Taxation with little representation?

I had a little trouble trying to write this week’s post. The questions were based on the Bush tax cuts. You know, what you thought about them, do you think they should be extended, and stuff like that. To tell you the truth, I’ve had little time to think about it.

Right now Alaska still has a senate race going on, if that’s what you want to call it. Let me bring you up to date. Lisa Murkowski (R) is in office, Tea Party backed Joe Miller (R) runs against her in the primary and wins. Lisa decides she wants to fight to get her job back and runs a write-in-campaign and wins by over 10,000 votes. Joe files a legal challenge against the state which asserts that Alaska law prohibits misspelled write-in-ballots from being counted and bars the state from applying more lenient standards for write-in-ballots than other ballots. He has also cited several irregularities, such as voters casting ballots without having showed identification, and some ballots allegedly having been filled out by the same person.

A federal judge last month stopped the certification of election results in response to Miller's first lawsuit; on the condition that the candidate brings his legal challenge to state court. A decision declaring victory for the incumbent would be appealed by Miller to the state Supreme Court.

The judge presiding over the dispute in the Senate race is expected to rule on Friday, but any decision is likely to be appealed by Republican Joe Miller, who refuses to concede to Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Senator Murkowski's current term ends on Jan. 3, two days before the Senate reconvenes for the new session. If this fight drags on, Alaska could be left with only one senator until the dispute is resolved. That means the next Senate would be a 99 member body as it returns to take up important issues like tax cuts. Murkowski could also lose her leadership positions if the new Senate convenes without her.

The Alaska GOP, which initially endorsed Miller, has called the race for Murkowski and has repeatedly urged Miller to "end his campaign in a dignified manner." Senator Murkowski has already declared herself the victor. Some of Miller’s highest profile supporters have either gone silent or moved on and urged him to do the same.

This needs to be settled and settled fast. If not, it could cost Alaska millions of dollars in federal tax cuts, Earmarked Funds, etc. Status of the Bush tax cuts? Alaska has bigger problems to consider right now.