• “$2 billion revenue shortfall sparks oil tax debate” — Anchorage Daily News
• “Oil Tax Revenue Expected To Decline By $2 Billion” — Alaska Public Radio
• “Alaska Revenue Forecast Shows Unanticipated Multibillion-Dollar Deficit” — Alaska Dispatch
Translation: We, the State of Alaska, have $2 billion less in oil revenue this coming year than we thought.
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We missed our Chanukah Edition. Oy (I’m Jewish and can say that!). But with Christmas approaching, and this being a holiday season for many, I just want to take advantage of your amazing generosity. Again. Because I know you care, and you’ve shown it over and over.
Is the soft sell going OK so far?
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Dear Neighbors,
What’s bad for the goose is bad for the gander. Or better put, you can’t ask for yourself what you don’t give to others.
Yesterday the Governor introduced his budget. Smart cuts and efficiencies are needed in light of the $2 billion drop in Alaska revenue projected for next year. And with the Governor’s new oil tax law – which will guarantee multi-billion dollar deficits long into the future, a budget, even a reduced one, should have a vision.
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Dear Neighbors,
Flip flop. Too much spin makes one nauseous. If you ask the public, in politics it either makes you nauseous, or not care. What’s the saying? You can fool some of the people some of the time, but…..well, someone help me with how that one goes - folksy sayings aren’t my strength.
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I have spent much of the past few weeks in the classroom, exploring our local elementary schools and middle school; this month I am visiting East High School. Through these visits I have learned about capital project priorities and general budgetary priorities for specific schools, as well as our public education system as a whole. It’s been a nostalgic time for me recalling previous years spent as a high school teacher in the Kuspuk School District in the early ‘90s. The kids in our classrooms are our future, and I believe that it’s up to us to provide them with meaningful, wide-ranging, and rigorous public educations.
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