Governor needs to allow a staged payout of emergency PFD payments

Governor Michael J. Dunleavy is at a watershed in his administration. He can either rise to the occasion or continue a disturbing trend of compromises that is damaging his Administration and undermining the faith of those who put him in office. If he rises to the occasion, and, by executive order under the emergency declaration, moves to stimulate the economy and to restore faith in government where the PFD is concerned, he will sail through his recall without a feather being ruffled.

What can the Dunleavy Administration do to mitigate the growing damage to the economy by the impact of the COVID-19 virus emergency upon Alaska and Alaskans?

Dunleavy can declare an emergency payment of the PFD to all Alaskans of the current full PFD and the amounts withheld by the Walker Administration and last year’s PFD, but not in one lump sum.

What is needed is a staged payout over a period of several months to mitigate the impact of the loss of jobs from businesses shutting down due to quarantines being imposed. This year’s PFD and monies owed from past partial disbursements need to be paid out over a period beginning in April-May. Limiting the checks to $1,000 per individual per month would give a family of four $4,000 per month during this period. Those who are still being paid by their employer will have extra money to help family and friends, if necessary.

Alaskans would have the ability to determine their own future in this mess, none who applied for the PFD would be without. Food, drugs, gasoline, medical and other needs would be provided for.

Just pay what’s owed.

Given that we are getting to the end of winter, the coming summer means traditional Alaskan activities of fishing, gathering berries, establishing gardens, and hunting will further reduce the impact upon Alaska’s families for those who can engage in such activities.

Group purchasing of bulk goods such as grains, canned goods, beans and rice would further mitigate food costs.

Having the money to provide for these options is there with what we are owed from the partial PFD disbursements that remain unpaid and the full PFD due this year.

Given the 3X multiplication factor across the economy, this is the best remedy to a bad situation that the Dunleavy Administration could provide to the people of Alaska.

Let us deal with our needs.

The Legislature would rather tell us what they will decide is best for us, meaning what they want, not what we need. Further, it also means 60 squabbling voices with 60 separate agendas to delay and to obfuscate any solution.

This is an emergency, and the governor has made the declaration. He has the authority to make such a decision.

Rather than pay the people the PFD money owed, the Legislature has decided to ignore the positive impact upon the economy by paying the full PFD and to continue down the road of showing us how ineffective, unresponsive and oppressive government can be.

The Legislature will do nothing but appease special interests, ignoring the one interest that they should be most concerned with, Alaskans.

One only has to look to the fight with the governor to see that the Legislature is not a solution where such payment is concerned.

Further, we are owed the money.

Last session, the Legislature threw down their gauntlet to the governor and refused any movement on the PFD. They ignored the people and the Dunleavy Administration. Their collective excuse is that they believe the state would be trading services for the PFD, which is totally ignoring reality.

The PFD is not taken from the state’s oil revenue stream or from taxes, it is taken from the profit off of the Permanent Fund’s (PF) investments. Not from taxes or oil production. Investments. Government gets 50%, we get 50%. That’s the law.

Let the rich in the Legislature and those supporting the end to the PFD forego their PFDs in favor of those who need the money, or simply donate their PFD and the unpaid portions owed to the state or to a charity of their choice.

They have options, and they don’t need the money.

I urge the Governor to act immediately to effect a staged payout of what is owed to the people to minimize the impact of this emergency upon Alaskans. This is both a responsible, reasonable response to an emergency and a solution to paying what’s owed to the people.

We can deal with next year, when we get there.

Larry Wood is a longtime Alaskan, living on Lazy Mountain near Palmer