Assemblyman Ron Bernier of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly was in favor of Senate Bill 92 and presented a resolution for the Assembly to support it earlier this month.
SB 92, the Yundt Tax, was proposed by Sen. Rob Yundt of Wasilla and was designed to tax just one company — Hilcorp, which does business in Alaska, on the North Slope and in Cook Inlet.
But over the past few days Bernier has changed his mind. In a statement to Must Read Alaska, he wrote:
“I would like to let everyone know, that I will be ammending [sic] the resolution for the support of SB 92 to read , the Mat Su Borough does not support SB92.
I was given the impression that this was good for the Alaskan people, and I should have done more home work.
As for Rob Yundt. He has supported my legistlation to get rid of voting machines, keep sex offenders a 1000 feet from schools, parks and day cares. He was there when I did a resolution not to use taxpayer funds on abortions, or transgender surguries. Along with a resolution that encourages the Mat Su residents to maintain a firearm and ammunition for self protection and the protection of their community. He helped vote in a $75,000 for gun safty training for Mat-Su residents. He voted for my the Citizens Advisory Board to remove pornograghy from the libraries, He was in support of placing our historical documents in our borough building lobby. These included The Ten Commandments, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, The Alaska State Constitution. Pledge of Allegiance,
Again , we all make mistakes. It is important that we learn from them, Mistakes should refine us and not only define us. I should have prayed on it, before I acted on it. May we always glorify God”
Yundt, after disparaging those Alaskans who opposed his bill, late last week quietly withdrew his name as the prime sponsor of the tax, but immediately, as if on cue, Sen. Cathy Giessel adopted the tax as a committee bill, and thus kept the Yundt Tax alive.
So far, three Republican committees in the Mat-Su Valley have passed resolutions opposing the tax, and it appears the Mat-Su Borough Assembly will do the same.
Meanwhile, Yundt was a no-show at the Republican Lincoln Day Dinner held in his own district on Saturday. The Republican women’s club hosting the event had come out in opposition to his bill.
The next Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting is on March 18 at the Assembly Chambers, 350 East Dahlia Avenue, Palmer. Meetings start at 6 pm.
The current resolution is: RS 25-028 A Resolution In Support Of Alaska State Senate Bill 92.
The exact wording of the current resolution supporting the tax on Hilcorp can be read at this link. Bernier has not yet posted the new version that opposes the tax.
Good for Ron. Just be honest. One side of the aisle is predictably forgiving if you admit a mistake.
No.
Ron Bernier needs to be punished – voted out of office in the next election.
He is a RINO NeoCon UniParty parasite just like Yundt.
This is unacceptable to present your self as conservative then sponsor this type of legislation or support it.
A pox upon their houses.
Vote out of office!
Giessel will NOT be unYundted.
Cut the State Troopers from MSB to help resolve the budget deficit. Can’t provide services without revenue
In other news the Mat Su assembly supports Alaskans losing their Permanent Fund Dividends in order to subsidize the large, multi national corporations that take our oil. After all, it takes billions of dollars to subsidize the removal of our oil!
Alaskans don’t mind losing their dividends, right?
We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.
Ok, where should we cut our budget from?
Specifics please.
Are you really competing with Frank Rast on who can make the most inane and outlandish comment? Well today it looks like Frank has got you beat!
You do remember where the Permanent Fund derives most of its income from, don’t you? Primarily from oil royalties, so no oil, no PFD for the state or residents.
I always get a kick out of this “it is OUR oil” statement. If not for experts like oil companies (who BTW purchase leases) “our oil” would still be in the ground and the state would be very poor indeed (especially since we do not even have the tax base to pay for basic services).
So you are saying, you are going to pay for a lease and start digging with your little shovel? Then when you finally have a barrel full, you sell it and ALL Alaskans get the same share of the proceeds as you do, even though we did NOT help you dig it up (or pay for the lease), because it is OUR oil, right????
I am glad to see they are listening to their constituents and voting for what is good for Alaska
of developing the infrastructure.
The Alaska Permanent Fund provides most of the funding for state government. Back when we were getting a fair share for the oil we own, we were growing the fund. Now, the fund is starting to fail. Its not being inflation proofed properly, and in not too many years the dividend checks will go away. A spending cut that comes from Alaska not getting a fair share of our own oil, and by our paying a $8 dollar per barrel corporate welfare “credit”.
If you want to give away our resource, then I wonder If you will give me your house. I’ll pay 20 cents on the dollar for it. Deal?