Does it make any sense to spend $6 billion from Permanent Fund? No.

Deciding whether the state can afford to take $6 billion from the permanent fund will be a major decision for the next Legislature. But it shouldn’t be a difficult one because the withdrawal should only be about half that amount.

Dermot ColeNovember 15, 2018Comment

Sudden oil price slide should alarm slumbering Alaska politicians

Alaska oil hit $85 a barrel on Oct. 3, but the price is now below $70 per barrel. President Donald Trump wants to see it keep falling: "Hopefully, Saudi Arabia and OPEC will not be cutting oil production. Oil prices should be much lower based on supply!" he wrote on Twitter.

Dermot ColeNovember 13, 2018 Comment

Dunleavy's constitutional adviser has long attacked Alaska Constitution as 'awful'

Based on his history, former Rep. Dick Randolph would like nothing better than radical changes in the Constitution so that state resources will be handed to private companies in the interest of fighting socialism. Whether Dunleavy goes along remains to be seen.

Dermot ColeNovember 12, 2018 Comments

Dunleavy keeps making a $2 billion mistake on permanent fund holdings

Alaska’s next governor will ask the Legislature to make 2019 the year of the giant dividend—about $6,700 per person. It’s not a conservative approach.

Dermot ColeNovember 9, 2018 Comment

Don Young says his win was his 'largest majority' ever. It wasn't.

Rep. Don Young received a higher percentage of the vote in the 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012 elections.

Dermot ColeNovember 8, 2018 Comments

Dunleavy's giant dividend puts Permanent Fund at risk

The Dunleavy dividend of $6,700 would place immediate desires above the interests of future generations. The loss of the perpetual earning power of $2.4 billion has not been calculated.

Dermot ColeNovember 7, 2018 Comments

Don Young claims every major bill he likes is 'my bill,' even when it is not

Rep. Don Young, 85, pointed to himself with his right arm and shouted, ‘Uno, Uno, Uno” into the microphone. This is what you shout when you play your next-to-last card in the child’s game of “Uno.”

Dermot ColeNovember 3, 2018 Comments

Anchorage Daily News editorial board can't decide on governor's race

Indecision never makes for a good editorial, but what I find most objectionable is the claim that Mike Dunleavy has a better grasp of the budget than Mark Begich. To me, the budget is the biggest issue, with education, the gas line, crime and the Permanent Fund inextricably connected.

Dermot ColeNovember 1, 2018 Comments

Rapid-fire listing of contributors in Dunleavy ad clearly violates state rules

A radio ad proclaiming the virtues of Republican Mike Dunleavy delivers the names of top contributors so fast that it is nearly impossible to understand the words. State law bans this tactic, which is why the APOC should act on this right away.

Dermot ColeOctober 31, 2018 Comments

For months, Dunleavy repeated inaccurate budget-cut climatologist claim

The Anchorage Daily News is allowing former Sen. Mike Dunleavy to get away with claiming he "misspoke" during the many months in which Dunleavy promised to get rid of "climatologists" in the state budget to save money.

Dermot ColeOctober 30, 2018 Comments