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Oh god. I saw that when it originally aired. Sometimes the brain forgets in order to get past traumatic events, but I just had to click that video tonight.
Truly appalling. Watch her eyes look up in her head as she searches for a way to pull off an answer. She's fighting panic, and it really gets going once she states the bailout is about helping people concerned with healthcare reform. And job creation! And shoring up! And tax reduction! It's a dessert topping! And a floor wax! Also!
Quite a few times; I've been around Alaska for most of my life. Not sure what your point is, but the Alaskan tourism industry extends far beyond Anchorage. Anchorage has no sales tax, by the way. The tourism money is primarily in the outlying resorts and in the port cities. Ever been to Skagway, Ketchikan, or Juneau? Ever seen or stayed at a Princess resort? Their parent company is British Petroleum.
There's lots of tourist money in Anchorage. And jobs catering to tourists.
Oh, I get what you mean....I seem to have implied that tourism raises money for the state. And that would be wrong. However there is that 12% city tax on hotel rooms in Anchorage. They only collected 15 million the first nine months of this year because of the recession. Ok, admittedly not all the people staying in Anchorage hotels are tourists but a lot of them are.
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The state does receive some revenue from tourism but a good portion of that comes from other countries and not from the lower 48. And people wouldn't come here if there weren't something quite wonderful to see. Ever seen Mt McKinley at 40 below when the sun is rising and setting at the same time and the alpenglow is ringing the whole horizon and the sky is a color of blue that you've never even seen in your wildest dreams? We certainly don't force tourists to come here but we do understand that they aren't doing so out of "charity"
Doesn't matter whether the tourists are from the US or other countries. They generate income for the governments -- if not the state, then the local governments -- that doesn't come from the pockets of Alaskans.
Well, look: Obama has not provided proof of his citizenship. Why? He could easily put the argument to rest if he would. Why would he not want to do this, unless he has not proof?
The registration in Hawaii is not a "Certificate of Live Birth".
He was born in Kenya, acording to his own family.
This is absurd. Part of the stipulation is, a U.S. citizen, born in country, not naturalized. Does anyone really think that the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court would swear him in without first checking the facts? As a rule, Supreme court justices are really sticklers for the law.
There's lots of tourist money in Anchorage. And jobs catering to tourists.
Oh, I get what you mean....I seem to have implied that tourism raises money for the state. And that would be wrong. However there is that 12% city tax on hotel rooms in Anchorage. They only collected 15 million the first nine months of this year because of the recession. Ok, admittedly not all the people staying in Anchorage hotels are tourists but a lot of them are.
A good majority of the jobs catering to tourists in Anchorage...and elsewhere ini the state of Alaska...are held by non residents. It really isn't a bad deal for college students. retirees, or others who are between jobs, whatever. But the tourism industry really doesn't provide sustainable employment for many Alaskan residents.
Quite a few places in the -48 do have a "room tax", by the way. Anchorage is an international city and I'm guessing that the 15 mil. you're talking about is pretty much chump change compared to what some -48 cities rake in from room taxes.
Tourism in Alaska is a complex issue. People visit and they see stores and lodging facilities and people working in them et al, and they get the impression that the tourism industry is providing all these jobs and all these business opportunities for locals.
90% of the people you'll see working in Skagway, for instance, are from out of state, if not from out of the country. Sorry, but those of us who live there need more than three months of nine bucks an hour.
You're quite wrong here. Northern Lights viewing is a very popular tourist attraction in Alaska. There are resorts that consider the winter months to be their prime season. Check out Chena Hot Springs. And the Iditarod and Iron Man bring in visitors from all over the world, as do several other events. Snowmachiners and skiers come in droves. And this is really the type of sustainable tourism that really benefits the state as opposed to the cruise ships and the establishments affiliated with them.
Quite a few places in the -48 do have a "room tax", by the way. Anchorage is an international city and I'm guessing that the 15 mil. you're talking about is pretty much chump change compared to what some -48 cities rake in from room taxes.
You're quite wrong here. Northern Lights viewing is a very popular tourist attraction in Alaska. There are resorts that consider the winter months to be their prime season. Check out Chena Hot Springs. And the Iditarod and Iron Man bring in visitors from all over the world, as do several other events. Snowmachiners and skiers come in droves. And this is really the type of sustainable tourism that really benefits the state as opposed to the cruise ships and the establishments affiliated with them.
Oh please. I didn't say there were no tourists but the number of winter tourists is nothing compared to the summer. Oh, you forgot that big tourist draw -- Fur Rondy. People just flock to the state to see it...
I'm not sure what your point is. A small community near where I have my winter home in Oregon has a nine percent room tax. The city of Los Angeles has a 14 percent tax, I believe. But yet you want to slam Alaska because they do what is the norm in other places.
Believe it or not, quite a few visitors to Anchorage are actually business travelers. Most tourists in Alaska have other destinations.
I don't like Palin any better than you do, but dissing the entire state simply because she was a short term elected official here is something I'm have a bit of difficulty understanding.
I'm not sure what your point is. A small community near where I have my winter home in Oregon has a nine percent room tax. The city of Los Angeles has a 14 percent tax, I believe. But yet you want to slam Alaska because they do what is the norm in other places.
Why do you think I'm "slamming" Alaska. I'm stating facts. They get most of their money from the pockets of outsiders be it oil royalties paid by the oil companies and passed on to the consumers, from tourists and from the federal government.
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Most tourists in Alaska have other destinations.
Don't think so. Travelers -- maybe. Tourists -- no way. For most people who would consider themselves "tourists", Alaska is a destination, not a side trip. That doesn't mean that travelers don't do some of the tourist stuff but that doesn't make them tourists.
I've already explained that a good portion of the federal monies that go into the State of Alaska go to the military. That supposedly benefits the entire U.S.
The average Alaskan sees no benefit whatsoever from the tourism industry. Actually, the tourist industry has pretty much wrecked the economy of the port cities.
Once again, Anchorage is basically a pit stop for most Alaskan tourists/travelers. They may spend one night there and then continue on. I really can't hold their room tax against them though, since it's common practice in much of the U.S.
Once again, most of the tourism related jobs (during the summer) are held by non residents.
The cruise ships provide the bulk of the tourists to Alaska. These people, by nature, are not travelers. And most of the money they spend goes directly to outside interests.
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