As an Alaskan, I need to let the Obama administration know

[Ken Burch]

that if they think this will be enough to win over the crazies up here...it won't...it never will be.

Barack Obama could announce he was going to personally fly up to ANWR and drill the first hole himself and those lunatics STILL won't stop with him.

The people up here who demand drilling want this entire state turned into a giant stripmine/stripmall/logging camp/drilling site/megachurch/indoor rifle range stocked with endangered species. They won't accept ANYTHING short of that.

So, even if it's a good policy, the people up here who hated him before will STILL hate him.

[JI7]

1. he isn't trying to win over the crazies

he never is

[DJ13]

2. It doesnt matter

He'll keep trying up until he needs to go back to being a progressive in time for the 2012 election.

[ingac70]

3. .....

http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/1013bristol_bay_drilling_gets_a_reprieve

Thanks for your concern.

[wiggs]

4. That's right. It will never be enough. Because it's not about policy and it's

not even about race. Simply, he's from the "other" team and as long as he's not republican he's not their president. It's about polarization and exclusivity.

I think that the year he's spent trying to reach across the isle has demonstrated this and to those in the middle it must be clear by now what's going on (those paying attention anyway).

[lunatica]

5. That's an incredibly liberating truth

Once Obama feels the majority of American people see that then hopefully we can move on and do the real heavy lifting. There's some mighty serious work that needs to be done pretty quickly here.

[cali]

6. This is not why Obama did this

If it were, he wouldn't have dramatically raised mileage requirements or curtailed mountain top mining- all within the same 2 day time period.

[vaberella]

7. Interesting. He did that?

What's your ideas on it?

[cali]

8. hi vabarella. call it a feint.

or sleight of hand. I know I'll get considerable pushback from saying this, but I think when all is said and done, this administration will be by far and away the most effective at protecting the environment.

And I don't think we'll ever see that drilling off the east coast.

[HughMoran]

9. There's certainly a strategy at work here

...and it doesn't align with the Republican idea of protecting the environment, that's for sure. I heard yesterday that we already have 4000 oil platforms off our shores pumping oil - 10 billion barrels since 1985. The spill rate is 0.001% or 100 barrels of oil in 25 years. I'm not happy about any spillage though.

[vaberella]

12. Exactly and I've heard the same.

I'm not happy about it, and don't like it because I fear spillage. But the spill rate is similar to the nuclear power plant exploding. I just don't like the first at all, and I'm not a fan of the second, but I hear positive and negative responses to this.

[vaberella]

11. You won't get it from me.

I'm anti Off shore drilling. 100% and I can say I wasn't happy about hearing this. It was a very disappointing move. I think I agree with your thoughts on this.

[secondwind]

10. It's because Alaskans get a pretty nifty check from oil revenues,...every man, woman

and child in AK gets a nice check each year from oil revenues, as long as the oil hits above 65 a barrell, they are golden.

[Blue_In_AK]

14. The check doesn't come directly from oil revenues,

it comes from interest on investments made with the oil revenues. Even when oil was $9 a barrel, we still got a check.

Here is an explanation of how the Permanent Fund works.

http://www.apfc.org/home/Content/aboutFund/aboutPermFund.cfm


I personally think it was a visionary creation, and I'm glad we have it.

[Phx_Dem]

13. I don't think he gives a shit what Alaskans think. No offense!

[Ken Burch]

15. None taken

n/t.