Thanks to all legislators for the job they are doing in these tough times. I implore them now to reject Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s request to give an additional Permanent Fund dividend which is, obviously, his desire to fulfill his campaign promise that got him elected.
I don’t believe this climate can sustain such a payout. Especially since he also decimated the departmental budgets and has made it impossible for education and the ferry system to work properly. I feel that Gov. Bill Walker was on the right track to make gradual cuts and a modest PFD. It may have taken longer to balance out, but I trust he and the legislators would have worked it out.
It seems to me that Dunleavy came in impressed with his power and succeeded in getting himself in a spot. I, frankly, cannot see how the budget will be balanced without an income tax. In my own budget, if I get underwater, I have to find a way to bring in more money and make changes in my spending.
Alaskans have worn as a badge of honor that we do not pay income tax. That’s fine if it works, but there is no shame in paying an income tax to balance the budget and keep the services that residents want and need.
In Seldovia, we specifically need our ferry system. We lose the ferry every year for a period of time for maintenance, and we prepare for that. But to lose it for a long time (potentially completely), which is happening to some communities, is unconscionable. I know all legislators know this, and I implore them to carefully consider what it means to the overall economy to fulfill Dunleavy’s campaign promises.
— Jan Wyland
Seldovia
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