The state has a $2 billion backlog of neglected maintenance work, a problem that goes unacknowledged until the plumbing fails, the roof leaks or the heating system calls it quits. The Dunleavy budget pretends this problem is not a big one.
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Former Sen. Hollis French disclosed a priceless state secret, perhaps the ultimate state secret, with an unforgivable breach of security. He did no such thing, but that was one of the charges against him as chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
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Here is a consumer guide to Dunleavy promises to not cut the ferry system, public schools, the University of Alaska, the Pioneers Home, the court system, the prison system, state Troopers and Power Cost Equalization. It also includes his promises to increase spending on education, the courts, Troopers and prosecutors.
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It is misleading to subtract short-term job gains from long-term job losses and present the result as a single category. The conservative “walking around number” of 17,000 jobs at risk should alarm every Alaskan.
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The idea that the Dunleavy Disaster is going to stabilize Alaska’s budget, prevent a population decline and attract a lot more economic growth is ludicrous.
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It appears the Dunleavy budget plan is to stonewall the Legislature as long as possible on the economic impacts of his devastating budget plan, while surrogates spout anti-government ideology and call it good.
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Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s claim that he intends to cut the University of Alaska budget only 17 percent instead of 41 percent is utter, total, complete nonsense. The governor and his press secretary should know better than to selectively massage numbers.
By Terrence Cole
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The battle comes down to this: Dunleavy wants to pay hundreds of millions more in Permanent Fund dividends and he doesn’t want any tax increases or new taxes. What he wants to do is cut a wide array of state and local services and claim he has no choice. That’s not true. He has made the wrong choices.
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“With a $134 million cut, UA would have no choice but to immediately eliminate academic programs mid-stream, along with about 1,500 faculty and staff that support students in those programs,” UA President Jim Johnsen said.
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Dunleavy has no explanation for the massive cut, other than the same weak excuse given for every budget cut from the ferry system to public broadcasting and health care—the state has no money and he opposes taxes.
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