Message for Palin

As a Republican and a conservative, I am not quite sure where Gov. Sarah Palin is leading us as a state.

We have no state income tax, no state sales tax, every resident receives a free permanent fund check every year and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and U.S. Rep. Don Young bring millions to this state by taking from the rest of America. We have $40 billion in the permanent fund and last year spent the biggest state budget in the state’s history.

Now Palin is telling us we need to raise taxes on the oil companies that already pay 85 percent of the state’s budget because we want our fair share. Governor, may I remind you that the pipeline is two-thirds empty and dropping fast?

Would it not have been better to keep the Petroleum Profits Tax the same and work with oil folks to produce new oilfields to replace the decline of oil going through the pipeline instead of raising taxes on a declining commodity? After all, governor, they are the ones taking the risks and spending the dollars to get this oil to market.

May I also say to you that we do not have a budget problem, we have a spending problem, and until you and the so-called fiscally conservative Legislature get a handle on the state’s spending you will always want more money. I have a feeling the oil companies are not going to invest much more in a state with an uncertain tax base such as ours.

I was here before the oil companies, governor, and believe me, it’s a whole lot easier making a living with oil than without it. One more thing: if you really wanted our fair share, would it not have been better to go after the royalties tax so part of it would have gone into the Permanent Fund? This would make our PFD check bigger and give residents more money to spend as they want. This is preferable to a profits tax, which will be spent by you and legislators on what you and they consider priorities.

By the way, governor, how’s the gas pipeline coming along?

David DeHart

Houston