The Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted to display the Ten Commandments, Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Preambles to the U.S. Constitution, and the Alaska Constitution at Borough facilities. The Code of Hammurabi also will be displayed, but was not part of the original proposed resolution.
Though initially proposed only for the Borough’s Dorothy Swanda Jones facility in Palmer, the displays will also now appear in the Borough’s public libraries.
District 7 Assemblymember Ron Bernier sponsored the legislation. He says that the Ten Commandments should be included because they helped craft this country’s laws about what you should and shouldn’t do. He says the Magna Carta provided that the lower classes should be treated fairly. The other documents focus on making everyone equal and provide for freedoms and liberty.
After discussion about the lack of budget provided for the displays, the Assembly decided that it should be based on donations, rather than using taxpayer money.
There is no specific timeframe for the documents to go on display.
