Hmmm...What's going on with Begich taking on Uncle Ted?

This could get scary with Don Young also embroiled in the Abramoff scandal...The only clean Washington rep so far is Frankie's daughter...Alaskans may lose a lot of political clout these next elections. As a former Anchoragite though I can say without crossing my fingers that Begich isn't bad for a Democrat. He seems pretty bright and actually fairly honest (unlike Berkowitz or God forbid...Tony Knowles!).

The scary thought to me is someone like Diane Benson actually winning a seat...Can you say "Constant racial sound bites." on national tv? She's scarier than a SEACC meeting on Earth Day at 4:20 in the afternoon...Pewww, can smell the rich stink of petuli oil and BO just thinking about it...Sorry Bob, didn't mean to get you excited...

So...On a side note, I had to drive the baby around Saturday night cuz he's teething...again...grrr...and I am pleased to say that a lot of us locals are sticking to our guns and keeping most of the lights off. I went to Home Depot, Wal Mart, and Fred Meyer and they all had a lot of their lighting off. Now, you may think "Who cares a big light bill for a few months isn't gonna sink them"...and you'd be right, but it helps reduce the load to the rest of us and thereby should make a difference when it comes to what happens to our bill...It better...

I heard a rumor from a reliable source that because Juneau residents and businesses are using so much less electricity than normal, a generator in Lemon Creek that normally uses 2000 gallons of diesel an hour is only using 1000 gallons an hour! Wow, if that's the case then the sky isn't really falling!

A sour note on that same front, during that same drive Saturday night I drove through some public housing in the valley and noticed a lot of lights on in most apartments and lots of windows open. I just hope that we the public, aren't footing the bill for these folks. I hope they pay their own electric bills...Anyone know the answer to that? Bob? It's one thing for us to help the needy, it's another thing for them to not help out when it matters most!

A safety notice: from kinyradio's website Be careful with alternative heating and lighting sources If you have electric heat you may be exploring alternative heating and lighting sources to save on electricity cost. These include using candles, kerosene heaters and other heating devices inside their homes. One fire has already occurred from use of a kerosene heater. No one was hurt in that incident, although a family had to leave their home. Capital City Fire Rescue offers this advice- Candles: Never leave a candle burning unattended or where children can reach them. All candles need to be in a candle holder with a solid base to prevent them from tipping over. Keep the candles away from curtains or other things that can ignite and never have combustible decorations around the base of the candle. Kerosene heaters: no unvented kerosene heater is designed or approved for use inside a residence. They all will produce carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gas, tasteless, odorless gases that can kill you. They also can present a fire hazard if they are old, have an improper fuel or are located too close to combustibles. Underwriters Lab tested, vented liquid fuel heaters, properly installed, are safe and tested for use inside buildings. Use of charcoal cooking devices inside residents are a sure method of producing enormous quantities of deadly carbon monoxide gas. Don't ever use them inside. Make sure that after a long winter, that your wood stove chimney is clear and clean of creosote before use. Capital City Fire/Rescue has responded to several chimney fires, fortunately none which caused significant damage. During this difficult time, use your best defense against tragic fires... your common sense. If you have questions call Capital City fire Rescue during business hours at 586-5322. After hours call 789-7554.