Thread by @tomhewittnews

Hey #akleg twitter, I'm usually able to handle stuff pretty well. A lot comes across this desk, and I've got a strong stomach. But I cried at my desk today, and I want you to know why.

It's because of a guy named Bill Brokaw. 1/10

Bill is an 80-year-old Alaskan. He's a veteran, and so is his 83-year-old wife. She has Alzheimer's. They're both in the Palmer Pioneers and Veterans Home.

He first wrote me in March, after Gov. Dunleavy's administration laid out plans for steep rate hikes. #akleg 2/10

His first letter was thoughtful. Eloquent. He spelled out the issue and how cost increases could force him and his wife out of Alaska. As I read it, his letter felt optimistic that letting the public know would result in solutions from Juneau. #akleg 3/10 adn.com/opinions/lette…

I was moved. The ADN's editorial board used Bill as an example of the unintended harms of cutting too far, too fast, without ample study of the effects.

Maybe we were overly optimistic about solutions out of Juneau, too. #akleg 4/10 adn.com/opinions/edito…

Bill wrote again toward the end of April. The regular session was getting close to over. He seemed more distraught about his situation and that of his wife, but he still expressed hope that lawmakers would pass a bill to reverse the rate hikes. #akleg 5/10 adn.com/opinions/lette…

He wrote again, late last week. I just saw it today. He just got notice that his personal costs are going up more than $1,000/mo. starting next month. He doesn't know about his wife's costs yet. He doesn't know what he's going to do. 6/10 #akleg adn.com/opinions/lette…

What you can't tell about this latest letter because it was revised for publication: When it came in, it was in all caps, and there were several exclamation points. He's frustrated about #akleg letting the PFD destroy any discussion of helping Alaskans like him and his wife. 7/10

I know there are meaningful, legitimate discussions about whether the state should be in the assisted-living business. I'm sure people question whether the Pioneer Homes are run as efficiently as they could be.

But I also know this, as someone born and raised here:
#akleg 8/10

All we have up here is each other. If we don't have that, we don't really have anything. And we ought to be taking care of the people who helped build what's here. That's the silent agreement between generations: We do what we can in our time, and we pass the torch. #akleg 9/10

Bill Brokaw has been watching a train coming at him and his wife for months, and he's been writing me to tell me about it, because it's all he can do.

That's why I cried at work today.
#akleg 10/10