Political Quotes

“I rise this evening for just a few minutes to talk about the upcoming BRAC and the impact we are seeing in my State of Alaska, up in the interior, in the communities of Fairbanks and North Pole. They call this the golden heart of the State of Alaska. The people of Alaska are strong and very consistent supporters of a strong national defense. They are even stronger supporters of the men and women who serve in our military and their families. In a State where support for our servicemen and servicewomen and their missions is both given and constant, the golden heart of Alaska probably beats strongest in the areas of Fairbanks and North Pole. So on the morning of May 13--Friday the 13th, oddly enough--the people of the interior of Alaska awoke to the news that the Department of Defense had proposed to realign Eielson Air Force Base. Under the terms of this realignment, all of the Air Force active-duty operations would be transferred elsewhere. The realignment would cause the relocation of about 2,800 Air Force personnel and 3,300 dependents. It would cause the loss of 4,700 jobs, both military and civilian jobs, within the Fairbanks area. It would mean the full transfer of A-10 and F-16 aircraft to bases in the lower 48. It would wreak havoc on the local economy and force major changes upon the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. To the people of interior Alaska, they do not look at this as a realignment. It sounds to them, to us, exactly like a closing.…”