Yes Man Dan

Sen. Dan Sullivan is a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel. I am a Marine Corps veteran who asks how he can support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) when it removes veteran privileges for federal food benefits. In one case an elderly veteran in the Fairbanks area, who is on oxygen, signed up for “Meals on Wheels” because the Food Bank is too far away to safely drive frozen winter roads. He does not qualify under OBBBA. 



Under the new OBBBA a veteran must now work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours/month unless they are 64 years old. Alaska State Sen. Scott Kawasaki, who co-chairs Alaska’s Joint Armed Services Committee, called the new work requirements “Misdirected policies that would deny Veterans benefits they have already earned through their sacrifices.” Alaska’s population is 10 to 10.5% of Veterans (68,985 people in FY 2023). More than 35% are 65 years or older. Where is Sullivan’s sense of duty and compassion for fellow Veterans? 

Sen. Sullivan addressed the Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature in February 2026. He bragged about how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or OBBBA would benefit the state’s health care system, but Alaska Rep. Genevieve Mina cited that up to 12,000 Alaskans were at risk of losing medical coverage. In addition, Alaskans would have to comply with eligibility checks every six months (instead of annually.) Such a burden would collapse the state’s already struggling Division of Public Assistance. Sullivan’s response was he was unaware of that information. Was this a lie of omission to fail to mention the negative impacts of OBBBA? While Sen. Sullivan praised the OBBBA he failed to mention that Trump Administration cancelled $280 million in previously awarded Alaskan environmental and renewable energy grants. A lie of omission or he simply didn’t know? 

Other critics of the bill describe the OBBBA as a “massive transfer of wealth” noting the top 1% of earners get an average tax cut of approximately $100,000 while the lowest earners see a reduction of $120. 


Sen. Sullivan is among the top 1% of wealth earners in America. Between 2018 and 2025 his wealth went from $2.37 million to $9.6 million. That is a quadruple gain of $305%. Did he have illegal insider stock trading knowledge? 

In his military uniform, Yes Man Dan stands tall, but his answers fall short. Either lies of omission or he doesn’t fully understand the consequences of what he votes on. In either case Alaska needs a Senator whose integrity is beyond question and that’s why I’m voting for Mary Peltola! 

Michael McCarthy

Homer’s ATV ban is out of touch with Alaska life

Growing up in Naknek I saw firsthand that a four-wheeler is not a toy; it is a vital tool for Alaska survival. In the Bristol Bay region, there isn’t a family that doesn’t rely on an all-terrain vehicle for commercial fishing, subsistence, trapping, hunting and beachcombing. I still carry the memories of heading to the beach after winter storms to search for woolly mammoth tusks frozen in the eroded banks, or the adrenaline of racing the incoming tide back to safety. From spinning donuts on the winter ice to pulling sleds behind our machines, these vehicles were the center of our community. 

With the rising price of gasoline, these vehicles are far more economical than full-sized trucks for daily commutes. While major urban hubs like Anchorage, Kenai and Soldotna have banned ATVs due to their massive traffic volumes and multi-lane highways, Homer stands alone as a smaller community that has “opted out” of the state’s progress. By maintaining City Ordinance 21-33, Homer is penalizing working-class families and students who rely on these vehicles for their livelihoods. The inconsistency in our local regulations is even more glaring when compared to the recent legal battles over Kachemak Bay. For years, personal watercraft (jet skis) were banned here to protect sensitive species like Northern sea otters, Pacific harbor seals, and marbled murrelets in their nesting and nursing grounds. 

However, as noted in the 2024-2025 Alaska Supreme Court updates regarding the Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat Area, the state has moved to allow these motorized craft, recognizing that these bans often lacked biological necessity. If the state acknowledges that motors can be operated responsibly near harbor seal haul-outs, puffin nesting colonies, or migratory waterfowl foraging in the bay, there is no logical reason to ban rubber-tired ATVs on paved city streets and gravel roads and trails. Unlike the bay, our roads have no Pacific herring spawning grounds or humpback whale migration paths that could be affected by a resident riding a four-wheeler to work or school. 

The Alaska Department of Public Safety already mandates that “street-legal” ATVs must be registered, insure, and equipped with headlights and brakes, making them as safe as any motorcycle. In every village across Alaska, these vehicles are the backbone of the community because they fit our rugged lifestyle and our budgets. Homer should stop trying to mimic the restrictive atmosphere of a large city and instead embrace the practical, resourceful spirit that the rest of the state has already adopted. It is time for the City Council to repeal this ban and let Alaskans use the tools they need to live and work in the town we call home. 

In small villages across the state, it is a rite of passage for kids to ride their own four-wheelers to school as their primary transportation until they are old enough to own an automobile. If Homer were like every other town in Alaska, I would be creating enduring memories with my daughter. She would have her own machine and helmet, and we would start our bikes at our house without fear of recrimination. We would be riding the beach, discovering wildlife, or switch-backing up the telephone trail to admire the unrivaled view from the top. 

Homer should stop mimicking the restrictive atmosphere of a large city and instead embrace the resourceful spirit the rest of the state has adopted. It is time for the City Council to repeal this ban and let Alaskans use the tools they need to live and work.

Charles A. Torzillo