After watching the dialogue between our Congressman Don Young and Professor Brinkley from Texas, it becomes clear on what others think about Alaskans.

We are just backward folk who need the direction from those smart people from the Lower 48.

Why is it that Professor Brinkley, from Texas, a State where the people control 98% of their land should have a say about how Alaskans should control our land?

Just sitting at the Puter and thinking again. In early 1951 a group of my friends and myself receive a letter requesting us to meet and go for a physical examination for the draft. Amazingly all of us country farm boys qualified to serve in the military. What do you think the ratio is today? Maybe 50%. Sad. Well, I like to call myself a Patriot and gladly served, ending up with approximately 28 months served out of the states in the Korean theater, during and after the peace was signed.

With all of the gridlock in our Federal Congress, I wish someone would come up with an amendment to our Constitution to block all members of Congress from running for re-election if the Federal Budget is not in balance and the deficit isn't reduced by 5 percent. Also add in that all Congressional pensions be cancelled due to their spending habits at least until the deficit disappears.

Sometimes it is hard to admit you have a problem.

The same could be said for our community and prescription drug abuse. It is not that we don't know such problems exist in the world, but on the Kenai Peninsula?

Unfortunately, that is the reality as local law enforcement has told us prescription abuse has been on the rise over the last three years. The issue is now one of the area's most prevalent social ills and contributes to crime as much -- if not more -- than other forms of drugs.