Opinion: Support the governor’s budget

The governor’s budget has attracted a lot press lately, some town halls this weekend, and much discussion amongst we plebes. People seem to forget that the governor’s budget is the product of the last four years of the Walker Administration’s failures, including a $1.6B deficit.

Mike Dunleavy inherited a state government that was responsible for stunning failures. 51st in fourth grade reading and writing skills, 50th in public safety, 50th in economic growth and 50th in job opportunities to name a few categories in the U.S. News and World Report’s index of the status of the states. SB91 produced a crime wave and opioid abuse on a scale that has impacted too many in Alaska. A massive failure in education and the family has been steadily increasing in magnitude in Bush Alaska resulting in 99% of those 17-34 being ineligible for military service due to education and criminal records disqualifications.

Mike Dunleavy inherited a state government with massive overspending and abuse. For example, the state Medicaid program spends over $50 million each year on transporting Bush residents to medical appointments in the major cities. What is the reason that this cost is not borne by the Regional Native Corporations, corporations which are Fortune 500 companies worth billions? Let them subsidize their constituents’ transportation costs.

Further, this part of the population largely votes Democrat, which has resulted in a massive failure in the family, social order, and respect–for each other demonstrated by the epidemic sexual abuse and substance abuse, for education and for the law. Yet, this part of the population has 44 million acres of resource rich lands to develop to provide for a future, but fights continually against such development, and expects more support from government just because.

We have seen the enemy and they are us, Pogo used to say.

Those criticizing the governor’s budget ignore the violations of our Statehood Compact by the federal government that have removed from access or development an additional 110 million acres under ANILCA, thereby denying rational surface transportation infrastructure development and resource development to provide for money to meet the needs of the state. Not to mention the egregious impact upon sovereignty with the dismissal with prejudice by former Gov. Knowles of the state’s challenge to the Katy John decision.

Even President Trump violated our Statehood Compact, with Senator Murkowski’s blessing, by reducing the state’s share of any future royalties from ANWR oil and gas development by 40%.

Those criticizing the governor’s budget ignore the fact of the growing deficit budgets that had become the norm with the massive revenues from oil production.

Further, those criticizing the governor’s budget ignore the fact that since the oil lease sales of the early 70s, the Legislature and the governors have refused any constraints upon spending in order to provide the plebes their circus without anything to show for the grotesque budgets that just kept growing without restraint. The die was cast for any crash of oil prices, given the steady drop in oil production over the years.

Dunleavy’s response to this runaway budget train was to attempt to throw the brakes on to slow the growing deficit by offering a balanced budget–spend no more than the amount of revenues taken in. The same any responsible citizen would do for themselves in managing their spending versus revenues.

Dunleavy did nothing more than make an opening gambit in a game of chess. The House and the Senate must now respond to the governor’s opening move. Do they continue to spend the state into insolvency or do they negotiate a reasonable compromise? Will Dunleavy hold the line and use the veto?

The House writes the checks, not the governor. However, the governor does have a line item veto. The governor has shown his “hand” in his balanced budget. It is now incumbent upon the Legislature to find a way to deal with the governor’s opening move, or to ignore it.

Where the Walker Administration chose to pursue policies that harmed Alaskans, drive out industry and reduce investment in Alaska, Dunleavy has chosen to challenge the Legislature, to return the PFD monies back to Alaskans, and to show this administration’s intent to give fiscal stability to encourage investment in Alaska, meaning jobs, opportunity andgrowth, not failure across the board.

We need to support our governor and to realize that if he fails to halt the unreasonable growth in government, Alaska will be a failed state economically and otherwise into the future.

Larry Wood is a 65-year resident living on Lazy Mountain