Rape, domestic violence, suicide, child abuse, fetal brain damage from alcohol, and alcoholism: for more than 40 years Alaska has the highest rates in the nation. A recent survey of Alaskan women found one in three had been raped. Must we endure this?
Given our wealth and small population, we should be the happiest and healthiest bunch of people in the United States. We very much are not.
But, Alaska has more than $10 billion in the bank because of recent high oil prices. This money is not in the Permanent Fund and it’s not committed to anything. We have money. We don’t have a plan.
Don’t we have the responsibility to be No. 1 at dealing with these things? We need more than small changes to existing programs. We need a revolution.
Let’s show we’re serious and create a $1 billion Alaska Public Safety and Welfare Fund to support existing programs while taking time to coordinate interagency programs, planning and research. Let’s figure out how to be No. 50.
If not us, then who in the world has a chance?
Please write! Letters to the editor and emails to the Governor and legislators, comment on Facebook ... this is Alaska in the information age.
Democracy works here if we make it work. Legislators can only represent you if they know what you want.
The light at the end of the tunnel is that we could be No. 50 instead of No. 1. It is our responsibility to become the best in the nation in treating and preventing these things. Other groups of people have these problems too. Alaska could be where they come for training and to do their research.
This is about being happy and healthy but investing in, and spending money on
Alaskans would be good for all parts of our economy as well.
Comments (22)
Add commentYES WE SHOULD
When the mindset of Have It Your Way is pushed down our throats at every level then we become a society of massive crime without any punishment for such actions and the innocent continue to be victims of this society of do what you want to do as long as your Happy is all that matters.
Sad these statistics because we have no laws to protect people from continued abusers and with the legalization of all Unnatural acts and Drug use, what do you think the Future will look like. More of the same, yet far worse than now.
We are all in some Major Troubles with thise Have it your way attitude of Happyness at the expence of others with NO HOPE OF CHANGE in sight.
It's cheaper to allow people to do what ever they want with no legal actions against them for repeated offences against innocent victims.
When the laws are for abusers rather than victims we get what we have become and it's never going to stop as long as we have this mind set with no Moral Compass to guide us to a Truly Happy Healthy Prosperous Society and State as well as Nation.
Without fear of true punishment for bad behavior, rather than time outs, we will continue down this distructive road we are all on.
No offence...... but what
No offence...... but what percent of those were from the native popultion?
Offense taken
Does this question of ethnicity really matter? No, not in the least. The irony to me is your need to ask. Mental health lands trust should be able to finance a good chunk of money towards these requested goals. John Palmes has written and performed his songs with the same sentiment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YSIqxELOqw
Hate to tell ya, suss
But if you weren't so busy trying to evade the facts, and were truly interested in the truth, you would have taken the time to look at the studies that PROVE that the Alaska Native villages have the HIGHEST rates of all of the issues mentioned in the article. It is a very sad FACT, but a FACT none the less.
Greater need than 14.9%
Kind of silly to only focus on only one group of Alaskans that comprise 14.9% of the population. If you choose to limit the conversation by race, you have a problem understanding the article's intent, unless your intent was divert the issue to a question about race. I think I understand your need for use of the word hate.
No punishment for crimes is the problem
When the abusers are allowed to continually practice their evil deeds, then NO amount of money or programs ment to help victims will produce any lasting Fundamental change to believe in for anyone period.
It's not a lack of help programs thats the problem here. It's the continued allowing of moral sins against others with no fear of reprocussions by those that continuosly commit these acts against others thats the problem.
Our legal system is messed up and our prisons are full so many criminals are released back into the public nonstop due to the over crowding and expence to keep evil under wrap thats causing this continued problem.
Proper punishment for crimes would change these statistics, as it is now these people have it made as they get everything they need in prison and we pay for it which causes no desire to repent and go in another direction, why should they?
lets break that 14.9% down
lets break that 14.9% down and find out what percent of them meet the criteria of this posted comment. by the way, are those 14.9% pure bred natives or does it also count the half breeds?
Racism mojo66
Your need to question the racial makeup of any group, let alone those in need of treatment, is repugnant. If you have a personal desire for biogeographically ancestral information I would suggest and urge searching your own polymorphic microsatellites responsible for various genetic disorders.
It's a legitimate question,
It's a legitimate question, because Alaskan demographics do play into the statistics. We see higher rates of alcoholism and abuse among Alaska Natives, not because of ethnicity, but because of geographic factors that limit their access to resources that other Alaskans (and most of the Lower 48) enjoy. We are talking about remote villages that are not connected to the road system, which happen to host mostly native populations, since they settled there before Alaska even had road systems; other ethnic groups arrived with the road systems. I don't think the poster above was being racist, but just acknowledging that the infrastructure that has facilitated social reform in the rest of the nation is still largely lacking in western Alaska, and that plays into the overall statistics. That doesn't necessarily mean that Alaska is, overall, deficient in these areas. It's an important distinction to make when you're proposing funding initiatives, because pouring money into municipalities won't help much if the problem is mainly occurring outside those areas.
Color Blind
Alaskan demographics would clearly show a greater need in the larger populated areas, more people, more problems, that aside does not negate the need in rural areas as well. Mojo66's interest in purity of bloodlines is beyond racist, it is stupid. Race is not the issue, not the topic,and never was, so get it through to yourself that the ending of the cycles of violence and addictions is the subject, not what color of what group needs to be counted separately. The entire state is in serious need of what John Palmes is requesting. The Peninsula is a prime example of this need. Give him a listen.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YSIqxELOqw
It ain't racist
I promise you if it was a racist remark the Clarion would have YANKED it off sight before the keys ever stopped being push down to ask the question. A question which is ment to show a major problem in native villages and native people which needs to be addressed and not over looked.
As i said it has to do with lack of punishment for sins against others and all the studies on earth will not fix it until adequate punishments are handed out for these crimes/sins against all people no matter what race, color or creed.
"Alaskan demographics would
"Alaskan demographics would clearly show a greater need in the larger populated areas, more people, more problems..."
This is incorrect. According to the most recent census data, 55.5% of Alaskans are rural. There are clearly fewer people in the larger populated areas than the rural ones, not more. They just live closer together. That does not mean they have "more problems."
Do your own math
2011 Population
By Borough/Census Area
and Economic Region
Area Population
Alaska 722,190
Boroughs/Census Areas
Aleutians East Borough 3,172
Aleutians West Census Area 5,546
Anchorage, Municipality of 296,197
Bethel Census Area 17,548
Bristol Bay Borough 1,035
Denali Borough 1,820
Dillingham Census Area 4,947
Fairbanks North Star Borough 97,615
Haines Borough 2,620
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area 2,148
Juneau, City and Borough of 32,290
Kenai Peninsula Borough 56,369
Ketchikan Gateway Borough 13,686
Kodiak Island Borough 13,870
Lake and Peninsula Borough 1,693
Matanuska-Susitna Borough 91,697
Nome Census Area 9,730
North Slope Borough 9,584
Northwest Arctic Borough 7,651
Petersburg Census Area 3,951
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area 5,814
Sitka, City and Borough of 8,985
Skagway, Municipality of 965
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area 7,080
Valdez-Cordova Census Area 9,783
Wade Hampton Census Area 7,672
Wrangell City and Borough 2,411
Yakutat City and Borough 656
Yukon Koyukuk Census Area 5,655
time for change in Alaska
Watchman on the wall's comments seem to revolve around sins and accountability(if I understand correctly). This, I believe, is and can be a basic thought and goal for improvement in many issues. It can also be a complex, involved, timely change for the positive but achievable. It can be a slanted and unbalanced way to navigate any problem if we concentrate on only race, emotion,"sins", and population numbers. What about ability to provide improved and accessible education, increase child(young adult) ability for a better future? No one ethnic population is the problem, only looking at the current situation can we start to understand a way for improvement.
suss, my point is natives
suss, my point is natives can't handle the fire water like caucasians can. theirs really not much more to explain about it other then they are thousands of years behind to catch up to the tolerance most other races have, i am in no way being racist like you seem to be painting me, except maybe a tad when natives were given marching orders to write-in Murkowski.
Tad Bit
Being a tad racist is like being a tad pregnant, that said, the insight that you were or are a Teabilly for Joe Miller is just perfect. Thanks, you have earned your ignore button position. Do not feed the trolls.
i don't see where he voted for miller
Where does he say that he voted for Miller? I have always wondered at people that accuse others of racism and the ability to twist things around in their minds to justify these accusations. It's like the black reporter for msnbc that is accusing the Old White guy McCain of being a racist against Susan Rice the lier in chief un ambassador, when the very same Old White guy voted for Collin Powell and Condi Rice, both black in the Bush era. If i was a gambling man i would say that the msnbc black reporter is in fact a racist against Old White Guys or women.
Usually when one screams racism in my view of history past and present always points to a clear case of Racism or desire to cause trouble and divert attention away from the real problems at hand.
This all of course coming from an Old white, American Indian, American African TeaBilly Guy, so i could be wrong, but i don't think so and history proves this my Theory on Racism as being correct almost always.
The fact is that we have a major problem and without appropriate punishment for physical crimes against others, then things will continue as they are. Also i don't think opinions about people are classified as crimes, even though they are becoming such in most cases that is, not all voiced opinions are deemed crimes or racist. Take for instance the cases in regard to opinions against christians or the Bible that are deemed legal, while all other opinions against other life styles or religions are not legal & are considered hate crimes now. It's ok now to slam whites or Teabilly's, but not blacks or other colors now, whats up with this?
WHAT A MESS!
''Being a tad racist is like
''Being a tad racist is like being a tad pregnant, that said, the insight that you were or are a Teabilly for Joe Miller'' ......................... now thats a racist comment, thanks suss
Susan Rice humor
I know it's the Huffington Post, I know it's Jon Stewart. But I also know the statements made in this short clip are also true as I remember watching Lindsay Graham deliver this speach. This is where our political system plays a double standard based solely on party politics.
For your entertainment and viewing pleasure:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/jon-stewart-hammers-john-mccain...
Rice and Beans
I have often warned people to prepare for the worst due to Govt. and stock up on Rice and Beans, not Rice thats full of Beans.
We are in trouble and change not to believe in is Coming to America, and this version of Coming to America is gonna be a Horror film about reality.
"Must we endure this?"
Who's "we", John? Men don't "endure" rape. But, yes you are right. Our do-nothing-for-anyone-except-oilies governor only says Choose Respect. That means all of us, but not him.
Suss and Mojo66
Suss, you defended yourself with courage and intellect. Those remarks had nothing to do with the story. Well done, Suss.
Mojo66, stop while you're ahead, even though you're not. You just keep piling it on and it's getting pretty deep, pal. Put your hipboots on and walk west until your hat floats.