Crazy Busy Post Office

The depressing news of the United States Post Office becoming obsolete (not to mention bankrupt) is everywhere today. I can certainly understand that some people have no need for it anymore--I too have suffered annoyance at opening my rural P.O. box, only to find boring bills and ridiculous political fliers inside. What's the use??
But alas, there are a few Alaskan post offices worth a visit if you don't believe they are still being utilized.
Example one: the Wasilla Post Office. Holy chickens! You can't even find a parking spot at this place, the line is slower than a snail, and everybody chats it up. Once you get through the grueling line of about 30 people, be prepared for the friendly but overly-thorough postal clerks.
Another Post Office: Palmer, AK. Palmer is the Mat-Su borough seat, so for some reason all the rural mail from Matanuska Glacier to Eklutna seems to go through here. (an area roughly the size of West Virginia)
Nevertheless, it is a common joke to meet up at the post office, especially at Christmas time --as everyone, and I mean EVERYONE will be in that line. It's the nuttiest thing ever, the line goes out the door, down the hall and the last unlucky person is smashed up against the emergency exit. I once cried at this post office, when a postal clerk told me to go to the back of the line, after I had filled out the wrong customs form.
Of course the reason for these crazy lines is due to packages. Everyone in Alaska is always sending some sort of box or receiving weird shaped items from mail order catalogs. At times, I do hear people mucking up the line by asking for money orders, or processing their passport papers to get into neighboring Canada.
If you really want to help out the Postal Service and their budget woes, buy something online that's made in Alaska, and have it shipped via USPS. Most Alaskans will begrudgingly endure hours of lines and post office chit chat, just to get you your package on time....

The Wasilla Windbag Speaks

I know the taping of Sarah Palin's Alaska happened already over the summer, so her little "I feed my kids smores " comment to protest Michelle Obama's (horrid!) recommendations against childhood obesity are already way outdated.....But nevertheless, I need to comment.

This again is like the millionth example of why Sarah P. has absolutely no critical thinking skills. It is a fact that Palin lives in Wasilla--surrounded by a huge population of people struggling with obesity. As I know locals bump into her at the Wasilla Wal-Mart, she must be aware of this. She does not pretend to surround herself with the well-off or well-educated.

So in Sarah's brain the obesity epidemic looks something like this: "well these poor folks choose to eat lots of chips, cakes and soda, yet don't exercise. Bless them and their future health problems, because it is their choice as Americans, you betcha!".

Here's where her thinking stops. Just stops I tell you. She can't comprehend what's next. Does she think low income obese people just disappear? Or do they all have some kind of magical free-market health plans that take care of life-style related illnesses and pay for them?

Back to reality--I worked for two years in low income disability services in Wasilla Alaska. Sarah's precious town. Does she have any idea how many people in WASILLA apply for Social Security Disability payments due to lifestyle related illness? A conservative estimate would be about 1/2 of those applying for SSDI had lifestyle disability. Heart disease, Diabetes II, lung cancer. Not to mention the Medicare & Medicaid payments.

So in Sarah's world, the Government has no right to recommend what to eat--just pay the disability $$ later on? Oh no, that's right -the Tea Party feels we should slash SSDI payments and Medicaid, etc....Those non-constitutional entitlement programs. So the answer for Sarah is: (if you can swallow this) "Eat what you want precious child. Get diabetes and heart disease--then I will make sure your government never pays to care for you, ha, ha!"

So is she just dumb, or EVIL?

Understanding Palin Vindictiveness

Often when one reads about Sarah Palin and company, especially in more local venues...the term "vindictive streak" is used to describe her. In other words, if someone speaks ill or wrongs the Palins, they just can't let it go....I have not yet read the book "Going Rogue", but apparently, a few former friends are thrown under the bus in that wonder of modern literature.
Living in Alaska, the vindictive thing is simply commonplace normality--but I want to clarify this type of behavior to the Blue State people who may not have experienced it....
First of all, remember, I love Alaska--the folksy values, honesty and old fashioned people--it is the friendliest place I have ever lived. That said though, there is this wacky (may I say 'red-neck?') type behavior in a few people where they just can't back away from a fight, pissing match, what have you...
Stories of shooting matches over fishing spots, beating up the neighbor over a fence line and other such civilized behavior makes the local news quite often. I remember hearing in Anchorage from a friend whose wooden bear statue was stolen by neighborhood kids. The family knows who did it, told the authorities and wham! statue was returned to the lawn...but beheaded. Just to show them, that they should not have told. I'll admit beheading is not that common, but the "I'll show them", thinking is.
Here's a completely unknown Sarah story: when Sarah Palin was a nothing, about 10 years ago, her sister was paying housing rent to a man that she also shared the bedroom with. This upset Sarah's sense of justice and brought out her inner vindictive 'pitbull'. She marched up the drive and demanded that said man stop requesting rent from her poor sister as the relationship was more than just renter. I guess it's sweet that Sarah wants to defend her sibling, but couldn't the adult sister decide for herself whether she should split the mortgage with her lover?
That said, it just doesn't seem like the Palins can outgrow this type of thinking, to start choosing their battles wisely, letting it roll off their backs and taking the high road...
And this could be our next president! Where's that new habitable planet that was discovered? Get me a launch ticket!

What Does 911 Have to do With Wasilla?

I am so frustrated having to drive around southcentral Alaska this week and see signs announcing "Rally to remember 911" at Wasilla sports complex. I have been in Alaska every year since 911 and nobody has given more than the occasional mini-speech or moment of silence up until now (sometimes not even that). Why the new interest in 2010?

As someone who actually was in the NY area during 911 I find this whole neo-concern obnoxious and suspicious at best. I don't know how many Alaskans were in NY then and saw the persistent smoke--(it went on for weeks), the strange smell in the air, the silence on the radio followed by excessive Enya songs for days on end....Not to mention the larger, more painful things--missing persons, knowing of a friend of a friend who was lost, or on their way downtown. The anxiety or phone calls from far away asking if you were ok, military jets flying overhead....

But now 9 years later Wasilla is all up in arms and going to show a massive graphic 911 slide show, supposedly with G. Beck and S. Palin in attendance--why? It doesn't sound like a vigil or respectable memorial service for the dead. The only thing a slide show will accomplish is getting people all paranoid again. Those images had to be stopped on the National media years ago, because they were scaring children!! Remember folks, all those ominous warnings--but yet nothing significant like this has happened in the 9 years since--so why get peoples panties in a bunch now?? I shudder to think what their real motive is to perpetuate this fear out of the blue.

Wasilla Alaska Rednecks 101

There has been a shocking amount of interest in the love drama between Sarah Palin's daughter and her baby daddy, Levi. Looking at all the media hype, many like to refer to the boy's apparent redneck pride.
Well let me tell you folks a few quick factoids about Wasilla:
1st- Many, many residents of Wasilla wear their redneck label as a badge of honor. Instead of "redneck" the other favorable term of endearment is "Valley Trash", as in "Proud to be Valley Trash" bumper stickers. (this term was actually coined by Ben Stevens, Senator Ted Stevens son)
2nd- Wasilla is the duct tape and Wal-Mart capital of the world. Don't know the exact standing as of today, but record amount of folks congregate at the Wasilla Wal-Mart and spend many of their purchasing dollars on Duct tape.
3rd- Wasilla high school has been called a "drop out Factory". There is not much stigma at all attached to dropping out of school in some parts of Alaska. Note that the baby-daddy himself may not have graduated.
4th- Wealth in Wasilla is measured purely by the size of your truck tires.
5th- It's hard to relate to the rest of the country as a born and bred Wasilla person. Note how Bristol's baby daddy was chewing gum on stage at the RNC! Yikes! I actually felt bad for him and just wish someone had told him to spit it out!!
Lastly: Some folks drive around with "Lord Help Me Get Through Wasilla" bumper stickers. I still haven't figured out if that means--help me avoid pulling over at the local meth lab, or please don't let me get struck by a monster truck....

That said, I really don't want to engage in too much Palin bashing, after all she is freakishly likable. But people really need to to get a better picture of what Wasilla really is. And is the world ready for it??