Michael Tavoliero: The self-licking ice cream cone of federal funding and bureaucratic power

By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO

We, the people of Alaska and the United States, are witnessing a tragic allegory unfold. It’s a narrative where bureaucracy, once envisioned as a tool for public service and humanitarian relief, has morphed into an entrenched mechanism for maintaining political power and shielding special interests.

Some citizens have come to believe that our government institutions are infallible, as they provide jobs, manage vast funds, and supposedly care for our communities. However, this uncritical faith has led to complacency, mediocrity, and entitlement. Our freedom, strength, and willingness to face genuine challenges ultimately eroded by this state of affairs.

The narrative is almost cinematic in its depiction. Imagine politicians, under the banner of public service and humanitarian relief, pass legislation and create bureaucratic institutions intended to improve the lives of citizens. Billions of dollars flow through these institutions each year, funding programs meant to uplift and support the public. Yet, as these funds move through the system, a disturbing cycle emerges.

A portion of the money, whether through direct returns or circumvention, ends up back in the hands of the very politicians who initiated the process. This self-perpetuating loop transforms what should be a force for progress into a tool for political patronage. It has become a cycle that prioritizes the preservation of power over the achievement of genuine public good.

Education Funding: A Self-Reinforcing Loop

Consider the cycle of education funding. Every year, the legislature allocates a huge sum of money aimed at improving public schools and enriching student learning. However, a significant share of these funds is directed into union contracts, where teachers’ unions negotiate extensive benefits for their members.

These unions, with their considerable political influence, then endorse and support the legislators responsible for securing the funding. In return, these lawmakers receive campaign contributions and policy favors, effectively creating a loop: funds flow from the legislature to unions, and political favors flow back to the legislators.

Instead of fostering genuine educational reform, this cycle reinforces a system of political patronage that stifles accountability and innovation. Alaskan children’s future is denied in favor of this system.

Transportation Funding: A Cycle of Patronage

A similar cycle is evident in transportation funding. The legislature earmarks billions of dollars for transportation infrastructure projects intended to boost the economy and improve daily life. Yet, much of this money is funneled into contracts awarded to unionized construction companies and transportation workers.

These unions, leveraging their political clout, support the re-election of the legislators who secured the funds, channeling campaign contributions and favorable policy adjustments back to these lawmakers. Rather than producing efficient, forward-thinking transportation systems, this cycle often stifles innovation and accountability, ensuring that entrenched interests continue to dominate.

Health and Welfare Funding: The Loop Continues

The cycle of funding is no less problematic in the realm of health and welfare. The legislature allocates millions for public health initiatives, social services, and welfare programs designed to improve citizens’ well-being. However, a substantial portion of these funds ends up under the control of unions representing healthcare workers and social service employees.

These unions negotiate extensive benefits and, in turn, use their influence to support the legislators responsible for the initial funding. This results in a self-reinforcing loop where health and welfare funds, rather than driving substantive reform, bolster special interest groups and maintain the status quo. The result is Alaska’s people have continued health challenges amplified by this lack of substantive reform.

Alaska: A Microcosm of National Challenges

Alaska serves as a potent example of these national trends. With over 55% of its operating budget reliant on federal funds, Alaska functions more like a colony than an independent state. Its primary revenue—oil—has shaped a legislative system that often ignores long-term state interests in favor of serving special interests.

This reliance on federal money brings strings attached that constrain natural resource development and perpetuate a cycle of funding that benefits political insiders and perpetuates bureaucracy rather than private sector development. The result is widespread voter complacency and deep distrust of any change that might challenge the entrenched power structure—especially when taxpayer money is redirected to support subversive ideologies and political gain.

A Critical Question

In light of these examples, from education and transportation to health and welfare funding, we are compelled to ask: Is our current system truly designed to serve the public interest and foster genuine progress, or has it become an entrenched mechanism that merely preserves the power of a select few at the expense of accountability, innovation, and the long-term benefit of society?

This vicious cycle of special interest control, fueled by political patronage and cyclical funding flows, demands that we scrutinize and, ultimately, reform our system to ensure that it truly serves the public good.

In less than a month, the Trump Administration — bolstered by Elon Musk’s and Vivek Ramaswamy’s independent Department of Government Efficiency — has exposed the deep-seated corruption festering within our federal bureaucracy. This revelation has pulled back the curtain on a system of subterfuge that has long concealed misconduct at nearly every level of government. As these truths emerge, many Alaskans are beginning to question what is really happening in their state.

Alaska faces a unique psychological challenge. For decades, the state has relied almost exclusively on oil revenues, creating a centralized power structure that extracts taxes to maintain its collective hegemony. This dependency has bred an attitude of detachment among many citizens: if they are not directly footing the bill, why should they care about the corruption and inefficiency that undermine their future?

The exposure of federal corruption forces us to confront not only the malfeasance within government institutions but also the ingrained complacency that allows such systems to persist. We must challenge ourselves to reclaim our commitment to transparency, accountability, and the public good.

In light of all these concerns and our state motto, we must ask: Are we truly paving the way for a brighter future for our children when the very institutions meant to serve us directly foster a society marked by superficial contentment and diminished intellectual and physical vitality?

Michael Tavoliero is a senior writer at Must Read Alaska.

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