David James of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says that if you're feeling blue about the state of Alaska politics and government don't despair. There are few things voters can do to counter-act the wave of corruption including voting in favor the public financing initiative on August's ballot.

The Alaska Clean Elections initiative asks voters whether they'd support a voluntary full public financing program for state elections that will help cut down on the influence of private money on elections, and public officials. Says James:

"[V]ote “yes” on the Alaska Clean Elections Initiative that will appear on the primary ballot. This will establish a public funding mechanism for political campaigns in Alaska. Such systems are presently at work in seven states, ranging from liberal Vermont to conservative Arizona, and are both popular and successful. Public funding will give candidates the option of avoiding the fundraising process altogether and concentrating on the needs of their potential constituents instead.

Public funding under this initiative will not be mandatory. Candidates will retain the option of raising private funds rather than accepting public dollars. However, when Alaskans are faced with a choice between one candidate who is publicly financed and another who takes his money from wealthy Florida land speculators, they will implicitly know who is most likely to represent their interests. As the VECO bribery scandal demonstrated, there is very little that some politicians won’t do for campaign money."