Gov. Dunleavy reacts, says the full PFD is needed because Alaska families are facing serious financial hardship

By
Suzanne Downing
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48

Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a statement regarding Saturday’s failed concurrence vote on HB 281 in the Alaska House, a bill that would have provided a statutory Permanent Fund dividend, a robust capital budget, and increased education funding.

“It is important for Alaskans to remember the budget process is not yet concluded,” Dunleavy said, hinting that he was still hopeful that the Legislature would resolve the matter appropriately in conference committee.

“I continue to believe the revenue picture is in Alaska’s favor, I continue to believe the budget should be balanced, and I continue to believe the amount of uncertainty in the world due to inflation and higher prices allows state government to have a final budget that is balanced and helps Alaskans – because we have the tools to make that happen.

“We as policy makers need to understand that the serious financial issues facing Alaskan families, mainly rising costs due to inflation, should be at the forefront of the budget process.

“We can never lose sight of why we are here, it’s the people of Alaska.”

Earlier, the Alaska House of Representatives denied Alaskans their full Permanent Fund dividend for the six year in a row.

Breaking: House slaughters full dividend, 22-18

48 COMMENTS

  5. These Juneau residents know they have taken an oath to obey State of Alaska corporate bylaws AS A PREREQUISITE to turning on their pay spigot. They are paid handsomely to re – present the needs of their districts. They are not doing it and should be removed and new, obedient re- presenters of their populations sworn in immediately.

    • Whether you are talking about legislators or state workers you need to realize the the majority are all residents of the greater Anchorage area. Juneau has only 3 legislators. Think about that.

      • Dave Hanna,
        Sure J-Town has only 3 votes out of 60, one wanna be Senator, (Jessie sure isn’t a Bill Ray is he), and two House Members, yet despite Juneau’s seemingly small 5% of representation foot print it alone represents over 50% of the votes to block a full PFD. Think it over Dave, get back to me. BTY it’s nice to read your comments , I appreciate them very much.

      • You need to realize they now routinely reside over half a year in Juneau some might say they are imprisoned there against their will by diabolical tyrants.

  6. Instead of representing the needs and WIL of their districts they know they are instead repudiating the needs and will of their districts. Why not turn off their pay spigots immediately for not doing their jobs. Malfeasance and misfeasence. Your job was not to think circles around corporate bylaws like the pfd distribution process but the job is to earnestly OBEY the statute.

  7. The Governor should declare a State of Emergency and force the issue. He knows what we are facing here in Alaska, not to mention the Country and world. If he did declare a Stae of Emergency, the people would be behind him where the idiots under his control are controlling him and us and our lives.
    Just as his Administration order 334 was implemented for investigation of Alaska’s food chain issues and food grown here by this fall, it was not enough for the impact we are going to face this summer food wise, and all other supplies needed for life here.
    Yes, Governor the time is now to get it done. Even if your subordinates are traitors, Alaskans are with you.

  8. I can only pray. Mike, I don’t share your optimism about the conference committee – not with Louise Stutes calling the shots and appointing three PFD opponents to the committee. You Sir, still have my vote and support.

  9. Find your spine and veto the whole freaking thing. Just like you should have done 3 times before.

    For once in your term, stand and fight.

    I’m not holding my breath.

  10. I hope he vetos anything less than a full statutory PFD, and calls a special session in the valley. Make these thieves show their faces.

    • Where he soiled his pants and failed the people of Alaska?

      Why do you want this? We’ve suffered enough from Dunleavy’s incompetence and cowardice.

  11. I had to do a double take at the picture. It’s been so lone long since I seen his face, I’ve all but forgot what he looks like.

    • Have you ever noticed as well that, in similarity with Princess Lisa, Governor Bends Low NEVER seems to smile? Nobody ever seems capable of capturing it in a photo, anyway.

  12. The PFDs were larger under WALKER than the current governor. He should have twisted arms and vetoed pet projects of legislators. Instead he bends over, as always, while pretending to “fight.” To quote Senator Reinbold he “stands down like a midget” instead of standing tall for Alaska.

  13. Great ?, I support your RED PEN taking the budget right back down to where you started and the legislature sat, right till 5 minutes after the Spring Revenue Forcast.

    It’s either Full PFD or no forward funding or gravy for the Pig Trough.

    Governor you gave them a$4.3 Billion budget, now take them right back there.

    Let there be NO JOY IN MUDVILLE THIS SESSION ‼️

  17. If you believed that, you would have promised to veto the energy dividend part to get others on board for the $4,200 PFD…but you didn’t.
    You knew it would fail without that promise. It’s what you wanted, Governor, all along. However, you still want to pretend to be for a full PFD.

    Meanwhile you are trying to get a 50/50 PFD put into the constitution knowing that we will be getting over 400,000 MORE barrels per day of oil coming through that pipeline in the next few years.

  18. Governor Dunleavy, get that red pen warmed up it’s time to get to vetoing all the excess in this budget at least in the amount of the statutory PFD.

    • Dunleavy may be between a rock and a hard place, relative to whether the State picks up his (and Babcock’s) personal liability in their lawsuit against those API Doctors. Heheh!

    • You surprise me here, Steve.
      .
      When you are not in kneejerk, pro-establishment defense mode regarding the experimental, unsafe and ineffective clot shots, you often come across as positively level-headed.

        • Tell it to the mayor of New York City, with their insane clot shot mandates — as well as the Krazy Kovidian Kanadians, with their even more draconian Kovidian authoritarianism.

  19. Governor, I agree that the red pen should come out. Start with the pet projects the reps have put in to get themselves re-elected. Pay real attention to Stutes and Edgmon, who are working for Walker, anyhow. If 3 billion had not been added to your proposed budget, the PFD would have been there. We all know that the legislature will never give out a full PFD, even with so many Alaskans in need. And no PFD constitutional initiative will ever make it to the ballot because, as Senate Co-Chair Bert Stedman stated the legislature now considers it the prerogative of the legislature after the State Supreme Court made its decision. So it will be a messy fight, but the PFD must ultimately be taken away from the legislature and the law followed or changed by the people so the legislature can get on to the more important business of Alaska, like making the state as self-sufficient as possible. No matter what you do as governor, it will be just like those you had to ignore when the cries were there for shutting down the entire state during Covid-19. You quietly went about your business and did what was right. That is real leadership and that is what you will have to do this time as well. Sometimes I have to wonder why people run for office when politics has gotten so polarized that people find it easier to hate than to work and talk out the problems, thus making it nearly impossible to get anything done. My prayers are with you.

  20. It’s sad to see so many people putting their hopes behind the Cowardly Lion of Alaska.

    Dunleavy is the legislature’s cuckhold. He has more power than and other chief executive in America outside the President and refuses to use it.

    When he caved in Wasilla his governorship was over. He should resign.

  21. “Is Dunleavy a Democrat?” This was the question posed to me by a Republican who is a fiscal conservative. Good question. Dunleavy sounds like Joe Biden when he talks about sending out checks to people.

    Alaska needs to have a long term fiscal plan. Most Alaskans don’t need welfare from politicians who are trying to buy votes with public dollars.

    The Permanent Fund has lost over $3 billion in about a month. Instead of sending out massive checks- where 20- 22 percent of the check will go to the IRS, we should grow the corpus of the fund- which we can do tax free.

    Long term, a bigger corpus means we can have fiscal stability- and better dividends.

    As the Democrats have proven, sending out checks to Americans is highly inflationary. We now have the worst inflation in 40 years. This inflation has eroded the purchasing power of all of us by about 10 percent from a year ago.

    “A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of Government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy…” Professor Alexander Fraser Tyler writing when the states were still colonies of Great Britain, explaining why democracies always fail.”

    • I never got my check from the government. You must be confusing the special interest people and the government that got checks. And still don’t pass it on to the private sector. For example, Covid funds that were misspent. Proof.

    • Do you take your paycheck?

      The difference is: the government isn’t sending out checks. The corporation the citizens of Alaska have invested in would be issuing the money their investments have earned.

      It’s called a dividend for a legal reason.

      I know pubic schools suck, but why this concept escapes so many amazes me.

      • Avenger, so you skip over the big picture considerations- the fact that Alaska has no long term fiscal plan, the fact that Dunleavy has been using up all our CBR, SBR savings (billions) to focus only on your dividend. From a corporation that you’ve never invested one penny of your own personal wealth in.

        Got it.

        How you think about this problem is influenced by a lot of considerations. If you plan to leave Alaska in the near future, why would you care about Alaska in the long term?

        • You burn strawmen. Poorly.

          Regardless of Alaska’s fiscal irresponsibility, the state legally owes us money.
          Mismanagement does not relieve a corporation from its debts, unless they declare bankruptcy. Even then, it doesn’t fully release the obligation.

    • What we need is to quit counting on the government for anything. They can’t even keep the roads in good order with their seaweed asphalt.

  24. Time to show some courage, Governor. You need to let the legislature know, in no uncertain terms, that if they do not pass a statutory PFD you will start vetoing line items in the budget starting with some sacrosanct expenditures, maybe the legislative budget for instance. That would get their attention! Then scontinue with the most recalcitrant members district’s wish lists. Red ink ’em to death! Put up a fight, be a bully and use your public pulpit to excoriate those who defy you. Good guys finish last and if you rollover in this fight your reelection chances are zilch.

  25. If you want Walker again for governor go ahead and vote those people from the house back into office. They are actually campaigning for him while they’re at work by shutting us down just like he did. They want him to have another chance; wake up watch who you vote for. He practically spent half his time flying to China.

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