Fifty years ago today, Congress passed the Alaska Statehood Act, giving Alaska, among other things, two Senators and a US Representative.

208 years ago, Congress, apparently without noticing what it was doing, allowed Americans living in the then-new District of Columbia to lose their right to representation in Congress.

Today, Alaska has a population of 670,053; DC's population is 581,530 -- both roughly the size of one congressional district.

Alaska has three Members of Congress - pictured here, all under ethical clouds.  DC has one non-voting Member of Congress - no ethical clouds for Delegate Norton, just no vote.

I've got nothing against Alaska and they deserve better representation in Congress, but DC deserves voting representation now.  The Senate needs to vote again to end the filibuster by Senator McConnell and give DC the vote!

It must be a little strange for Alaskans these days.  Their great state, widely known for it's beautiful scenery, fishing industry, and oil, is in danger of becoming known for an altogether less appealing reason - corrupt politicians.

Consider the following:

• Sen. Ted Stevens (R) is under federal investigation for a couple different situations, including allegations of accepting bribes from an energy company.
  
• Rep. Don Young (R) has been drawn into the same investigation.  His long ties with uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff have also earned him unwanted attention.
  
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) recently came under fire for her purchase of a vacant lot from a campaign supporter for well below market value.

For those of you keeping score, these three comprise the entire Alaskan Congressional delegation.  Throw in a bunch of state legislators busted for corruption recently, and it all makes for a rather embarassing situation.

Yesterday the home of Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) was raided by FBI and IRS agents in connection with their public corruption investigation that has rocked the Alaskan political establishment.

Senator Stevens is continuing to hold his comments until, he says, "after the investigation."  That will probably be a good long while, and given the way this case has been developing so far, there are no guarantees that the investigation won't end in criminal charges.  Reps. Doolittle (R-CA) and Renzi (R-AZ) welcome you to the club, Senator!

It's good to be a friend of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK).  Just ask his busines partners, Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini.

This land deal is just one of several lucrative federal contracts Hyde and Rubini benefited from while Stevens, a major investor, served as the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  According to Roll Call, these investments turned Stevens into a millionaire, where he once had been at the bottom of Senate wealth rankings.

Most of the Senate Appropriations Committee members distanced themselves from or severed ties with people and firms that might benefit from federal contracts once they took their seats.  Not Stevens, though!

The sad thing, however, is that by weak Senate ethics rules, Senator Stevens was allowed to work on this deal using his official capacity; why not recuse himself for having a conflict of interest, instead?  But then again, why pretend like he has an interest in transparency and accountability?

Sen. Stevens may not have done anything illegal, but this is just one more reason why Congress must implement stricter ethics rules and standards - now.

The New York Times has a great story about a particularly egregious example of the influence of money in politics.

Rep. Don Young (R-AL), best recalled perhaps for the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere" $200 million earmark last year, is at it again. Again with the bridges. Young has steered $10 million to build a bridge in Florida. Now, one might ask, what would an Alaskan congressman want with building bridges in Florida?

The answer lies, very simply, in the fact that he has a campaign contributer who stands to gain a lot from this:

Several studies by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal Highway Administration have all warned about the potential environmental impact of this undertaking. County planners had voted not to use the money, until they were threatened by Rep. Young that it would jeopardize future federal resources for the area.

Usually, as the article in the Times notes, this kind of thing is done more discreetly. Of course, $40,000 isn't easy to come by, and, with the cost of running for reelection, it's not a bad deal. Perhaps if Young put a sign on his door that read "Representative for Sale," he might get more business. Or perhaps, if we institute clean elections, he wouldn't need to.  

Something fishy is going on in Alaska, and no, it has nothing to do with the state's wild salmon supply.

Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the current longest-serving Republican Senator, has recently been under fire due to allegations regarding the reconstruction of his Alaskan home.  In 2000, the Senator doubled the size of his Girdwood home with the assistance of a contractor from the VECO Corporation, who was hired by the company's top executive. VECO, an oil-field and construction corporation located in Anchorage, has been a significant recipient of Steven's earmarks, no doubt due to its strong lobbying presence in oil-rich Alaska. Now comes the news that Senator Stevens paid only a minimal construction bill for the work done on his property, far off from the actual value of the job.

As reported in the Anchorage Daily News:

Included among those whose offices were raided: Senate President Ben Stevens.  And every news article feels it's important for you to know that he's the son of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.

It's still unclear exactly what they were looking for or what they found, but it seems to be connected to the Anchorage-based oil field company VECO Corporation ("The Team That Delivers").  Are we surprised that VECO executives tend to be a major source of campaign cash for many Alaskan politicians?

More as it becomes available.  Let us know if you find anything new.