Rural Energy
From the collapse in the housing market to failed financial institutions and bankrupt automobile manufacturers, the economic downturn has impacted all segments of our country, resulting in massive layoffs and high unemployment. Reversing this trend will require less government intervention, not more.
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Tribal Health
As a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions, Lisa Murkowski is a proven champion of Alaska Native health issues. She is the first member of the delegation to be recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Indian Health Board for her work on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
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Economy
From the collapse in the housing market to failed financial institutions and bankrupt automobile manufacturers, the economic downturn has impacted all segments of our country, resulting in massive layoffs and high unemployment. Reversing this trend will require less government intervention, not more.
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Fiscal Conservatism
The policies of the administration and Democrats in Congress have led to too much government in the work place and in our daily lives. From controlling financial institutions, automakers and health insurance options, to dictating what types of energy sources are desirable and what policies state and local governments must adopt to receive federal funds, we have seen a tsunami of government intrusion.
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Second Amendment
The right to keep and bear arms is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans. Our Founding Fathers created the Second Amendment to safeguard individual’s rights to hunt, defend themselves, and protect against tyranny. I have long argued that the Second Amendment protects an individual right.
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Health Care
Given our low population density and unique geography, Alaska’s health care costs have traditionally been higher than the rest of the United States. Growing costs affect practitioners and recipients alike, preventing the delivery of health care services at an affordable price. These costs are only expected to increase without significant health care reform.
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Energy
Alaskans know well the impact energy has on their daily lives and on our state’s development, both past and future. Some 31 percent of all Alaskan jobs, one-third of the state’s total economy, and 85 percent of state government revenues in some way lead back to the oil and gas industry. I believe we must grow our production of oil and gas, both for the benefit of Alaska and the nation. But I also believe we should diversify our energy supply and find better, more affordable ways to heat our homes, fuel our vehicles and run our businesses.
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Veterans
With 75,000 veterans, Alaska is home to more veterans per capita than any other state. Ensuring that the Veterans Administration has adequate resources to serve the needs of the current generation of veterans and those of conflicts past is one of Congress’ most important responsibilities.
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Fisheries
Alaska’s subsistence, commercial, and sport fisheries are major contributors to the state’s economy. They symbolize our frontier way of life. Our State has the nation’s most abundant fisheries, with an annual catch of nearly 5 billion pounds per year for the past two decades and an economic output of almost $6 billion annually. As Alaskans, our continued success is the result of sound management that protects Alaska’s natural bounty while providing a good living for so many Alaskans. Senator Lisa Murkowski is committed to keeping our commercial, subsistence and sport fisheries strong.
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Military
Alaska’s destiny as a strategic location for military basing was predicted by legendary General Billy Mitchell, who in 1935 observed, “I believe that, in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world… I think it is the most important strategic place in the world.” The military has played a significant role in Alaska’s growth and development ever since.
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Arctic
The United States is an Arctic nation because of Alaska. It’s a time of great change in the region. The implications of those changes on the lives of the local residents – not to mention our national security and economical and environmental interests – demand that greater attention be focused on the region. I have been an unwavering proponent of Arctic issues since joining the Senate in 2002.
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Forestry
Having been born and spent my early years in the Tongass National Forest, I know what a healthy forest industry can mean for our state. Forestry in the Tongass used to be a major economic component – along with fishing, mining and tourism – of the Panhandle’s economy, at one time fueling more than 6,000 jobs and $300 million in annual revenue to the state. Today, the industry is struggling after a series of federal policy changes, closure of the region’s pulp mills and the negative effects of the world timber market.
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Tourism
Alaska’s natural beauty and bountiful wildlife are near and dear to all of our hearts. Our close relationship with Alaska’s wildlife is evident in our everyday lives, from hiking and camping to fishing and hunting, or even just going for a Sunday drive. They are also important economic engines for our state. Tourism produces about 37,500 jobs and generates revenue for local communities – each year tourists leave behind approximately $1 billion. While tough economic times have limited tourism growth, I believe we can tap additional markets through improved marketing, spread visitors out across the state to prevent overcrowding and help more parts of Alaska benefit, and expand on the potential for winter tourism.
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Education
One of the keys to a healthy economy and healthy community is a well-educated population and workforce. In a world that is growing increasingly interconnected, it doesn’t matter if you live in Hooper Bay or New York City. Access to a quality education along with the willingness to work hard will provide Alaskan children every opportunity to succeed in life. After all, there is no monopoly on brains, and a good education is the ultimate stimulus package.
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Climate Change
We see the impact of climate change in Alaska every day. From receding glaciers and thinning sea ice to beach erosion and the Interior’s extended summer fire season, the shifts we see in the natural world around us cannot be denied. It’s important we address both the causes and impacts of global climate change, but it must be done through a truly balanced energy policy. One that creates jobs, revitalizes the economy and improves our nation’s energy security, and does so with good stewardship of the environment.
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Foreign Policy
It’s easy to think of Alaska as isolated – a far-flung state, surrounded by mountains, ice and water, disconnected from the rest of the country. But our geographic location at the crossroads of North America and Asia and our position as the nation’s only Arctic state are among our greatest assets.
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Mining
Even in these trying economic times, Alaska’s minerals industry is a bright spot for our state. Exploration and development expenditures in 2009 surpassed $3 billion for the fourth year in a row and mining now employs more than 4,000 people statewide. It’s essential that America promote environmentally conscious mineral development; from gold, silver, and copper, to zinc, rare-earth elements and molybdenum. Alaska has its share of these minerals to contribute.
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Labor
Alaska’s workers – from the fishermen of Southeast to the oil-field workers on the North Slope and the miners, teachers, ferry workers, homebuilders, public health nurses and everyone else in between, are among the hardest working people in the world. They succeed in the toughest of environments and are the reason Alaska has become a modern state in just 50 years.
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Immigration
The topic of immigration, border security and what to do with the estimated 10 to 12 million illegal aliens residing in the United States remains a pressing issue before Congress and generates tremendous emotional response across the ideological spectrum. While many suggest this is an issue that must be dealt with in a comprehensive manner, I believe we are more likely to achieve success if the issue is broken down into manageable pieces.
Abortion
During my time in the Senate, I have consistently supported the Hyde Amendments that since 1976 have prohibited any federal dollars from funding abortion or abortion-related services. And one of the most important bills that I supported, which was ultimately signed into law by President Bush in 2003, is the law banning partial-birth abortions.
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Alaska Native
Alaska Natives have earned great respect within the national Native American community for their incredible success in self determination, taking over programs once delivered by the federal government and instead delivering them directly through tribes and tribal consortia responsible to the Native people they serve.
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