One thing to say about SB 21 is that Sen. John Coghill and other proponents oversold it as a miracle cure for Alaska's financial situation. They are still overselling it with a fiscal dream that oil-will-fix-everything that the Permanent Fund doesn't.
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Sen. Lisa Murkowski reacted like a human being, aware that the lock-em-up policy had turned into an international disaster. Sen. Dan Sullivan reacted like a politician who wanted to keep on good terms with Trump.
Read MoreAlaska political and business leaders should be alarmed, even if it means calling on Trump to develop a coherent strategy to replace the carnival barker act.
Read MoreHad the White House under President Obama done such damage to Alaska, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young would have seen it as part of the unprecedented "war on Alaska" that the three of them made up in 2015.
Read MoreOil production in Alaska is lower now than it was when SB 21 was approved five years ago. Oil prices are nowhere near $100 and the idea of a sustainable budget of $6.7 billion is a distant memory.
Former Sen. Mike Dunleavy, through the shadow campaign bankrolled by his brother and a few others, is all but claiming the blessing of the late Gov. Jay Hammond from beyond the grave.
Paul Gavora, who died May 21 in Fairbanks at 86, did more than any other single person to shape the development and growth of local business in Fairbanks over the last half-century.
Read MoreThe Pebble mine project faces new threats as a deal with a major investor has been terminated, according to the Canadian company backing the proposed mine.
Read MoreIf you have a lot of money, the best way to get the most bang for your buck is to bankroll a shadow campaign.
Read MoreTrump leads the league in low-level discourse, but Sen. Dan Sullivan won't say that or object that the president chose to respond by complaining about leaks instead of his staff member's crude joke about Sen. John McCain.
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