Permanent Fund still wants to borrow billions to try to speed its growth to $100 billion

The trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation want the Legislature to allow the corporation to borrow several billion dollars that it can invest with the hope of speeding up the growth of the $78 billion fund to $100 billion.

The idea to borrow 5 percent to 10 percent of the value of the fund is a key element in the proposed strategic plan that the fund has now made available for public comment.

Read More
Dermot Cole Comments
Fairbanks International Airport already has a good name. Keep it.

The federal building in Fairbanks is named for the late Rep. Don Young, who was a federal employee for a half-century.

In addition to the Don Young Federal Office Building, the 2,598-foot volcanic peak in the Aleutians formerly known as Mt. Cerberus is now “Mount Young” in his honor. And the Jobs Corps Center in Palmer is the Don Young Job Corps Center, all names created through the federal law signed by President Biden called the “Don Young Recognition Act.”

Read More
Dermot Cole Comments
AG Taylor's family advertised plan to get $8,000 private school tuition subsidy; Deputy AG says it's unconstitutional to get state funds to cover most or all private tuition

In May 2022, the wife of Attorney General Tregarrick Taylor said she would seek $8,000 in public funds from the Family Partnership Charter School in Anchorage to subsidize two-thirds of their children’s tuition at a private school in Anchorage.

“Using public correspondence school allotments to pay most or all of a private educational institiution’s tuition is almost certainly unconstitutional,” wrote Deputy Attorney General Cori Mills, in an opinion dated July 22, 2022.

Read More
Dermot Cole Comments
Kroger/Albertsons merger would lead to Alaska store closures, reduced competition, higher prices

Under the proposed $25 billion corporate merger between the companies that own Fred Meyer and Safeway, 14 stores in Alaska would be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a company that hasn’t been in the retail business in Alaska.

Kroger, which wants to acquire Albertsons, says it needs a merger to become larger and be better able to compete, so no one should expect that the 14 stores to be sold to the smaller company would be long for this world. Kroger has not identified the 14 stores.

Read More
Dermot Cole Comments