I have lived in Alaska for 70 years, 30 years longer than you Mr. Monte. YOu lived here only since the oil came on the the scene I have lived here before oil changed Alaska, not necessarily for the better. I am also a farmer all my life, inlcuding living the subsistenc lifestyle on a local homestead . Your letter is an insult to farmers everywhere, but especially to those hard working locals and old timers and pioneers without whom there would be no productive ag lands, no local produce, no farmer’s market or natural beef, not to mention year round jobs and livelihoods for growers all over the Kenai.

I dont know what planet you grew up on, but without a healthy environment there will be no healthy food, no healthy fish, (there goes that pristine industry!) and no healthy people. We cant eat gas and oil . We use fuel for farming, true, but its not cheap, thanks to the profit hungry oil industry who now on top of it want even more tax breaks or they will all go away?. give me a break! Shame on you , I want an apology for insinuating so blatantly that farming and clean fishing grounds and alternate energy sources are anti progress, anti development or anti anything. We are FOR a sustainable, renewable, and healthy Homer, which is why it is already such a very special place and tourist attraction, (also creating jobs, generating income for HOmer, promoting diversity and healthy lifestyles)

I think you should resign from the chamber of commerce (of which I am– up to now– a member) as you do not represent all of us!

Why did the Chamber of Commerce ask (and get) even more money this year from the City Council, who then wanted to tax Homer citizens on groceries?

Didn’t Buccaneer donate to the Chamber of commerce too?

Seems like the businesses in town have a bit of a good ole boys network, taking from the rest of us, working to promote each other and ways for business to make more money. But the citizens of Homer always get the shaft.

If you were such leaders, the business community would not need Homer citizens to subsidize you.

Now, I don’t think that jack up rig is good for tourism, do you?

Would a spill from a horribly incompetent company be good for tourism?

What would a spill do to the fishing industry?

Is it right to give Buccaneer water rights over Alaskans so you can have cheap fuel, because they are using their false scarcity lie to give away our rights. I don’t trust this company, or any of the leaders who have been lying and there have been many.

One more thing, Forcing people to pay a corporation for gas lines whether or not they want natural gas is fascism. Fascism is the marriage of government and corporation. It is not some great accomplishment by our City Council. Good Grief!