Ryan McFarland

If you’re familiar with Alaska then you probably know that since the 1980’s every man woman and child has received a check from the state that comes from oil revenues and the investment of those revenues.  There is no state income tax and the Permanent Fund checks are taxed by the U.S. government.  This year that check is expected to be just a bit over $2,000.

The state just passed a measure that will increase the Permanent Fund Dividend by $1,200 to help Alaskans cope with the increasing costs for heating and automotive fuels.  So a family of four is looking at a potential $12,800.

That kind of money sure makes the federal stimulus checks seem wimpy.

Salmon Berries

Originally uploaded by zieak

This year there has been a healthy and lasting crop of salmon berries. I have heard people have been out gathering them for a good month. I suspect that our cooler temperatures are helping ensure that the berries didn’t ripen too quickly.

Alaska HD TV

Originally uploaded by zieak

Today I was interviewed by the guys behind alaskahdtv.com. They were coming through town from Wrangell to LeConte. They are thinking of giving SEAtrails a plug on one of their productions so gave me a few minutes to promote the system.

I showed them around town a little but we only had two hours so barely scratched the surface. Hopefully they’ll be back for a longer visit next time.

I had to buy a few parts for one of my DJ lights.  $8 total in parts.  They only ship UPS.  The bill to ship them up here was going to be over $40.  These two parts can fit in a padded envelope. I swear, i could make a small fortune doing freight forwarding in Seattle to Southeast Alaska.  Just take the package and put it in the mail.  So i had them mailed to Kevin (they are being mailed from Los Angeles to his address near Los Angeles).  Here’s the final amount.

Petersburg Sons of Norway Hall out of Lego

Originally uploaded by zieak

On Saturday and Sunday I worked on a Lego piece for Lux Boutique’s window. I ran out of roofing pieces so the dormers are not represented and it has an opening on both sides so you can see down into the Hall. I thought about making Fishermen’s Memorial Park (next door) also. Perhaps next year. Last year I poured Lego onto the floor of one of the windows and divided the colors to look like a Norwegian flag.

Weight room expansion

Originally uploaded by zieak

Last week city staff finished up the siding on the weight room expansion. Now the interior can be finished and opened up.

I mean that most sincerely and not at all condescending. Really. Sarah is the governor of Alaska and has an extremely high approval rating. Why? She’s ethical. She is sticking to her party’s platform and yet also obeying the law.

A look at Wikipedia informed me that she signed into law state benefits to same sex couples per a state supreme court ruling. Even though she opposes gay marriage. Instead of ranting about rogue judges and trying to shove changes to the Constitution down the publics throat she’s following the law (as currently interpreted by the relevant court) and still able to stick to her ethics.

I’m only bringing this up because I received an email…

Dear Fellow Alaskan,
With just a few days left in the 25th Alaska Legislature, the final
actions taken by lawmakers will have a major impact on Alaska and
Alaskans. HB 111, a critical bill which would lower the Business License
Fee, is currently stalled.
The Alaska economy is blessed by people with an entrepreneurial spirit.
Business leaders provide new ideas and develop innovative products and
services. By investing in their businesses, small firm owners make a
major contribution to our economy.
The original version of HB111 that I proposed would have returned the
business license fee, which was increased to $100 under the former
administration, to $25. The fee increase has caused a hardship for those
who are helping grow our economy, especially people who operate
home-based and part-time businesses.
The House Finance Committee amended the bill to set the fee at $50 and
it sailed through the House because it makes good business sense. HB 111
is currently stalled in the Senate Finance Committee. I urge you to
contact your senator TODAY and let him or her know that HB111 is good
for Alaskans, who should not be penalized for stimulating economic
growth.

Until next time,
Governor Sarah Palin

I sure am one of those entrepreneurs.  With the web stuff, djing, and bike shop stuff i’m kicking in sales tax to the city.  And the Feds enjoy my increased income in taxes also.

It honestly stung a bit when the business license fee went from $50 to $200 for two years under the previous governor (who was also a Republican).

I’m not a member of any political party but she’s one more Conservative that will have my vote next time around.

Photo via Wikimedia but by me!

I spent today on “the hill” advocating for recreational programs and funding.  Unfortunately we didn’t get much time with Senator Stevens or Murkowski.  The Senate went into a “vote-a-rama” and was voting on budget issues every 10 minutes or so.  Apparently Dick Cheney had to come in at one point to break a tie.  Anyway…  our appointment for 2:00 with Stevens  was during the vote-a-rama and so we were led to the capitol building via the underground subway that connects the Senate offices to the Capitol.  We saw Lisa Murkowski in the hallway and then met Senator Stevens in between votes but he had a committee meeting he was off to so we just had a moment to greet him.  We then sat down with one of his staff members - Kate - to discuss some of the needs that Alaska has for parks and recreation.  We wrapped up and were headed back down the hall when we passed Joe Liberman and Jim and i each said “hi” while we all turned our shoulders to let the other pass (the hall was that narrow).  We happened upon Senator Stevens again and i asked if we could take a picture for our association newsletter.

I finally have a little cam set up at the house. It is looking out of the workshop window. Here’s what it looks like when i got things fired up…

And here is a live image from the cam…

Yeah, it is just looking out on some trees growing in the gully next to the house right now. But combined with the screen capture of the weather station you get a good idea of what the weather is doing here. You can see the snow fell most of the day today with a light powdery fluff. We probably added four inches today. Unfortunately my weather station can not log snowfall so the rain gauge will not reflect accurate results until spring. See the current webcam image and weather station data on my new weather page.