The Legislature is handicapped by the failure of Gov. Mike Dunleavy to propose any fiscal plan. Without leadership from the governor, there is no chance that the August special session will live up to the lofty dreams described in the agreement reached by legislators Monday.
Read MoreThe Alaska-Alberta railroad project is hoping to sell the company in the aftermath of the Bridging Finance scandal, seeking to avoid liquidation of the enterprise.
Read MoreThe plan by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to shut down most of state government July 1 is a crisis of his own making.
Read MoreThe cost is $1,500 per person for the 4:30 p.m. reception. Pay $5,000 and you can pose for a photo. It’s not clear if the $5,000 is for a photo with Dunleavy, Trump or both.
The majority of legislators did the right thing and voted to keep the government open. But Sixteen Republicans voted for the Dunleavy shutdown because they want a bigger Permanent Fund dividend. The governor and his allies refuse to accept responsibility for their actions.
Read MoreThe Legislature rejected the plans by Dunleavy and Tshibaka to close six DMV offices in small communities, but lawmakers have failed to investigate or challenge the staffing and other operational decisions made by the state that have created a more cumbersome and less efficient Division of Motor Vehicles.
Read MoreThe Alaska politicians who believed everything they heard about the financial strength of the proposed Alberta railroad have stopped talking about it as the next big thing. The legal counsel for the railroad resigned and certain members of the railroad management have resigned as well.
Read MoreIf there is a government shutdown in Alaska, Dunleavy and his Republican allies deserve the blame, but he is already dancing away from his diatribe about bullies.
Read MoreAlaska news organizations are already repeating the mistakes they made in 2018 in covering candidate Mike Dunleavy, quoting his feel-good pledges about state finances without mentioning that the numbers are based on dubious assumptions.
Read MoreThe only thing missing from the ignorant rant by State Farm insurance agent Kristie Babcock against Chief Justice Joel Bolger was the acknowledgment of the hidden hand of her husband, Republican hatchet man Tuckerman.
Read MoreIf an ethics complaint has not been filed against Gov. Mike Dunleavy by the time you read this, it probably won’t be long in coming. The complaint just has to include a copy of the special counsel report from last fall on a similar ethics question and a copy of the “thumbs up” ad by Dunleavy backing Sen. Peter Micciche.
Read MoreNumerous dubious assumptions that Dunleavy and his budget experts have concealed or downplayed in their Wizard of Oz-like fiscal plan deserve examination by legislators and Alaska news organizations.
Read MoreIt’s a mindset built on imaginary money. The first risk is that oil prices can go down. The second risk is that the breathtaking rise in the value of the Permanent Fund has now been adopted as the starting point for future growth projections, with no allowance for the next stock market correction and recession.
Read MoreAbout the insurrection, the talkative Sen. Dan Sullivan retreated to his go-to move on topics that make him uncomfortable, saying nothing for however long it takes.
Read MoreAlaska is far more dependent on its endowment than Harvard. That the Alaska revenue experts did not know this is another reason to distrust their glib assertions that the miracle cure to Alaska’s fiscal crisis is redefine the budget deficit out of existence with a $3 billion overdraw from the Permanent Fund.
Read MoreThe Dunleavy administration claims the state can solve its fiscal problems by refusing to call the state deficit a deficit. The trick is to pretend that $3 billion Dunleavy wants to take out of the Permanent Fund, which will disguise deficits for the next few years, and call it is a strategic move. This is all about the governor’s re-election campaign in 2022.
Read MoreA responsible leader would say that a disciplined plan requires full details on the potential size of the deficit, potential taxes and potential budget cuts before a lasting constitutional decision is made on the Permanent Fund. That’s not what we’re getting from Gov. Mike Dunleavy or Revenue Commissioner Lucinda Mahoney.
Read MoreI still think that a solution that makes everyone unhappy is the best we can hope for—a smaller dividend, an income tax, higher oil taxes, higher gas taxes and limited spending increases.
Read MoreCutting the state gift to Mat-Su in the final version of the budget would be a good step to take, one that would decrease the degree of hypocrisy by $10 million.
Read MoreThe Bridging Finance scandal has upended almost everything claimed by Dunleavy, the Alaska congressional delegation and other leading politicians have said about the proposed Alberta to Alaska railroad.
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