I graduated from East High School in 1976. Following the lead of my Alaskan bush pilot father, I developed a passion for aviation. I learned to fly on Merrill Field and launched my flying career there, which allowed me to fly around erupting volcanos in Hawaii, land seaplanes in the Bahamas, and obtain a terrific airline job with Southwest Airlines.

My flying career has taken me to many places, but the love I have for Alaska has never wained. In 2015, our family business, opened an office in Anchorage. It has been a privilege and honor to share my love of flying with our customers.

Rapidly rising inflation is crippling our country’s economy. Covid related shutdowns and shut-ins forced a heavy burden on the supply and demand of many supplies needed for almost every aspect of our lives. In addition, the massive decrease of drilling for crude oil and natural gas in the United States has further decreased the ability of supplies to be transported. This combination of high demand and a lack of products creates inflation.

The penalty for a crime needs to be appropriate for the misdeed and enforced. If the consequence for committing a crime is not severe enough to be a deterrent people will continue to break the law. Making new laws to combat crime is not the answer. Enforcing the ones we have is the best place to start.

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are a firm foundation for building a bright future for our children. However, we must look to their future with focused trades and life building skills to advance our youth to the next step. Teaching our children these skills can begin to reshape our education system, because America’s youth is the future of our country.