The real games are in Alaska

The Alaska Permanent Fund, the system through which the State of Alaska sends its residents a check each fall, was created, in large part, as a way to make sure we keep an eye on how our government spends our money. The annual prompt was thought to be necessary because our state money comes mostly from oil taxes and royalty payments, not our own pockets.

This year's paycheck for being an Alaskan is expected to be just over $2,000, up more than $300 from 2007. The raise is well deserved simply because there's been so much more to watch.

Aug. 31 will be the second anniversary of the FBI raid on the Alaska capitol building offices of seven state senate and house members in Juneau. Since the search, the still-growing influence peddling scandal has resulted in federal felony convictions of three former Alaska House members, one former gubernatorial chief of staff, and four lobbyists/corporate officers.

Awaiting trial on federal charges are one U.S. senator — the mighty Ted Stevens — one state senator, and one state House member. Alaska's lone congressman, Don Young, is under investigation. He hasn't been charged with anything but has spent more than $1 million on defense attorneys, using campaign contributions for much of that cost.

All of the above relates only to federal probes. Alaska's Dept. of Law is conducting its own investigation of the state legislative portion of the influence-peddling scandal, and wildly popular Gov. Sarah Palin is under investigation by the Legislature for possible ethics law violations relating to her sudden firing of her commissioner of public safety in July.

For those looking for something to fixate on when the Beijing Olympics end, here's a breakdown of the Alaskan games:

Awaiting Trial

Jury selection in U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' corruption trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 22. A month earlier he lost a bid to gain the home court advantage when U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled, Aug. 20, against Stevens' motion to move the event to Alaska from Washington D.C.

Stevens should easily win the Aug. 24 Republican primary election over a puny pair of challengers. His plan is to beat the rap in time to win the November election, but his own party is not uniformly behind him, and a legal victory alone in this era of change may not assure an election win. Anchorage banker Dave Cuddy, one of the primary election opponents, is airing ads declaring himself to be "the only Republican who can win in November." That's when Stevens will likely face Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who is also highly likely to win the Democrat primary.

Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in U.S. Senate history, is seeking a seventh term, but that's hardly his lucky number. He faces seven charges of knowingly making false statements on annual financial disclosure forms from 1999 through 2006. The list of "things of value" prosecutors say Stevens didn't disclose has continued to grow. It started in the original indictment with $250,000 worth of improvements and additions to his Alaska home in the south Anchorage suburb of Girdwood.

The home improvements include an emergency generator, high-ticket kitchen appliances, and the raising of the one-story chalet to insert a new ground floor. The indictment alleges, in essence, that the work was done by employees of VECO Corp., an international oil field service company, while Stevens was billed only for materials costs. The defiant senator says he paid all bills he received.

Recent federal court filings claim Stevens made more than $100,000 on the sale of a pre-construction Florida condo he owned for barely six months after purchasing it with an interest-free loan and a $5,000 down payment. The remaining $31,000 of the mandatory minimum down payment was borrowed from a friend and not repaid until after Stevens sold the condo, according to court documents.

Stevens is also alleged to have gotten executives of VECO Corp. to sell Land Rovers to family members at below-market prices and to find jobs for a son and grandson. Bill Allen and Rick Smith, former CEO and vice president, respectively, of Anchorage-based VECO, have already pleaded guilty to multiple bribery and conspiracy charges, naming Stevens among their beneficiaries.

Testimony by the VECO honchos was largely responsible for sending two of the three convicted Alaska House members to prison. Former House Speaker Pete Kott, from the north Anchorage suburb of Eagle River, was sentenced to six years for taking less than $8,000 in cash and the promise of work for his wood flooring company from VECO. Rep. Vic Kohring, chairman of the House Special Committee on Oil and Gas, got three years and six months for taking $2,500 from the VECO executives and getting a job with the company for a nephew. The VECO boys turned down Kohring's request for a "loan" to pay off $17,000 in credit card debts.