It may be unusual for legislators to start petitions on Change.org.
But Rep. Sara Rasmussen of District 22 said she wanted to find a way to reach the leadership of the House and Senate with a big message encouraging them to release the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend early this year. Asking constituents to write letters wasn’t impactful enough.
Rasmussen settled on a Change.org petition. Since launching her petition two days ago, she’s gotten over 2,000 signatures on it. It’s not too late, she said, to get the Legislature to change course, since it is technically in recess.
“Tens of thousands of Alaskans have been laid off or unable to work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. An idea with broad bipartisan support to pay the Permanent Fund Dividend early has been introduced by the Alaska Economic Stabilization Team and data shows an early partial dividend pay out in May/June – September/October would supplement any stimulus measures taken by the Federal Government. Alaskans need cash NOW to address some of the job losses, business struggles and failures, and overall hardship,” Rasmussen wrote.
“There is still time for the Alaska Legislature to get cash to Alaskans in a stabilizing way and they need to hear from Alaskans that this is a priority. This petition will be delivered to the legislative leadership in the Alaska State House and the Alaska State Senate. Sign today to show your support!”
While I understand the reasoning behind this.
Personally, I would rather still receive it in full in the fall.
We survive on a very tight and limited budget. And the summer months are easier to get by.
For 30+ years I have used the PFD solely, for help paying the huge winter utility bills.
With faith and the grace of God.
We will all get through this horrible China virus.
Take care, be safe.
God bless.
Griz – Alaska
Yes we Alaskans. Need the PFD but we need to set it straight! Follow the law and return our PFD money you all stole from us. Return the PFD to the original formula and stop stilling from it.
An early PFD is great, but how about the 5 they stole from Alaskans?
I think that is what is meant by the spring one. I don’t believe the fall one can be paid yet as money is not transferred until July.
I know the Governor was asking for a spring one to bring us whole from last fall.
Yes. We need our pfd’s in full! Glad to see at least a handful of politicians fighting for Alaskans.
You couldn’t pry the pfd money from the house majority’s cold dead hands.
Thank you for sharing this, Suzanne.
I applaud her for this, but don’t like her formula.
Better that she petition to have what was stolen from previous PFDs returned to us NOW……and then a full correctly calculated PFD this fall.
I signed and chipped in for this petition. What gets me more than anything else is the fact that “our” state legislators think that they know what’s best for us as a whole. How is it that they know what’s best yet they haven’t done anything to help us? The PFD is clearly an example of legislator greed and power. Please Alaskans, let’s get our collective Sh*t together and put these RINOs out to pasture once and for all …
Pass this on and share on social media …We need to have a LOUD voice!
Most aren’t RINOs, but whatever an independent is, that used to be called a Democrat.
Jeff, I signed it too – you say you “chipped in” as well. That was going to be my general question ~ why does the petition ask for a donation, after you sign it? What is that money for, and who is collecting it? I assumed when Rep. Rasmussen gathered the necessary signatures, she’d just deliver it to all involved. What is the donated money going to fund?
I signed a different petition on the site the other day and the owner said that the ‘chipping in’ part is NOT something that goes to the creator. That goes to Change.org to fund the site and to assist in advertising the petitions for more exposure, thus more signatures.
Just to be clear, chipping in is completely optional and it’s not a GoFundMe style fundraiser.
Thanks for the answer~
Pay back the previous PFDs that we’re wrongful stolen and adhere to the original formula. The People have a right to vote on this matter. The Legislation works for the people.
Take the petition to each location where Recall Dunleavy signature gatherers go. Shadow them to every event.
“Asking constituents to write letters wasn’t impactful enough.” Was that because there weren’t enough letters written or because certain elected officials don’t care what we the people think?
They don’t care. They really don’t. The sooner we quit caring the sooner we get in line for our share of the free stuff they are shelling out. I want mine!
They moved a whole poo-pile of money into the corpus, so that we wouldn’t be able to point to it and demand our full PFDs. This was no mistake, and planned probably years ahead of time.
Yeah it’s like the house majority is playing a shell game with our own money. Most of them are firmly planted and secure in their own districts from the boards they sit on. Can’t blast them out of there. Most are liars and thieves.
Are legislators acting as representatives of the best interests of Alaskans? Working diligently to ensure the safety and prosperity of the state and its people? Or are they parasites feeding off the hard work and limited resources only working to ensure that their industry overlords get easy access to profits, taking every penny they can steal always looking for the easy money instead of doing what they were elected to do?
I vote the latter, they just want easy money and easy answers and the hell with Alaskan people. If there was a vote today Alaskans would vote to end the theft of the PFD and reinstitute the PFD formula that has protected the permanent fund and provided Alaskans with much needed money just in time for winter for decades.
I wonder if Rep. Rasmussen has voted in the past to steal the dividend and is now trying to score point with this shallow consolation? I dont trust any of them at this point, their lack of compassion for the needs of Alaskans disgusts me.
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