“The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.” — Hubert Humphrey
Sadly, it has come to light this week that the Legislature is even more broken than many of us had imagined. Our Republican Representative, Cathy Muñoz, has demonstrated where her values are. Her misplaced priorities and demonstrably poor judgment are emblematic of the failure of leadership in the Legislature. It is clear that we need to stand together and demand pragmatic, effective, and ethical leaders who have the courage to work together and put Alaskans’ interests first. We cannot afford to continue with the status quo.
I’ve had an unusual path into politics. I’m not a lawyer or lobbyist and I’m not from a political family. I work in Floyd Dryden Middle School with kids who have special needs. Last year, our school didn’t have enough funding to staff our school breakfast program. So, I volunteered and reached out to other organizations for support. The program thrived.
There’s a thin boy who attended the breakfasts. I’d often seen him miss lunch. One day he came up to me and said, “It’s really great that you have this. I usually don’t get breakfast.” That boy is contributing more to closing our $3.2 billion fiscal gap than a non-Alaskan making hundreds of thousands of dollars here and spending it outside. That’s where we are right now.
The choice in this election comes down to a question of values, judgement and the ability to make good decisions on behalf of all of our citizens, for our Representative speaks with all of our voices. From her decision to involve herself in court cases to the budgetary decisions that affect all Alaskans, I am dissatisfied with the leadership of our incumbent.
The Legislature, despite an unprecedented five special sessions, utterly failed to produce a fiscal plan. More than 70 percent of our spending is coming from our savings. What’s more, the Legislature is sending our money to big, profitable multi-nationals such as Exxon-Mobile and British Petroleum. It’s estimated that Alaska will give them $771 million more in tax credits than the Legislature wants to collect in production taxes next fiscal year. We should not sacrifice the well-being of our most vulnerable citizens to underwrite outside interests.
The Legislature has already made deep cuts to jobs, infrastructure, education and vital services. And for what? Bad deals and reckless leadership are bankrupting our state. We have to change that. We have to take ownership of our future. With new leadership, we can get a fair deal. With the political will, we can invest in Alaskans and in our future. But we have to make the hard choices. I will work across party lines with anyone who puts Alaskans first!
It’s time to elect people to the Legislature who stand up for Alaskans’ interests and will work to solve the real problems that face us. We need to get the state’s economy back on track by encouraging new investment, getting fair deals, and by raising new revenues. Alaska succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.
Legislators make choices, through action and inaction, based on their values and judgment. And as Alaskans we must hold them accountable. Who we elect says a great deal about who we are and the values that we hold.
We can and must do more to build a fair, sustainable and prosperous future for our community and state. With your support, I will bring the leadership we need in the legislature to advance policies that help all Alaskans, especially our most vulnerable, and move our great state forward, together.
You can contact me through my website, www.justinforjuneau.com, or through Facebook at Justin Parish for State House.
• Justin Parish is a Juneau resident and is running as a Democrat for the Alaska House of Representatives in District 34.
