Alaska: Diesel Powered Budget Crisis

[Ebsy]

Didn't see a thread so I figured I would make one: Dunleavy (R-AK) in his first year as governor has made massive line item vetoes of the budget passed by the legislature, including 130 million from the University of Alaska, 41% of their state support. The 444 million in cuts are apparently necessary to provide extra funding to the oil investment fund dividend, one of Dunleavy's campaign promises.

https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2019/06/28/gov-mike-dunleavy-vetoes-444-million-from-alaska-state-operating-budget/

There is talk of overriding the vetoes but chances don't appear good due to how many Republicans will likely stick with him. It would not help in the immediate term, and the damage is likely to be done, but I wonder if it wouldn't be proper to recall Dunleavy over this.

[Young Conservative]

Recall him from trying to save the oil investment fund? Yeah... good luck with that. He’s making the tough choices needed to save the state in the long term.

[brucejoel99]

And Alaska's post-2002 one-term governor curse continues...

[Epaminondas]

And Alaska's post-2002 one-term governor curse continues...

If Trump loses in 2020 he may survive just out of partisanship. Going to be much harder to knock off a Gop governor than a Dem/Indy one.

[Skunk]

I honestly have no idea why you'd want to be governor of Alaska, seems like a thankless job no matter what you do.

[Roll Roons]

And Alaska's post-2002 one-term governor curse continues...

If Trump loses in 2020 he may survive just out of partisanship. Going to be much harder to knock off a Gop governor than a Dem/Indy one.

See 2014...

[PSOL]

At some point, Alaska needs to kill the oil dividend for good. It’s clearly done a number on the state’s economic and political stability.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

At some point, Alaska needs to kill the oil dividend for good. It’s clearly done a number on the state’s economic and political stability.

Dunleavy wants the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend to go up to $3,000 per Alaskan per year. That’s a $1,400 increase from last year. Not all of the 730,000 Alaskan residents are eligible, but if we figure that 600,000 are (to give a low estimate), that’s a difference of $840 million. That’s over double the overall cuts that Dunleavy made to the budget ($400 million).

I had to check that to make sure that the permanent fund money could be used to fund state government programs (and not just dividends to residents), and it looks like it can. From 2016: “For the past year, Walker has been promoting a deficit-reduction plan that would divert some of the $54 billion Permanent Fund's investment earnings to help pay for government services. A House committee rejected an amended version of his proposal after the Senate approved it earlier this year.“

The oil dividend is not the problem.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

This reminds me of that interview from like 2008 when Neil Cavuto interviewed an actual honest to god socialist, not just a Democrat being attacked as one and he said his favorite of the lead ticket members (Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin) was Palin because of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

[Ebsy]

I don't think the Fund is the problem per se, just that obviously other government programs should not be cut to the bone to give meemaw a bump. Either taxes need to be increased to pay for public programs and the fund or the fund needs to be left as is.

[Indy Texas]

Cutting spending on things that make the state more productive (education) to spend more on things that don't make the state more productive (cash welfare handouts).

Republicans are so weird.

[brucejoel99]

And Alaska's post-2002 one-term governor curse continues...

If Trump loses in 2020 he may survive just out of partisanship. Going to be much harder to knock off a Gop governor than a Dem/Indy one.

See 2014...

Yup, Bill Walker... dropped out

(I'm sorry. I had no choice.)

[Oryxslayer]

In case you missed it, the legislature has divided (with the republicans outside of Juneau lacking the Quorum) and tensions are high over the Oil Fund and budget cuts. Compared to previous legislative separations, this one is weird with both sides having legitimate claims to be the real session, and the opposition having the greater legitimacy then the on held by the party in power - some Republicans outside of the House coalition showed up in Juneau.

Nice primer on the chaos: https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2019/07/09/a-divided-alaska-legislature-begins-troubled-special-session/

[Ebsy]

https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2019/07/10/as-the-budget-veto-vote-nears-ua-foundation-poll-suggests-most-of-alaskans-favor-override/

Overrides fell short by 8 votes.

[brucejoel99]

https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2019/07/10/as-the-budget-veto-vote-nears-ua-foundation-poll-suggests-most-of-alaskans-favor-override/

Overrides fell short by 8 votes.

R.I.P. the University of Alaska system, Medicaid, Alaska Public Media, Alaska Head Start, Village Public Safety Officers, youth facilities, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, etc.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2019/07/10/as-the-budget-veto-vote-nears-ua-foundation-poll-suggests-most-of-alaskans-favor-override/

Overrides fell short by 8 votes.

R.I.P. the University of Alaska system, Medicaid, Alaska Public Media, Alaska Head Start, Village Public Safety Officers, youth facilities, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, etc.

Fixed