Knowles signs minimum wage bill into law ($7.50/hr in Alaska)

Governor Tony Knowles today signed a bill into law designed to put more money into the pocket of thousands of Alaskans. The measure raises the state's minimum wage to seven-dollars-and 15-cents an increase of a dollar-50.

More than 14-thousand workers across the state earn minimum wage, which currently stands at five-dollars and 65 cents.

When the governor proposed the increase early last year, the states minimum wage was the lowest on the west coast.

The governor signed the bill today in Anchorage at the midtown job center. Knowles says the new law ties in with the state's welfare reform efforts by ensuring that work pays better than welfare.

"When we encourage people to go to work, whether its young people starting out or whether they're people going from public assistance to work it's important that it pays to work. Having a decent minimum wage, a fair minimum wage is important to that," said Gov. Tony Knowles."It always pays to work. We know it does, it builds strong families and this way when they come home with a paycheck, they can, live off if."

The governor today also vetoed a bill that would have as he says negated the minimum wage increase for workers in remote seafood processing plants.

That measure would allow employers to charge workers for room and board. Alaskan law bans that practice.

Today marks the five-year anniversary of welfare reform in Alaska. That's when the state made sweeping changes to the way they provided cash assistance to families.

Governor Knowles says since the reforms the number of Alaskans on welfare has dropped by 40-percent.

People can now only receive cash benefits for a total of 60 months throughout their lifetimes.

Parents also need to be working, looking for a job, or taking part in some kind of activity that prepares them for work.

That is so true about the "outsiders"! We moved to rural Alaska from Houston, TX. We were warned that some of the locals resent outsiders. However, we've been here 3 years now and have gotten to know a lot of people in this community. When you get to know them (or maybe I should say when they get to know you!) they are some of the nicest, friendliest people. I love it here so much, and never want to leave. I just wish there was a good book store here though!!

But I can do without the malls and MacDonalds and such. They say people either love it or hate it here which seems to be the case. People come periodically for government jobs, and some miss the city life with all the stores and luxuries and end up leaving after a year. Then there are people like us who want to stay here forever.

Ya, we could never go back south. Living here changes your own perceptions of what is normal and acceptable. I need to be able to head out my back door for 250 miles without crossing a road. I need to be able to hunt for a few days without running into other hunters. These mnts talk to me too.

Wife and I are both teachers and get tons of job offers every summer, could probably teach anywhere in Alaska. We almost went off the road system on the kusko, then checked out yakutat(I wanted to go there but wife said no way to the barge every 2 weeks), then we signed with district out towards canadian border. So we are heading out that way end of summer. The mat-su valley is growing too fast, even where I live east of palmer. So we will still have road access but 300 miles from anch; so hope it is far enough out. We have dogteam and several snowmachines so should enjoy the country out there.

It took us several years to get to know everyone also; or maybe for them to get to know us. Anyway, there is an acclimation process when you come to Alaska. It's not just like moving from one state to another in the lower 48. All the different cultures and most Americans tend to be so ethnocentric (I think that's what its called) or judge everything by their value system. Most Americans are completely oblivious to the existence of cultures other than their own, no joke; I sure was.

Here is an experience that woke me up to this sort of thing. I have alot of native neighbors, pretty decent respectable people but they think differently than say Americans do. Of course they don't keep their yards manicured and usually have a collection outside but that is more of a cultural statement. Honestly, I feel more comfortable around my native neighbors than any white people in anchorage. I can trust them and have learned alot about how I fit into the country up here. I give them my second moose and they split it all up with relatives ect. These people big on sharing and have alot of real positive attributes. I do have one neighbor (only one) that drinks and you know how that goes. Anyway,quite a few years ago he had asked me to help him with his sweat; move some logs ect. Could I be over at 1:00 on sunday. So after church, headed over. Well he had been drinking with his cousins and I no sooner got there and he pulled a machete from a birch and come after me yelling all kinds of racial garbage. This guy gets blind drunk and his personality really does a change. Anyway, I should have picked up a 2x4 and dropped him but didn't see one so took off back to the truck. I was so irate I grabbed the mini-14 and went after him, WRONG MOVE. I half emptied a 30 rounder into the ground in his direction and they all went running into the house. Anyway, all my native neighbors stopped talking to me; felt like I had the plague for 2 years. Finally, the banishment wore off and we are all close again. Had one neighbor explain it to me this way: He said that natives are much more resigned to accepting what is dished out to them, they get a raw deal shut up and walk away. When I didn't walk away it was seen in a very negative sense. Don't matter that a machete was swinging after me, ha. Shows how cultures react differently. So the end of a crazy story that changed how I react in situations in Alaska. If I am ever in such a situation again, I will walk away and stay right with neighbors who are very decent honorable people (no alcohol). Just different cultural perceptions

What a story! We moved to rural Alaska; my husband took a job teaching at the rural UAF campus here. We are in the bush with no highway system, chain stores, which makes it seem like a whole different country. There are white people and native people. When I first came here, I wondered why the native people seemed so quiet and unexpressive, especially the men. They really do have different psychologies and culture. They are the most peaceful, non-agressive people I have ever run across. They do share, and confrontation is taboo.

However, as we know, they are prone to alcoholism. Now and then you'll see one walking down Main St. waving their arms around and screaming and cussing at no one in particular. It is such a normal part of the landscape here that everyone just goes about their business and hardly notices. But they are such gentle people. I often think of that expression from the Bible The Meek shall Inherit the Earth and I think of them.

However, it looks like there are dark forces in Anchorage who are all too eagar to get them to hate whites, to make them think whites are the enemy and hate them and so on. The bolshevik liberals I call those people. That sort of thing works wonders on other minorities, but not too well on the natives, as that is not in their nature. Although, when they get drunk, that sort of thing can come out, like that guy with the machete!!! I guess you were suppose to just get in the truck and haul ass!

I like to watch the native dancers when the AFN conference is going on. They have it on tv here. But some of the "natives" that are mostly white do sometimes give speeches on the evils of the white man. I get so tired of that stuff. The real natives don't really have that in them except for some when they are drunk. That's why I'm kind of bummed that the bolsheviks have invaded Anchorage, as they like to stir hatred and division where ever they go.

Our friends here are people who have lived here forever. We have more in common with them than with the others who come for government jobs. My husband and I are a little different to begin with, we never did like the status symbol lifestyle which was so prevalent in Houston. Here, people do not judge you on how you dress, or what kind of vehicle you drive and so on. They are more interested in what is on the inside. Life in general is more spiritual here. We are near the Kusko, I wonder if that's where you had an offer? I know in our town they are looking for lots of teachers at the high school, as quite a few left this past year.

I started to get along very well with my native neighbors, once I figured out all the cultural differences. As much my American differences as their native culture.

We were offered stony river but wanted red devil. Heard a few stories about people at stony and just didn't want to possibly put my kids through it. Could have went to several other places in Kuspuk, but knew a few people out red devil.

Ya know, all villages are different. Been to some total alcoholism, massive child abuse, terrible social problems. Teacher's house shot up. So you're the new white teachers they say. Take a walk through village and people yelling racial obscentities out their windows at you. Most everyone drunk all day long. Sad places, but even in those bad villages there are alot of good people too.

Been to other villages where the elders have pretty much run the booze out, took a stand to make the future better. People come out of their houses and introduce themselves, don't smell booze on anyone; honorable, respectable people. Kids passing qualifying exams in 11th grade, going onto college; dreams & futues. The elders & alcohol sure makes a difference. Boy, if there only was an economy.

Had one of my native neighbors tell me like this: She said many rural villages where her relatives live; the people were like her grandparents. She said it takes several generations living in our society to assimilate. Hold down jobs, buy trks, build houses, develop work ethic. She said actually, natives living where there is an economy are the lucky ones in the sense that they learn to function in both worlds.

Pretty hard to develop work ethic or desire to succeed when last 3-4 generations all have been on govt & tribal welfare and there are no jobs to be had anyway. So it's much more complex than most realize.

So anyway, we were offered jobs all over from southeast (best fishing in AK) to up north. We get several calls a week asking if we have signed with anyone.

We decided on Katie John's village out east, still on road system but 300 miles from anch. The people are related to my neighbors and we visited the place several times. My native neighbors of course prayed that we would go there and honestly; their advice holds some weight with me. Pretty respectable place, where the elders & tribal leaders have taken a stand. Big subsistence village, fish camp serious business. Anyway, we are looking forward to the people and country out there & cold winters of course. Snowmachines & dogteam. Try to continue the improvements the village & current teachers have started. 2 out of 3 kids that graduated last year are heading onto UAA. So Hope we can fill the shoes. The wife is working on her leadership/prin cert and has been teaching spec ed for 15 years. I'm working on my spec ed masters; so might be a good move for all concerned. Anyway, where are you all at on kusko?

Here's one. Do you use star band? what do you think of it? is that the way to go? We have a fiber-optic line to school but no houses in village served. Just wondering what type of wireless system is the best?

Ya know, I even get along with the radical natives; but not all that many out my way. They have learned to work the system through grants and are doing good things for their people. I have to hand it to them. I have heard that in many bush villages, the alcohol and younger leaders have pushed the elders aside and then all the racism begins; maybe again just my white boys perspective.

I still wouldn't trade my native neighbors for all the white people in anch; guess I'm just still that racist white guy deep inside. Keep enjoying Alaska, I can't get enough of her either.

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