How will Alaska weather this storm? (Fairbanks, Valdez: mortgage, refinance, credit)

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by southeasttexas

I get what you are saying, the Obamamessiah is all but elected, now. It pains me to think America wants a President that seems to resent this very country. Obamamessiah is just the symptom, though. It's this corrupt culture we live in, people have lost not only morality, but patriotism, and common sense. Wether the Obamamessiah is elected or not:

As for me and my house, we will trust in the Lord! (the real One!)

Thats why, at least for me and my house, things will be OK!

Well, no actually. My point was more along the lines that people think one man, be it Obama, McCain, Fabio, can change what's going on. And the action doesn't happen in Congress either. Lobbyists (sp?) and special interest groups run this country, and crooked bankers, and some other puppet stringers. But, I digress.....

I wonder why the leaf lickers aren't all over this? I mean, wouldn't they be concerned about how agribusiness is knocking the evolution and natural food chain out of whack? I guess they're too busy telling us that in order to increase the fish population (salmon, for instance) humans need to be eating "bottom feeder fish" or as they say, those on the lower end of the food chain, mainly anchovies and sardines. That way, we'd be saving the salmon. No cr*p. I heard this on the radio yesterday along with some very convincingly tasty (yeah right) recipes to entice you. And we don't have to worry about taking the salmon's food source away, because we're feeding them corn, you see.....oh more *Boo-ha-ha*

I'm going home to worship that orb in the sky that seems to have come out and crack a beer, yes, a chilled Alaskan IPA is calling my name. Have a good one guys.

[RayinAK]

At the moment, not necessarily about Alaska, but towns where heating fuel is used to heat one's home, the immediate concern is not the economy, but the high cost of fuel. Lots of people are moving out of the interior to the lower-48. It is good idea for those folks from the lower-48, who are planning to move to Alaska, to become informed in relation to the high cost of living, including the high cost of fuel. Things such as this are taking place more often each day around Fairbanks:
newsminer.com • Affordable heat?

[Barkingowl]

Ray, people in the New England states & the upper Midwest are going to be having the same troubles this winter as AK. I'd say that if you're an AK resident & you want to move to the lower 48, then get as far south as possible, at least for the winter.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Oh yes, lets all migrate like the geese! Oh wait... it's almost as expensive to fly as to heat your house in the winter. Hmmmm maybe we should all just walk.... I'm sure if we started now, we'd be somewhere warm by the time winter hits. [/sarcasm]

[snkalaska]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

At the moment, not necessarily about Alaska, but towns where heating fuel is used to heat one's home, the immediate concern is not the economy, but the high cost of fuel. Lots of people are moving out of the interior to the lower-48. It is good idea for those folks from the lower-48, who are planning to move to Alaska, to become informed in relation to the high cost of living, including the high cost of fuel. Things such as this are taking place more often each day around Fairbanks:
newsminer.com • Affordable heat?

I heard you had about 300 people in Fairbanks at the AGIA meeting telling them about the oil prices. With the kind of cold you guys get it is really serious.
My friend works for the fuel company in Seward and she has people coming in saying they can't afford the fuel and are moving South. I don't know why they don't just move a couple hours to Kenai instead. My gas bill has gone up some but it's not bad.
Have you looked into the new rebate program? If not, go to the AHFC website. No income requirement, you just have to be able to move up one star in energy rating to qualify.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Barkingowl

Ray, people in the New England states & the upper Midwest are going to be having the same troubles this winter as AK. I'd say that if you're an AK resident & you want to move to the lower 48, then get as far south as possible, at least for the winter.

Good points. Some folks are just moving closer to relatives in the lower-48. One of my coworkers did that a few days ago. Folks with fixed income are also selling their homes, and then either moving to an apartment, or moving South. My wife and I I have been lucky to have retired young already, and working on second retirements. But some folks are struggling up here.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by snkalaska

I heard you had about 300 people in Fairbanks at the AGIA meeting telling them about the oil prices. With the kind of cold you guys get it is really serious.
My friend works for the fuel company in Seward and she has people coming in saying they can't afford the fuel and are moving South. I don't know why they don't just move a couple hours to Kenai instead. My gas bill has gone up some but it's not bad.
Have you looked into the new rebate program? If not, go to the AHFC website. No income requirement, you just have to be able to move up one star in energy rating to qualify.

I have been working on that, and am in the process of installing a wood stove, cutting and splitting firewood, replacing old windows and the garage doors with more efficient ones, etc.

[elgusano]

Well, at least I love anchovies and sardines. And salmon.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by elgusano

Well, at least I love anchovies and sardines. And salmon.

These are delicious I usually catch enough salmon to last from one season to the next year's season, and have been quite lucky during the moose season for the past 12 years or so. Hopefully it will continue this way for a while

[elgusano]

I have had a broken ankle that I've had several surgeries over, so I've not been able to moose hunt. This year, my ankle is well enough. Hopefully I can find someone to go with. (Or, I can do like that one guy did that sat in the Tesoro parking lot waiting on the hour to click over and shoot the one that had been standing there for about an hour.)

Between sportfishing, dipnetting, and snagging, we have enough salmon to supply ourselves and then some. We're finishing up halibut from 2004 (we froze it in water instead of vacuum packing, so it's still good), and my wife caught a 72 pounder last year, so we're good on fish.

Good prices on locally grown beef is nice, too. $3.99 for 94% lean.