Race for Lt. Gov. close call

The Alaska GOP Lt. Governor’s race is curious in that most people I talk to (other than those personally connected to Ramras or Treadwell) are still undecided. Everyone seems to be searching for the right distinction on which to vote.

Let me offer one: Alaska’s relations with a federal government that is increasingly threatening our livelihood as a state.

Friday on the Dan Fagan Radio Show, Jay Ramras said he wouldn’t fight the feds saying, “We’re not going to fight the feds, that is not what Lt. Governors do.” In one TV spot, Ramras criticized Treadwell’s “Mr. Obama, Fill Up This Pipeline” speech as a “sound bite.” Frankly, I think this is the clearest distinction between Ramras and Treadwell. Treadwell has made it clear that he will definitely use the office of Lt. Governor as a platform to fight federal policies which hurt Alaskans, while Ramras scoffs at the idea, thinking it a waste of his time.

In a recent KFQD interview, Jay rightly pointed out that the duties which the state constitution prescribes the Lt. Governor are quite thin: Run the Division of Elections and guard the state seal. Frankly, that isn’t a lot. The key question for each candidate seeking this post is, can you adequately perform those functions, and secondly, what do you plan to do with the other 23 hours of your day?

Treadwell will spend his time working on state-federal and Arctic issues that are key to Alaska’s economy. This comes naturally to him, seeing as how he has been a leader on these issues for 30 years. From his campaign ads and speeches, Treadwell has made it clear that he sees federal overreaching as Alaska’s greatest threat. He says he is ready to use the office of Lt. Governor with its electoral mandate from citizens and abundance of free time, as the perfect position from which to bolster Alaska’s defense. In the last few days, he has begun laying out the specifics; I look forward to reviewing them over the next few weeks.

It is not so clear what Ramras would do however. His campaign ads and speeches list numerous issues, but what exactly would he do as Lt. Governor as it relates to them? He doesn’t say. The only two things we know at this point is that he will lead trade missions abroad and actively NOT fight the feds. The trade missions promise is an interesting one because Treadwell clearly has vastly more experience and stature in the area of international business and diplomacy. He has something which seems to be quite rare among politicians of today, an actual record of achievement. I mean, come on, a company Treadwell helped found, currently watermarks the worlds currencies and Ramras, well, he owns a hotel. 

This brings us back to fighting the feds. Ramras has made himself clear; fighting the feds is not on the agenda. In fact, in one of his campaign ads, he says he would “let the lawyers fight the feds.” Did an Alaskan really say that? I can’t help but wonder what kind of a response that would draw from Ted Stevens or the late Wally Hickel, two men who spent their entire lives fighting for Alaska, a fight that doesn’t seem worth it to Ramras.       

Currently, the bloated federal agencies with their multitudes of unelected and overpaid bureaucrats have their collective boot on the neck of Alaska’s economic future. They are shutting down our state’s resource development one project at a time, one law suit at a time, one regulation at a time. We need all hands on deck, and that includes the Lt. Governor. Heck, even the janitor, maid, and garbage man too. We need everyone in this fight, and I for one would like a Lt. Governor who understands that.