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You don’t have to remind me that Alaska only has about 670,000 citizens. That’s not much in the grand scheme of national politics. Because of that low number, we only have one Representative in the House, his name is Don Young. He is a Republican from Fairbanks and has held his seat for decades. But, I for one am ready for a change. Mr. Young reaffirmed my feelings by not participating in the most recent House vote pertaining to the war in Iraq. According to the ADN (Anchorage Daily Newspaper), Mr. Young did not cast a vote on whether to drastically change strategies in Iraq. The House tally was 223-201 in favor of changing courses, troop withdrawals starting in four months, and a complete change of mission by next year. All these against the President’s wishes. I don’t know why Mr. Young chose not to vote. Perhaps he was out of town. Maybe something came up that could not wait until one of the four months per year that Congress does not convene. Perhaps he was ill. Perhaps he didn’t see the need to vote, given that his vote would have been in the minority, and not made much difference. Whatever the case, I feel he is derelict of his duties on such an important issue. Not only did he blow off his constituents in Alaska, he also sent a bad message to the troops that they are unimportant. Mr. Young’s voting record (or lack of voting record) has been a topic of debate in the past. He defends it by saying that some of the votes are not necessary and a waste of his precious time. I submit that voting in Congress is exactly what he is sent to Washington DC to do. His job is to represent us back in the state by voting for us. I am not interested in his little news sound bites, or pictures of all his Alaskan paraphernalia in his office, or even what lopsided federal spending he brings to our state. No, I am interested in his voting record. It is a barometer of his representation of us. And quite frankly, it sucks. His non-participation actually emboldens these left leaning idiots like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed. Look, I realize that many Alaskans are fed up with this so called war. And whether you support a change of course or not doesn’t really matter in this case. No, what matters to me is that our representative, the one we voted into office, the one we sent to DC on our behalf, actually shows up and participates in the process. You know, earns his freakin’ pay. Lets all start now in finding his replacement. And don’t talk to me about idiots like Ethan Berkowitz. Let’s find a good replacement who can actually remember why he was sent to DC. Later
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