Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL RAGING AGAINST THE MACHINE EDITION

To Tell the Truth

We had big fun in the House of Representatives Wednesday.

First, we listened to a speech by the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. I have lots and lots respect for the chief justice – especially since a guy never knows when he might get hauled in front of the court – but I have to say that the hour-long speech might have been just a skosh longer than my attention span. But then I’ve never been accused of having the longest attention span anyway.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL MORE PROOF THAT WOMEN ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD EDITION

Two Women, Two Jobs, One Conclusion

I had the pleasure of talking with two fine women on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and state Ombudsman Linda Lord-Jenkins. Both women have tough jobs and are doing them well.

Pretty much everybody in Alaska knows Murkowski. I met her when she was a state legislator and I was an ink-stained wretch. She was thoughtful and hard-working and, for the most part, non-partisan. Oh, she was – and still is – a Republican, but I always thought she was – and is – more interested in doing things the right way rather than the party way.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL OIL TAXES AGAIN. AND AGAIN. AND AGAIN. EDITION

Sean Parnell, Last of the Big Spenders

The Parnell administration is still flailing around, trying to find a pretext for hitting the oil industry in the palm with $1 billion or $2 billion a year until the sun goes out.

The rocket surgeons at the state Department of Revenue have tried a bunch of reasons for giving our money away: more jobs, more state revenue and keeping the trans-Alaska pipeline working. Finally, they settled on – all three. Plus anything else they can think of. Why, I once heard Commissioner of Revenue Bryan Butcher say that if we didn’t support the giveaway, we’d all have bad breath and dingy teeth. I immediately made a vow to switch my position on oil taxes – and floss more often.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL READ SOME OTHER WRITER EDITION

What, oil companies might not be telling the truth?

Dermot Cole, the columnist for the Fairbanks News-Miner, has been doing a bang-up job writing about how poorly the state is doing in extracting information from the oil companies and releasing it to the public.

If that sounds like a discussion that would put you to sleep so fast you’d get a concussion when your head hit the table, here are a couple of things to consider.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE $10 BILLION EDITION

I have started to try to get support for my bill to put $10 billion into the Alaska Permanent Fund. The bill is in the Powerful House Finance Committee, of which I am an insignificant member. I haven’t asked for a hearing yet; I want all the members of the House to have a chance to think about it first.

The bill has about the same chance to pass as a snowflake in Hades. There are many bills that offer us the chance to spend, spend, spend. Since spending is much more popular than saving – particularly in an election year – you can write your own script for poor House Bill 194. It won’t have a happy ending. But I’ll give you my pitch anyway.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL SHAVE THE WHALES - AND GIVE THE POLAR BEARS A HAIRCUT - EDITION

I really like Kyle Johansen. At least this week. Johansen, the Republican representative from Ketchikan, introduced a resolution Monday that was both funny and pointed. We see pointed ones all the time. But funny ones are thin on the ground. Very thin.

Now, resolutions don’t pack much punch. One legislator - I forget who - described resolutions as “letters to ourselves.” Since I’ve been in the Leg, we’ve sent many, many, many resolutions to the President and Congress, telling them to stop doing X or to send us a bunch of money for Y. So far as I can tell, the President and Congress have been impervious to our stern but well considered words about X. Unfortunately, they seem to be sending less and less money for Y, too.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL HE’S BACK! EDITION

Here I am. Again. It appears that the wages of sin are not death. They are 90 days in Juneau.

No, that’s not true. I like Juneau. And I have, for the most part, enjoyed my time in the legislature. It has been interesting and difficult, odd and entertaining. I have made some friends and a few enemies. You’d be surprised which was which. I know I was.

Democrats: Today’s Resources Build Tomorrow’s Opportunity; Democratic Response to the State of the State shows vision for Alaska

JUNEAU – In her response to the governor’s state of the state speech tonight, House Democratic Leader Beth Kerttula (Juneau) told Alaskans that Alaska must use today’s resources to build tomorrow’s future.

“You’ve elected us to lead, and it’s our job to lead in a way that honors Alaska’s courageous spirit by using today’s resources to build tomorrow’s opportunities,” said Rep. Kerttula.

Rep. Mike Doogan Unable to Participate in Special Session

Health concerns prevent attendance

Rep. Mike Doogan (D-Anchorage) will be unable to participate in the special session due to health concerns. Rep. Doogan is at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle receiving treatment related to his surgery last year to remove a benign brain tumor. Doogan entered Harborview on Saturday June 25; duration of his treatment is unknown but the prognosis for his recovery is good.

Rep. Doogan in Anchorage: SPECIAL BIG, BIG, BIG BUDGET EDITION

In case you missed it, here’s a Compass piece I wrote earlier this week.

State Budget, Spending Generate a Bunch of Exceptions

I don’t know if you’ve got enough money to be worth talking about. I don’t. But together, we — and every other Alaskan — have a pile of money. Not a Denali-sized pile, but nothing to sneeze at.