Jobs, education, welfare reform all will be the foundation of a safer Alaska, but I also will make certain there is swift and sure enforcement of our laws. I guarantee that those who harm others will pay the consequences. We will open Alaska and move forward again by rejecting the scapegoating and excuses of the past. It is important that we build a new statewide partnership without blame. We cannot settle our problems if we use scapegoats to explain everything that's wrong with Alaska or to lament the wrongs done to us.
Scapegoats are excuses, nothing less.
The alternative is to accept responsibility. And by doing that, we are free to move forward. Our responsibility is to have the courage to unite. No longer can we afford to pit one group against another, region versus region, and urban versus rural. Only then can we open ourselves to the limitless possibilities of a new century.