Alaska is dying a slow death. Here’s how we can change course.

Anchorage Daily News, April 21, 2025 3

Carol Beery Davis

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue
Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear," the "Dipper," and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
O'er land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

Alaska means grandeur. It is a place of freedom and new beginning.

"There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest."


"If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake."
Robert Service

Alaska has the highest rape rate and suicide rate of any state

Alaska has the highest rape rate of any state, nearly 80 rapes per 100,000 residents. Native Alaskans make up 61% of rape victims in the state.

Alaska has the highest rate of suicide per capita in the country. The rate of suicide in the United States was 11.5 suicides per 100,000 people in 2007. In 2007, Alaska’s rate was 21.8 suicides per 100,000 people. (Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics)


Alaska has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates in the nation and a rate of alcohol dependence and abuse that is twice that of the national average. In addition, approximately 30% of Alaska adults report binge drinking (having five or more drinks on an occasion) within the past month one or more time in the past month). (National Alcoholism Center)

Alaska is one of the top ten states nationwide in illicit drug use rates, including heroin, methamphetamine, OxyContin and Cocaine (The 2014 Annual Drug Report)