Mr. Cole good article and pretty much right on.  I wish you had taken the point about favoring the major oil companies further. These global corporations have bought and paid for many in the legislature. There are a few honest legislators but many are corrupt and immoral. Oil company employees like Sen. Micciche and Kevin Meyer posing as representatives of the people, openly voting on bills that benefit their oil employers. What patriotic honest Alaskan could represent the people and vote to give away our oil and millions in tax credits? What was wrong with Veco Bill Allen giving away money to eager legislators? Allen was laundering money for the oil cartels and putting it in the pocket of the self acclaimed "Corrupt Bastards Club". Allen's petty crimes pale in the face of 500,000 barrels of free oil ($21m) daily and $775m in cash credits paid by the state. This theft is on a scale unheard of, and it's all legal?   Is there any doubt why they meet in secret??