What Is Wrong With Alaska?
What, indeed. Enough to make the front page of today's Washinton Post. It seems that the FBI has released some of the surveillance films showing just how corrupt the state's legislature was over the past years. The main player in the bribery was Bill Allen.
"Let me count first here," Allen said, shushing a former statehouse speaker as he counted out a bribe in video footage entered as evidence in the lawmaker's September trial, one of several crowding the docket of the federal court here.
On another tape, Pete Kott, the former Republican speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, crowed as he described beating back a tax bill opposed by oil companies. "I had to cheat, steal, beg, borrow and lie," Kott said. "Exxon's happy. BP's happy. I'll sell my soul to the devil."
"Well, that will stay in this room," one lobbyist said as a midnight session wound down.
It did not, of course. Since breaking into public view a year ago when federal agents raided lawmakers' offices and homes -- finding $32,200 neatly stacked in a closet of Kott's condo -- the federal probe has produced four indictments, three convictions, three guilty pleas and a rapt audience keen to see how high into Alaska's political hierarchy the rot reaches.
Apparently the Justice Department feels the rot might very well reach into the state's congressional delegation.
with signs that the investigation is brushing against Alaska's lone congressman, Don Young (R), and its longtime and venerated senator Ted Stevens (R), residents of the Last Frontier are experiencing a rare spasm of soul-searching. ...
"There's a whole kind of culture of unreality," said Michael Carey, former editorial page editor of the Anchorage Daily News, whose Web site posted much of the evidence. "I always thought there were people on the take, but in the way of campaign contributions -- traditionally legitimate ways to game the system." ...
Alaskans also express a regret bordering on shame that the misdeeds were uncovered by the feds. The state is deeply ambivalent about Washington. Thanks in large part to Ted Stevens's seniority, Alaska receives more federal money per capita than any other state, a situation that tends to undermine the image of flinty self-reliance. [Emphasis added]
Senator Stevens, whose relationship with Bill Allen is the subject of the current investigation, is in trouble, knows it, yet still hasn't given any indication that he will be "retiring" at the end of his current term. If he waits much longer, that option might not be available to him.
Now, Alaska isn't the only state with corruption problems in the state legislature. There are some noises being made about the California leaders (Democrats) getting awfully cozy with money and trip givers, but somehow the egregiousness and openness of the Alaska situation overshadows just about anything I've heard about in an awfully long time.
Perhaps part of it is the freewheeling culture of those hardy souls, rugged individualists living up in what many of us consider to be extreme conditions. I suspect a bigger part of it is the fact that Alaska is sitting on a lot of oil and the oil companies are quite happy to pay to get their way. What is astounding is that the oil companies had to pay so little: $2500 for one legislator, $32,000 to another. That's chicken feed compared to what most of the pols are pulling down elsewhere.
Alaska has a new governor, one who ran on "clean government" and appears ready to keep her campaign promises. Hopefully there will be enough legislators left for her to work with.
"Let me count first here," Allen said, shushing a former statehouse speaker as he counted out a bribe in video footage entered as evidence in the lawmaker's September trial, one of several crowding the docket of the federal court here.
On another tape, Pete Kott, the former Republican speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, crowed as he described beating back a tax bill opposed by oil companies. "I had to cheat, steal, beg, borrow and lie," Kott said. "Exxon's happy. BP's happy. I'll sell my soul to the devil."
"Well, that will stay in this room," one lobbyist said as a midnight session wound down.
It did not, of course. Since breaking into public view a year ago when federal agents raided lawmakers' offices and homes -- finding $32,200 neatly stacked in a closet of Kott's condo -- the federal probe has produced four indictments, three convictions, three guilty pleas and a rapt audience keen to see how high into Alaska's political hierarchy the rot reaches.
Apparently the Justice Department feels the rot might very well reach into the state's congressional delegation.
with signs that the investigation is brushing against Alaska's lone congressman, Don Young (R), and its longtime and venerated senator Ted Stevens (R), residents of the Last Frontier are experiencing a rare spasm of soul-searching. ...
"There's a whole kind of culture of unreality," said Michael Carey, former editorial page editor of the Anchorage Daily News, whose Web site posted much of the evidence. "I always thought there were people on the take, but in the way of campaign contributions -- traditionally legitimate ways to game the system." ...
Alaskans also express a regret bordering on shame that the misdeeds were uncovered by the feds. The state is deeply ambivalent about Washington. Thanks in large part to Ted Stevens's seniority, Alaska receives more federal money per capita than any other state, a situation that tends to undermine the image of flinty self-reliance. [Emphasis added]
Senator Stevens, whose relationship with Bill Allen is the subject of the current investigation, is in trouble, knows it, yet still hasn't given any indication that he will be "retiring" at the end of his current term. If he waits much longer, that option might not be available to him.
Now, Alaska isn't the only state with corruption problems in the state legislature. There are some noises being made about the California leaders (Democrats) getting awfully cozy with money and trip givers, but somehow the egregiousness and openness of the Alaska situation overshadows just about anything I've heard about in an awfully long time.
Perhaps part of it is the freewheeling culture of those hardy souls, rugged individualists living up in what many of us consider to be extreme conditions. I suspect a bigger part of it is the fact that Alaska is sitting on a lot of oil and the oil companies are quite happy to pay to get their way. What is astounding is that the oil companies had to pay so little: $2500 for one legislator, $32,000 to another. That's chicken feed compared to what most of the pols are pulling down elsewhere.
Alaska has a new governor, one who ran on "clean government" and appears ready to keep her campaign promises. Hopefully there will be enough legislators left for her to work with.
Labels: Corruption, oil companies
posted by Diane at 10:22 AM
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