A ruling by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife that the polar bear is threatened, as claimed by the Center for Biological Diversity, will be felt even more profoundly by Alaskans than by the rest of the country. The petition specifically targets oil exploration and development, shipping and fishing as industries which could [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Federal Government, Gas/Oil Development, Weekly Cartoon, environmentalism, global warming | Tagged: Alaska, climate change, environment, global warming, polar bears, politics | No Comments »

Without hydroelectric power, Alaska’s interior is dependent upon diesel and coal-powered electrical plants. And Juneau’s avalanche-induced power crisis suddenly leaves them in the same situation. Naturally, the costs are more than some Alaskans are willing to bear.
This week’s cartoon about Alaskan home heating costs even has Santa surprised–but for a different reason.
Click on the [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Weekly Cartoon, environmentalism | Tagged: Alaska, electrical, energy, heating, hydropower, Juneau | No Comments »

This week’s cartoon illustrates the basic problem every fisherman faces: How much does it cost to go fishing, and how much am I likely to make?
This year Southeast Alaska’s Chinook fisheries have taken a hit, with a significantly lower allocation from the Pacific Salmon Commission. Salmon trollers and charter fishermen are going to feel [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Weekly Cartoon, fishing | Tagged: Alaska, fishing, politics, salmon, troller | No Comments »

The April 16th avalanche that severed the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) from its main source of hydroelectric power has residents scampering for ways to save energy and make financial ends meet. Coming on the heels of the mortgage lending snafu, skyrocketing fuel and heating costs, rising food prices, lower quotas for commercial fishermen [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, environmentalism | Tagged: alaska juneau economy politics | 1 Comment »

Smoking bans are created with the best of intentions, but it can be effectively argued that business owners should be allowed to determine smoking policy and let market forces (i.e. public preferences) take care of penalizing businesses that are filled with smoke.
And now we have another reason to think twice about no smoking ordinances as [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics | Tagged: cigarette, second-hand smoke, smoking, smoking ban | 5 Comments »

With recent news that Conoco Phillips and British Petroleum have teamed up to move ahead with their plan to move natural gas from the north slope to market, the prospects for Governor Palin’s AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act) have changed…or have they? Who’s driving here?
Click on the cartoon snippet to view the entire image.

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Gas/Oil Development, Marine Highway System, Weekly Cartoon | Tagged: AGIA, Alaska, economy, oil, pipeline, politics, Sarah Palin | 2 Comments »

Just because hockey season is ending doesn’t mean we can’t still watch a good fight.
As usual, it’s the end of the legislative session and the climax will be the budget circus. First the Legislature takes out all the Governor’s favorite stuff. Then the governor vetoes the legislature’s favorite stuff. Then they each [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Weekly Cartoon | Tagged: Alaska, budget, cartoon, governor, hockey, legislature | No Comments »

It seems these days, from reading the Anchorage Daily News and a few others, we can assume many of our Republican politicians are related because they all have the same surname, “Who-is-under-investigation.” The few who have been indicted and convicted have given the opposition a broad brush with which to blacken the rest of [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Federal Government, Gas/Oil Development, Weekly Cartoon | Tagged: Alaska, bribery, cartoon, corruption, political, stevens, young | 2 Comments »

Most U.S. businesses are unaware of the full implications if the polar bear or other marine mammal is declared an endangered species based on melting sea ice as a result of man-made global warming.

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Federal Government, Gas/Oil Development, Wildlife, environmentalism, global warming | Tagged: Alaska, climate change, endangered species, environmentalism, global warming, polar bear, sea ice, threatened | 1 Comment »

Governor Sarah Palin has said that Alaska needs to depend less on congressional earmarks.
Some folks view earmarks as a subversion of the legislative process; others say earmarks are a constitutionally allowed way for congress to direct funds so they are spend on their intended projects.
Click on the image to view the full cartoon as printed [...]

Filed under: Alaska Politics, Alaska cartoon, Federal Government, Weekly Cartoon | Tagged: Alaska, cartoon, congress, earmarks, governor, palin, political, politics | No Comments »