Jeff was again joined by Senator Bill Wielechowski (D - Anchorage). Note: This podcast was recorded before the Senate announced their new organization. They discuss the big turnover in the Senate next year and how that will affect the Legislature, how he has come to view things after serving 16 years in the Senate, some of the ways he's learned to maneuver in the minority, the recent proposal by the Anchorage School Board to close six schools, how there may be ulterior motives to that decision, ...
Nov 29, 2022•57 min•Ep 288•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Jonathan Helton, a policy researcher at the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii. They discuss the history of the Jones Act and Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), what exactly they both do, how they impact goods, cargo, and people traveling on ships in the United States, how Covid impacted the PVSA, their impact on Alaska and Hawaii, why there is a strong lobby to keep them in place, and why some policy makers want to change or repeal these laws.
Nov 18, 2022•33 min•Ep 287•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Les Gara. They discuss his plans to the lead up to Election Day, how the campaign has gone, his time in the Legislature, the never ending dividend issue, his ideas for a fiscal plan, how he thinks we can improve education and homelessness, the importance of the governor having a good relationship with the Legislature, his issues with GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the issue of abortion, and what he thinks will happen on election night.
Nov 07, 2022•47 min•Ep 286•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R - Alaska). They discuss why she doesn't do many interviews with national media, the chances of Republicans taking control of the House and Senate after the midterms, how issues like abortion, inflation, and the economy are factoring into the election, her thoughts about how her race will go, the 2024 presidential election, the problem with so many people not accepting election results, and the possibility of a gasline.
Nov 02, 2022•29 min•Ep 285•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Bill Walker and Heidi Drygas, who are running as an independent ticket for governor and lieutenant governor. They discuss the dynamics of ranked choice voting, how unlimited campaign donations are affecting the election, how Juneau is going to look next year, the ongoing pursuit of a gasline, the labor shortage in Alaska, Walker's idea to lower gas prices in Alaska, how high oil prices changed the dynamics of the last session, and their plans for the end of the campaign....
Nov 01, 2022•56 min•Ep 284•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Republican State Senate candidate Doug Massie, who is challenging Senator Mike Shower (R - Wasilla). They discuss his career in the Alaska State Troopers, why he decided to run for the State Senate, how redistricting put him in Shower's Senate district, the drama involving former DPS Commissioner Amanda Price and how she was fired for going after Massie, recent false attacks against him and how he's dealt with it, some of the issues facing Alaska, the challenges running for of...
Oct 21, 2022•56 min•Ep 283•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Alaska Miners Association Executive Director Deantha Skibinski. They discuss her wedding in the summer of 2020, the challenges of changing her name during COVID, how her mom, Marilyn Crockett, moved to Alaska and got hired by the Alaska Oil & Gas Association, her time working at the Resource Development Council and then the Alaska Miners Association, mining in Alaska, the controversy surrounding Pebble Mine, and the upcoming general election.
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep 282•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Representative David Eastman (R - Wasilla). They discuss the lawsuit against him challenging his qualifications to run for office based on his membership in the Oath Keepers, why he was in Washington D.C. on January 6, how his political opponents have not been able to defeat him politically, the recent decision of a judge on his case, his experiences in the Legislature since being elected in 2016, the potential implications of the lawsuit against him, the danger of people not ...
Sep 30, 2022•59 min•Ep 281•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Democratic State House candidate Andrew Gray. They discuss his podcast East Anchorage Book Club, how he ended up in Alaska the first time, why he moved to Europe, how he ended up in a professional Estonian choir, why he decided to join the military, how he ended up back in Alaska, his deployment in Kosovo, why he got involved in Anchorage politics, why he decided to run for the State House, and some of the issues facing Alaska.
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep 280•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Democratic State House candidate Cliff Groh. They discuss his dad's time serving in the Alaska Legislature, his time working as a legislative staffer in the 1980s, the history of the Permanent Fund Dividend, his 2018 run for the House, why he is running for the House again, how the House could end up organizing next year, and his ideas on resolving the dividend problem.
Sep 05, 2022•50 min•Ep 279•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Alaska Family Council Executive Director Jim Minnery. They discuss how he grew up in Anchorage, what motivates the online mob to go after certain people or businesses, the Supreme Court case about the baker who did not want to server a same sex couple, the Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the impacts that is having on elections, the abortion issue, and the upcoming vote on the constitutional convention.
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep 278•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Democratic State House candidate David Schaff. They discuss how he ended up in Alaska, his time in Alaska in the 1960s visiting his uncle, his background as a labor attorney, why he decided to challenge incumbent Representative Laddie Shaw (R - Anchorage), how the makeup of the Legislature will look next year, the PFD issue, and some of the issues facing Alaska.
Aug 30, 2022•43 min•Ep 277•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by climatologist Brian Brettschneider. They discuss how and where he earned his PhD, why he ended up in Alaska, how and why the climate is changing, natural cycles in the climate verses the human impacts on climate change, some of the ways we can mitigate the effects of climate change, the possible future effects on the world, the role technology plays, and why he has an optimistic outlook for the future.
Aug 24, 2022•47 min•Ep 276•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was again joined by Scott McMurren from Alaska Travelgram. They discuss his text message service called Airfare911, the scheduling issues many airlines are facing and how that is affecting Alaska, the non-stop flight options out of Alaska, some upcoming fall and winter airfare deals, a Holland America cruise deal for Alaskans only, and some great fares out of Southeast due to competition.
Aug 20, 2022•29 min•Ep 275•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Aaron Hamlin, the executive director for the Center for Election Science. They discuss the concept of "approval voting" compared to "ranked choice voting," some places in the United States where it has been implemented, Alaska's new election system, why so many people are questioning election systems, and what the Center for Election Science is doing to promote approval voting.
Aug 19, 2022•34 min•Ep 274•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by former Anchorage bar owner and author Mike Gordon. They discuss his most recent book "Dagnabit!," how it was inspired by his old friend Ruben Gaines, how this book is different from his first book "Learning the Ropes," some of the stories that involved his bar Chilkoot Charlie's, how Anchorage has changed since over the decades, and the next book he is working on.
Aug 11, 2022•49 min•Ep 273•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Independent U.S. Senate candidate Shoshana Gungerstein. They discuss why she moved to Juneau, Alaska, her background in business, the cost of education, the impacts of inflation, how the price of oil impacts our economy, why she decided to run for the U.S. Senate, how her campaign has been going, how she plans on making it through the primary, the lack of younger people in the U.S. Senate, and why she is taking a position on a full Permanent Fund Dividend.
Aug 07, 2022•35 min•Ep 272•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Independent State House candidate Walter Featherly. They discuss how he moved to Alaska with his parents as a child, growing up in rural Alaska, attending college at St. Johns College in Sante Fe, New Mexico and then Harvard Law School, working as a lawyer in Alaska, why he is running for the Legislature, his thoughts on how the House will potentially organize next year, the PFD issue, and how he sees Alaska's future.
Aug 04, 2022•42 min•Ep 271•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich. They discuss the upcoming special general election for Alaska's sole House seat, why he decided to run for Congress, how his grandfather was Alaska's last congressman before Don Young prior to his plane mysteriously disappearing in 1972, his business background, the homelessness problem in Anchorage, inflation and how it's impacting working people, foreign policy issues including what is happening between China and Taiwan, and the p...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep 270•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson's Chief of Staff Alexis Johnson and his Communications Director Corey Allen Young. They discuss how they were both born and raised in Anchorage, their work backgrounds, how they came to work for Mayor Bronson, the relationship between Bronson and the Anchorage Assembly, why Bronson decided to close down the Sullivan Arena as a shelter, allowing people to camp long-term at Centennial Park, why homelessness is so hard to solve, the housing shortage i...
Jul 25, 2022•50 min•Ep 269•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. They discuss the dysfunction in the Alaska Legislature, how her fame since being John McCain's running mate in 2008 has impacted her life, being a creator on Cameo, why she decided to run for Alaska's sole U.S. House seat after former Congressman Don Young passed away, her issues with the Biden administration, why we need increased energy production in Alaska, how inflation is impacting working people, and her thoughts on her Republican oppo...
Jul 19, 2022•33 min•Ep 268•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson. They discuss his first year in office, his contentious relationship with the Anchorage Assembly, moving on from COVID-19, the ongoing homelessness problem in Anchorage, his plans to solve it, the housing crisis in the city, and the Assembly's recent approval of an ordinance that allows them to remove the mayor.
Jul 15, 2022•24 min•Ep 267•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Republican U.S House candidate Tara Sweeney and her campaign manager Karina Waller. They discuss Al Gross' withdrawal from the special election and how the Supreme Court ruled that Sweeney would not be on the ballot, why she decided to run for the late Don Young's seat, her time working as an assistant secretary of Interior for the Trump administration, oil and gas production in Alaska, her mom's time serving in the Alaska Legislature, and how she plans on campaigning for the ...
Jul 12, 2022•38 min•Ep 266•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by attorney Brett Frazer. They discuss the history of the Alaska Judicial Council, why it's unique from most other states for how judges are selected, the federal system to select judges, the history of the judicial system in the United States, the role the judiciary plays, why some people don't like the Alaska Judicial Council, why Brett thinks it's the best possible system, and some well-known Supreme Court cases.
Jun 29, 2022•2 hr 40 min•Ep 265•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Democratic U.S. House candidate Mary Peltola and her campaign manager, Kim Jones. They discuss Peltoa's time serving in the Alaska Legislature, growing up in rural Alaska, her dad's longtime friendship with the late Congressman Don Young, how her campaign got her into the top-four in a 48 person race, Al Gross' withdrawal from the race, some of the issues facing Alaska, her strategy for the special general election, and why she decided to run for Congress.
Jun 25, 2022•44 min•Ep 264•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Rob Forbes, who is running in the special election for the Downtown Anchorage Assembly seat. They discuss his former business Shred Alaska, his new business the Eureka Space, the challenges of running a small business, why he decided to run for the Anchorage Assembly, some of the issues facing Anchorage and the state, and the acrimony between the Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson.
Jun 22, 2022•55 min•Ep 263•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was again joined by Scott McMurren from Alaska Travelgram. They discuss the high airfare prices that are still on the rise, some deals that are out there within the United States and abroad, the new airline flying direct from Anchorage to Frankfurt, some of the ways to use credit cards for travel benefits, and some clever ways to earn more elite qualifying miles.
Jun 21, 2022•38 min•Ep 262•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Mike Craig from Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. They discuss how he grew up in Valdez and Glenallen, how he turned a temporary one month job at Alyeska into a career that has lasted 39 years, his work at Alyeska since the early 1980s, keeping the Trans-Alaska Pipeline safe, and the upcoming 45th anniversary of the pipeline being in service.
Jun 18, 2022•27 min•Ep 261•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by Jodi Taylor, board chair of the Alaska Policy Forum. They discuss why her family moved to Alaska, how she met her husband Treg Taylor (the current attorney general), a recent article about the state reimbursing parents for some private school classes, how this has been going on for several years, the benefits of the program, and how education can be improved in our country.
Jun 14, 2022•43 min•Ep 260•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff was joined by former Anchorage Homeless Coordinator Dr. John Morris. They discuss the rules when drinking moonshine, his upbringing in West Virginia, why he decided to move to Alaska, why he decided to become an anesthesiologist, some of the science and history behind anesthesia, his time as homeless coordinator under Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, some of his thoughts on solving homelessness, and why the homelessness continues to be in issue in Anchorage.
May 31, 2022•50 min•Ep 259•Transcript available on Metacast 
