Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Maybe we really can't afford the PFD...

Several schools on the KP that would have paid for decades of school busses. The state formula makes it more expensive to close a school than to keep it open. Nutso.

Lets give the legislators the PFD and income tax. How long before the PFD is pissed away and income tax rates rise? Nutso +P.

But do we put a 'hold' on the new ones we're building?

(We all know the answer to that, and the excuse is that, "Well, we have to keep funding that because we get matching fed funds. Perhaps that applies to other things too?")

I suspect if a person were to put a pencil to paper presently, and work from the outlying areas to the inlying, that one would discover that there isn't much Alaska can afford, right now especially, except, perhaps, for a few hotel housekeepers and a few cab drivers. (Have to support Ted Stevens/ AIA since that is kind of the major reason Anchorage exists; I reckon international traffic might pay for the lights for a while.)

Theres no doubt that alot of the development in the bush suffers unnecessarily from "architect's disease"...too much money, too big, too nice, too much maintenance reqd, poor site selection, etc

I just had a conversation with a contractor and project manager yesterday where rather that just install a smaller pump, they want to put in a Variable Frequency Drive to use the existing oversized pump. Well, WTF happens when the VFD goes tits up? Who can maintain or repair it in a tiny village on the NW coast?. K.I.S.S......

BTW, if they are going to take an income tax anyway, then I'm OK with leaving the PFD alone. Im just saying that it makes a ton more sense to use the interest from the PFD RATHER than have an income tax.

Takie 1/3 of the PFD and have the reason be to fund state government. People have forgotten that state spending effects us each.

My hope would be way more citizens concerned with what is going on in Juneau or the local level. It may just be a pipe dream, but concern from a greater number of citizens could go a long way in curtailing so of the dumb stuff that happens.

An obvious point overlooked till Dan H just mentioned it is the fact the PFD is not an all or nothing largesse for the Juneau azzhats...

We got along with out the PFD for a long time. We can get along with out it now! However, it does irk the heck outa me to know that beurocrats will just squander that money on pet projects, that only benefit a few.

Not a popular thought but if we need taxes I would rather to see a state wide sales tax on most items (excluding food) and have it seasonally adjust to benefit from our tourist crush. Tourist will not bypass AK in favor of another destination because of an additional 1% in a sales tax so don't go there.


Any consideration of any tax needs a high and low projection of expected revenue raised so we the voters can see all options side by side. No rosy projections of pie in the sky numbers either.

Sales tax
PFD reduction
Income Tax
or???

Side by side

There you go, wanting to continue screwing visitors...

If you want to screw visitors why not just raise landing fees at the airports and docks and especially the train stations?

Why have sales tax and income tax when they both have huge infrastructural requirements that do not lend themselves to being handled by the same employees?

Oh yeah, you think wealth redistribution is a good thing... and ...

Screw it, arguing with morons is just not fun...

Think the bastids will stop at a "portion"? Camel nose meet tent.

I'm sure there is plenty of slack in the budget that could go.

I realize we are screwed, but it just does not have to be so...

The morons that got us in the mess are still holding the reins, how could it turn out any different? I heard in addition to their pay for a 90 day legislative session, some legislators manage to rack up ~$100,000 a year in relocation, travel costs and per diem. You think those folks have a clue about being thoughtful with money???

Moving the capitol would be the first thing done if I were King for a day! Cloistering themselves down in Juneau makes it too difficult for people to visit them and explain how things should work...

lol...

i remain unconvinced that there would be that many 'visits'.

Color me green...like jade(ed).

Oh, I guarantee there would be many more visits than there are now. I used to make the trip fairly often until I got the green, too... not having to spend hundreds to get there would make it worthwhile for me to go again.

Maybe the government should stop subsiding air flights (About $20,000,00 in EAS subsidized) in AK and, I bet many in rural AK would have to leave the villages due to not be able to afford living there.

Ever consider that you are not 'typical'?

In a good way, of course.

I have no interest in being "typical" and have plenty of life experience to prove it is counter-productive.

$15 million in Alaska, primarily in the Aleutians, Southeast and between. Virtually all without road access to anywhere; some might access ferry transportation via smaller boats. I see none of the numerous small villages further north on the list of EAS.

$220 million in the lower 48, virtually all with road access to hub locations.

I'll bet there's an easy $200 million that could be cut though.

I agree with you that people will immigrate to Alaska for the PDF and other benefits Alaska provides in conjunction with the Federal Government. But we must place the fault on our governments (State and Federal) for creating programs and passing laws that make all the benefits possible.

For example, we have our own "sanctuary city" in Alaska. In the past there have been arrangements to establish populations of immigrants from Russia and other places around the State. You can have a very large group of family and friends moving into any location in bush Alaska where there aren't jobs, and our State and Federal programs will take care of them. Since the cost of living is quite high in the bush, compared to Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks, the benefits are also higher.

Maybe Los Anchorage is not a Sanctuary city after all?
http://sanctuarycities.info/denial_letters/anchorage_alaska.pdf