Whew! What a press conference you had to announce that Alaska would join 19 other states in suing the federal government over the recently passed health care reform package. You must be blistered from that grilling the press corps gave you and Attorney General Sullivan -- it didn't even seem like they used marinade.

At first, we were a little surprised at the announcement because we've heard that some people have labeled you "the oatmeal governor," which (aside from sounding rather unflattering) has always made The Concerned think public health was a priority in your administration. Eating oatmeal regularly has many health benefits, especially when it's combined with fresh or dried fruit. (The Concerned loves stirring dried cranberries in, then letting them sit and get all warm and lovely.) Anyway, our surprise quickly gave way to concern.

We were really hoping something good would come of those reforms. Many of The Concerned are having a tough time affording health care costs, a few of us have been denied coverage, and many of us have been uninsured for at least five years. We've been lucky compared to other Americans, though. The hardest thing generally for The Concerned about not having medical insurance has been holding back in co-ed softball. If we could afford to repair torn ligaments, D League would be in serious trouble.

But we digress. As your recent statements made clear, this lawsuit is not about health care or insurance. It's about state's rights and individual liberty. It's about making sure the federal government can't tell people to buy something.

At first we were worried about how much the suit would cost the state. Whenever Alaska sues the feds, it always seems to cost a lot. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like it will this time. We were glad to hear your assurance that Alaska's share of this health care litigation won't be more than $5,000 total, and that the figure might even go down if other states jump on the bandwagon. The Concerned hopes Alaska gets a bonus if its side wins. Why wouldn't we get a little something extra for being in on the ground floor? That's gotta be worth at least one rural health aide.

It's a minor concern of ours, but we also wonder how the lead state in the suit, Florida, got such a great deal on legal counsel. If all 20 states pitch in five grand apiece, that's only $100,000. We hope it just means there's lots of pro bono work going on and it doesn't mean that the lawyers aren't worth the ink on their sheepskins. From what we've read, many experts think the plaintiffs have a tough fight here.

Anyhoo, we totally agree that Alaska's situation can be different from many other states and that federal regulations sometimes cause more problems here than they solve. We're really concerned, though, because Attorney General Sullivan's legal opinion of the health care suit devotes more space to discussing the semiotics of the U.S. Constitution in light of "The Federalist" than it does enumerating just what problems Alaska really faces as a result the new health care package. Actually, there's very little there about Alaska, but maybe that's how these things usually work.