Time for a legislative remodel

This editorial originally appeared in the May 24 edition of the Juneau Empire.

The Legislature needs some remodeling, and not the kind that took place at legislative information office in Anchorage.

State government is broken, clearly, seeing as how we’re a month past the scheduled end of the 90-day session and there’s still no final budget deal. This is costing the state extra money at a time it has none and brings with it the threat of a government shutdown at the end of next month, unless enough votes are captured to tap the Capital Budget Reserve or money is taken from Permanent Fund earnings.

Either way, we’ve found ourselves in a multi-billion-dollar hole, to the point that not even $100 per barrel oil prices is enough to cover our state’s expenses. Adjusted with inflation, the average price of oil over the last 30 years is about $50 per barrel. Yet Alaska has spent more than twice that amount in recent years, and more than doubled its operating budget in the last decade.

There must be accountability for the mess we’ve been placed in. Questions that every Alaskan should be asking themself right now are: How did we get here? And, who is responsible for allowing this unsustainable spending to go unchecked?

How long has your legislator been in office? Next time you go to the polls, remember this session and ask yourself if your lawmaker was part of the problem or solution before casting your ballot.

The predicament Alaska finds itself in is not the fault of its citizens, so long as we hold those conducting state business on our behalf accountable for the results. If the same lawmakers continue returning year after year, no one should be surprised if there’s a repeat down the road.