– by Caleb Pritt

Don Young is a good person to meet and to visit with. I would love the opportunity to go fishing with him sometime if he ever offered, though I doubt he would. But Young is getting Old for Alaska.

Now before you think this is an attempt by a young man to use Don Young’s thirty-eight years in Congress against him, it’s not. It’s the fact that his votes are so out of line with Alaska and Alaska’s best interest, something he likes to say he represents. Don Young has reverted more and more to voting the Republican Party line, rather than voting for Alaska’s line, for the future.

Today, Don Young joined a band of reactionary Republicans in voting to repeal the Healthcare Reform that ALREADY passed the House before. This was a moment where a senior “indpendent-minded” Republican could have said, “We need to focus on the issues before us, not what is behind us.” Instead, Don Young chose the party politics of Washington, D.C. over Alaska’s best interest. He says the bill was unconstitutional, yet why didn’t he do anything when it was decided the first time? Theres plenty of parlimentary tricks he could have employed. Even at that, he could have split the provisions of the bill and voted against the Individual Mandates and yet still voted for providing health care to those with preexisting conditions. He could have added a rider to provide more funding for rural and for native health care efforts. Instead, Don Young disappointed Alaska and turned his back on Alaska by playing the Washington, D.C. game.

Awhile back, there was a move to alleviate the American taxpayer of the tax-dollar draining provision known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a provision that has wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Don Young claims he’s a friend and advocate for taxpayers but rather than using that as justification to remove DADT, he voted against repeal. In fact, Lisa Murkowski could look past her partisan label and partisan leanings to do the right thing, but Don Young who talks Alaska when running for re-election every two years, par for the course votes Washington, D.C. politics once safely back in office.

Don Young has built up a mystique of invincibility to some of the political prognisticators and the press. But my question as a constitutent of the Congressman is who do you represent: Alaska or the Republican Party? This past November, a plurality of Alaska voters said no to partisan politics and yes to those who place Alaska first in the U.S. Senate. In fact, 2/3rd’s did this if you combine Murkowski & McAdam’s votes over the very partisan Miller. So the question must be asked, is Alaska not getting too old to deal with Young?

Congressman, you can’t go forward by going back. Alaska has always moved forward. I suggest it’s time to start doing that again or come home and let another Alaskan go forward with Alaska, not back with party politics!