Friday, August 3, 2007

Politics and Alaska

It seems the ethics problems are only continuing to heat up for the politicians in my fair state. I feel conflicted.

I'm not at all shocked. I feel like I've been saying these people are evil, and believe they can get away with it, because we have continually re-elected them term after term as long as I've been cognizant of political issues. (Stevens has been in office since 1968!!) But, some people still seem shocked.

They were shocked when Murkowski (the elder) left Washington and was all of a sudden a royal ass and a putz to boot. It's all because these guys (and now a lady) are successful at bringing home the bacon to our crazily pro-resource development state. As long as they keep bringing home the money (some of it's good, don't get me wrong...rural areas especially need help) people ignore the fact that they are idiots, pompous and unethical.

Now with the FBI beating on their doors, people can't ignore it anymore.

Why am I conflicted though? Because, on the one hand, I feel like I should be enraged and embarrassed. I'm not. Well, maybe embarrassed, but no more embarrassed than I have always been. I'm also not worried about it affecting tourism up here. Too many Americans are far too apathetic to actually let some political foibles ruin their vacations.

On the other hand, I'm kind of delighting in this. I can't help but hope that this means we will finally have some fresh faces (that also happen to be intelligent and represent some more of my values) in Washington.

It is probably far too much to hope that this state will actually swing a little more liberal in terms of the people it elects...

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