Rep. Anna Fairclough, R-Eagle River, a member of the powerful House Finance Committee, has grilled Chancellor Mark Hamilton before her committee, and questioned his university's support for the oil and mining industries.
"If I ask university staff, the people who are educating our future leaders, if they support the Chukchi Sea development, the Red Dog Mine or the Pebble Mine or any type of industry along those lines, a stereotypical response is they are in opposition," she said.
At the same time, Fairclough said, they were asking for more money for the university.
"I found it amazing there was a large disconnect in where the dollars for the state of Alaska come from on a regular basis as far as production of oil on the North Slope goes, and how it is turned into revenue for the state of Alaska and in turn is invested in the university system," she said.
"How should I advocate more funding for an entire group that doesn't want to see development going forward," she said.
So let me see if I get this straight. Is it Representative Fairclough's contention that the University of Anchorage is TELLING these young adults WHAT to think? Has Ms. Fairclough ever tried to force a 18 or 20 year old to think like she does? She may as well try to hitch tabby cats to a dogsled. Trust me they simply do not cooperate.
Isn't it a much more likely scenario that after the students at UAA get access to the reams of information about oil production, oil companies, and their impact on the environment and indigenous people of Alaska, that they come to their own independent opinions on oil development in this state?
And if such is the case then does Rep. Fairclough then suggest that the University of Alaska CENSOR any potentially critical information about oil drilling and its environmental impact, so that these young adults will continue to support oil exploration in Alaska? And if UAA is willing to engage in such dishonorable, anti-educational tactics, will she then agree to provide funds to help educate the university students in Anchorage? Is that what I am hearing?
And can there REALLY be other legislators who feel the same?
Committee Co-chair Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, said Fairclough was not alone in the committee regarding her views.
"I can assure you that Rep. Fairclough is not the only person who has had that experience at this table," he said.
Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Fairbanks, said some of the students who visit the Capitol looking for money are openly anti-development.
"They come down here and rail against anything that brings in the very bucks that they come down here and tell us that we owe them," he said.
Well isn't THAT interesting, they are all Republicans. So essentially what these Republican assholes are doing is threatening to withhold money to educate our kids unless we teach them to believe in the same way that THEY believe. So to paraphrase, if UAA refuses to teach its students to become conservative Republicans they can kiss their state financing good-bye.
Perhaps Ms. Fairclough and her Republican minions fail to understand the point of a higher education in America. It is not to create a country filled with robots, who march in lockstep, and think the same thoughts in exactly the same way. That is how Germany in the 1940's educated THEIR young people. That is NOT how America educates the future leaders of its country!America is the greatest country in the world because we encourage the individual, because we applaud the visionary, and because we celebrate the innovator.
UAA simply provides the raw material for the students to construct their own beliefs, and dreams, and opinions. Whether the student becomes a Libertarian, or a Buddhist, or an Archaeologist, or some combination of all three, is entirely up to the individual. Just as it should be.
And fortunately there are SOME in the Legislature who also feel that way.
During the meeting, Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, strongly disagreed with Fairclough's comments, while Rep. Richard Foster, R-Nome, defended the university's educational efforts.
"I'm real proud of what you do," Foster told Hamilton.
(Well it is nice to see that not ALL Republicans are "Anti-education" in this state. My hat is off to you Representative Foster for having the backbone to stand up to those in your party who favor censorship over education.)
Rep. David Guttenberg, D-Fairbanks, later called Fairclough's comments "unfortunate."
"It wasn't encouraging for free speech or open dialogue," he said.
Now THESE are legislators that Alaskans can be proud to have representing them.
And just out of curiosity what is it exactly about oil exploration that has Rep. Fairclough's panties in a twist?
While on the Anchorage Assembly, Fairclough received several large contributions from Veco.
Oh, well lets move along. Nothing to see here.
Let me see if I understand their logic...
ReplyDeleteThe state taxes cigarettes. The cigarette tax revenue supports the University. If you don't smoke, or you are anti-smoking, then you can't go to the University.
All I can say is that Republicans, by and large, are so frazzled over Obama, that their heads are blowing-up.
Here in Texas, Repub. Congressman Pete Sessions, head of the RNCC, said that the republican strategy will be one of "insurgency" modeled after the Taliban. I shit you not!
That mutant gene that makes one a republican is finally going to end the species, and not a minute too soon