Liberal AK? (Anchorage, Juneau and, Fairbanks: how much, house, construction)

[NYtoAK]

Hello everyone. Just another one of those lower 48ers who dreams of moving to Alaska for one one reason or another. As You can see Im from NY. Im and avid outdoorsman, and those moose and mountains have been calling me for many years. Im also an indepenant minded person who likes doing things for myself, and making my own way through life. Here in NY, the govt controls everything you do, and taxes you to death, and the liberal elitist mindset is the norm. I always figured a place like Alaska would be more my cup of tea, but the more posts I read, the more it seems like alot of people in Alaska, texas and even montana are actually quite liberal in their views. Not saying they dont have a right to think the way they do, Im just curious' Is this true? Are areas like wasilla, palmer, fairbanks more conservative than say anchorage? Thanks for any input.

[stiffnecked]

I wouldn't use the term liberal. Most of us just want the government to stay out of our business. Like me. If I want to be a polygamist then the government doesn't have any business telling me I can't do that. Live and let live.

[Jason28]

I would say a lot of Alaskans are independent and free thinking more than your typical narrow, closed minded, canned views of say "Republicans" or "Democrats". I would also use those words interchangeably, as I believe both parties are identical in the aspect of being bought and paid for. This just goes for your average citizen though, as the good ol' boy network of politics is still alive and well in this state, much like any other. Otherwise assclowns like Sarah Palin would never have gotten into power.

[NYtoAK]

Thanks for the response. Personally my beef w/the govt is the ridiculous over regulation of normal day to day living from motor vehicles, to guns, to construction, to how much water you flush when you take a crap( thats a real law here) and the envriowackos in the EPA w/ their new regulations, well thats whole nother thing

People here are also soooooooo damn PC its sickening, they care more about the rights of child molesters, murders, and terrorists, than the victims themselves, in the words of C.Heston, "its a madhouse".

[Marty Van Diest]

You will find plenty of people agree with you. Alaska is generally a conservative state...but it's a different kind of a conservative. A little more toward libertarian than most but also different than that. I'm a republican but that doesn't keep me from voting however I want to.

Independent is the best way to describe Alaskans. You will find many friends who chafe at the over regulation in this country.

[NYtoAK]

Hmmm maybe I should clarify my defintion of liberal and conservative.

Liberal to me, means: Pro guncontrol, anti capitalism, pro redistribution of wealth, pro open borders, pro abortion( which I consider sanctioned murder), appeasement of foreign countries who have express aggression towards the USA, expecting the govt to supply you w/ healthcare ,food, housing and employment(employment optional), sympathetic views of how criminals should be punished/ Anti law enforcement. anti oil drilling and exploration.

Conservative to me means: Little or no regulation of firearms while increasing the regulation and penalties for violent criminals, protecting the life of the unborn, low taxes, less govt spending , little or no govt entiltments for able bodied citizens, less govt subedizing and regulation of healthcare, auto ,and banking industries. free market solutions to economic problems. Responsible, but aggressive oil exploration and drilling. Pro law enforcement. Strong national defense.

I really dont care about peoples views of the dems or pubs partys, im more concerned in the day to day culture and beliefs of the average AKan

So I ask, in your opinion, based on my opinion is AK more conservative or more liberal?

[Metlakatla]

I don't want the government in my business either. That means I don't want them telling me who I can and cannot marry ( I'm hetero so far but damn it if I wake up gay one of these days I want the same rights I had as a breeder) and I don't want anyone imposing the laws of their false interpretation of Jesus Christ onto my life and I sure as hell don't want the damned feds trying to tell me I can't brew a little adult beverages in the privacy of my own home. I'm a liberal, or so they say around here. Must be one because according to CC I can't hit a barn with a sawed off 12 gauge (I can hit the side of his house though).

What you will probably not find in Alaska outside of a certain area is any sort of neo-con haven. What you will find is people who can actually be decent neighbors and friends without anyone trying to shove their ideology down anyone's throats. Quite often...among your acquaintances and casual friends....you don't really know where they stand on things because not very many people really wear it on their sleeves.

Jason is correct...it isn't quite so partisan here.

There are plenty of right reasons to move to Alaska and while it's true that you won't find a lot of urban liberals cluttering up the place, I think that you need to have more solid reasons than just getting away from a certain mindset. And maybe you have them. If you like the outdoor type of lifestyle, fishing, et al, then it's very much worth looking into.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Jason28

I would say a lot of Alaskans are independent and free thinking more than your typical narrow, closed minded, canned views of say "Republicans" or "Democrats".

Up until recently, I would have said this was true. However, the last few weeks have clearly demonstrated that a significant number of so-called "independent minded" Alaskans are firmly planted in the two party system, and view any challenge to the established parties as a form of treason or heresy.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by NYtoAK

Hmmm maybe I should clarify my defintion of liberal and conservative.

Liberal to me, means: Pro guncontrol, anti capitalism, pro redistribution of wealth, pro open borders, pro abortion( which I consider sanctioned murder), appeasement of foreign countries who have express aggression towards the USA, expecting the govt to supply you w/ healthcare ,food, housing and employment(employment optional), sympathetic views of how criminals should be punished/ Anti law enforcement. anti oil drilling and exploration.

Conservative to me means: Little or no regulation of firearms while increasing the regulation and penalties for violent criminals, protecting the life of the unborn, low taxes, less govt spending , little or no govt entiltments for able bodied citizens, less govt subedizing and regulation of healthcare, auto ,and banking industries. free market solutions to economic problems. Responsible, but aggressive oil exploration and drilling. Pro law enforcement. Strong national defense.

I really dont care about peoples views of the dems or pubs partys, im more concerned in the day to day culture and beliefs of the average AKan

So I ask, in your opinion, based on my opinion is AK more conservative or more liberal?

Using your definitions, Alaska is more conservative than liberal. But that is not to say that Alaska meets your definition of conservative 100%. On a per capita basis, the Alaska State budget is the largest in the nation.

It also depends on your location in Alaska. Juneau and Anchorage are far more liberal than any other city in the State. There are also a few small towns, like Talkeetna and Girdwood, that are more liberal than conservative. If you can handle the extreme cold, Fairbanks might be a better choice for you. Wasilla and Palmer are also more conservative, but the Mat-Su Borough is more liberal.

[Metlakatla]

As far as your firearms questions I am fairly pro 2nd Amendment but I'm also a parent, and I remember all too well one day when for about ten minutes all that anybody knew was that there had been a shooting at a school and that all of the schools in the area were in lockdown. My son was in one of those schools but he wasn't in Thurston High School. But for a few minutes there, we didn't know what school...

so...I'm very much against firearms in the hands of IDJITS. Too many urban punks running around.

In rural Alaska, firearms are a tool, nothing more and nothing less.

Oh, and I also agree with CC that the NRA is a money machine run by a fat Frenchman and that they're laughing all the way to the bank.

As far as law enforcement....village cops and some troopers are okay but I hate to see some of the troopers coming around to rural Alaska and try to make our communities into their own little personal police states.

Abortion=murder.

Redistribution of wealth is a great idea. We bailed out the wrong people; should have bailed out the working people who lost their jobs because of those Wall Street idjits.