Stevens for Senate Committee Blog
Welcome. This blog will help keep you up-to-date with information you need to know about the campaign.
Veterans for Stevens
By: Patrick Kerley
Date: September 3, 2008
Today Senator Stevens outlined his past accomplishments and future goals for Alaska veterans. As the Senator said today, Alaskans need a strong voice in Washington, D.C., to ensure programs crafted to address the rest of the nation include our state. This usually comes in the way of creating solutions specific to the special challenges of administering a program in Alaska. It has meant splitting facilities between active duty service people and veterans to serve more communities. Or investing in a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure that will allow for tele psychiatry and regular check-ins with VA staff without the leaving remote villages.
If you expect to find a series of unachievable campaign pledges in this plan, you will be disappointed. Making promises for political gain doesn’t improve the lives of Alaskans, especially those people have given so much for our country. Senator Stevens’ objectives continue to aide veterans, both young and old. They recognize the needs of a new generation of wounded warriors and work to spread the VA’s support programs to all parts of our vast state.
Become a Veteran for Stevens.
More information on Senator Stevens’ announcement today is available here.
Photos:
Letter to the Editor - Stevens’ office rode to rescue when no one else would help
By: Patrick Kerley
Date: August 31, 2008
ADN: Stevens’ office rode to rescue when no one else would help
Sen. Stevens has been good for all Alaskans.
He has been good to our family, although he does not know us personally. My husband needed entrance visas for his overseas partners. Sen. Stevens’ office always came to the rescue when no other government agency could or would help. The senator’s staff took action and efficiently resolved our business problems with different governmental regulations and/or restrictions.
It would be difficult to find anybody who lived in Alaska for any amount of time who has not been touched by the Senator’s ability to provide for this state, improve living conditions, get funds to build the infrastructure, and assure jobs and subsistence for the people of this state. He has secured resources for Alaska Natives for the years to come. This has helped Alaska stand out from all other states whose Native people are often impoverished.
Long-time Alaskans know the “magic” of Ted Stevens, with his ability to obtain billions of dollars for the development of Alaska. This man has a big presence in our government and has dedicated his life to providing for the people of Alaska, caring less about his own riches.
I hope we remember our indebtedness to Sen. Stevens when he needs our help.
— Tanya Bratslavsky, Anchorage
LEtter to the Editor - Stevens deserves our support
By: Patrick Kerley
Date: August 21, 2008
ADN Letter: Stevens deserves our support
In politics, what comes first, “guilty until proven innocent,” or what we base our legal system on, “innocent until proven guilty”?
It saddens me to hear people in our great state talk about Sen. Ted Stevens as if he is already convicted of a crime, and that he should relinquish his congressional seat.
Sen. Stevens has done a loyal and consistent job in Washington, D.C., supporting and fighting for Alaskans on projects both big and small for nearly every community in Alaska. I believe it is time for the people of Alaska to look beyond the hype, and rally behind Sen. Stevens to show him our support for his 40-year record of public service and promoting progress in Alaska.
>Sen. Stevens has unquestionably earned my support, and I would also encourage everyone who believes that a person is innocent until proven guilty to support Sen. Ted Stevens.
— Lester Lunceford, Mayor, City of Whittier
Primary Election Information
By: Patrick Kerley
Date: August 21, 2008
On Tuesday, August 26, don’t forget to vote! To support Senator Stevens, you must choose the Republican ballot. If you have questions, here are several resources from the Alaska Division of Elections website.
If you would like o vote early or by absentee, please visit http://www.elections.alaska.gov/avo08_primary.php.
If you would like general information about the Primary, visit http://www.elections.alaska.gov/2008_prim_info.php
Lastly, if you would like to volunteer to help wave signs around Alaska on Primary Day, please contact our Anchorage office at 339-8903.
Thanks for you support and your vote!
Letter to the Editor - Appreciate Ted
By: Patrick Kerley
Date: August 20, 2008
News Miner Letter: Appreciate Ted
To the editor:
Andy Warwick’s letter to the editor, Aug. 5, was right on. Those of us here during the 1967 flood know well that most homes in Fairbanks are dry today because of what Sen. Ted Stevens started after 1967.
The levee is only one example of Ted’s success in gaining funding to build our state. Perhaps he earned his reputation as the Senate’s earmark champion — but that reputation must be viewed in the light of our plight when we became a state.
No other state faced the catch-up crunch as we did. Alaska’s infrastructure and social service system was dire. Roads were few and runways were short. While the rest of the nation was enjoying a new interstate system, Alaska had the Al-Can and Richardson highways with a few spurs to the Yukon. Most were unpaved.
Our largest landowner was, and still is the federal government. At the time of statehood Alaska was promised 90 percent of royalties from federal lands — which Congress later reneged on. If only we could tax Uncle Sam. Sen. Stevens did the next best thing. His distinction is that he brought home the best bacon.
Alaskans can never agree on much. Generally when you get two together you get three opinions. But we should agree that Sen. Stevens has served us well and recognize that the debt Alaskans owe Mr. Stevens cannot be taken lightly — by the past, present and those who will follow. Whether you support him in the ballet box is immaterial. Right now we just need to let him know our appreciation and thanks for helping Alaska mature and that we will be here for him.
As Andy pointed out, Sen. Stevens was the right person for Alaska during the transition between territory and statehood. If we are lucky, we may get another six years out of him.
– Bob Thomas, Fairbanks