC.

Speaking for myself, I want to fix the fixable, be willing to make reasonable compromises to get the job done, and not fall victim to killing proposals by seeking perfection. Perfection can be the enemy of progress. There’s no such thing, and never will be, perfect legislation because we aren't perfect legislators. As the Good Book says, “Come let us reason together,” adjourn, and go home with good job well done.