Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of June 3, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why the fiscal future the state is facing is far different from what some think it is (2:10); 2) we discuss our initial reaction to how the upcoming legislative races are shaping up (18:53); and 3) we explain why, like the Alaska Public Utilities Commission was in the late 1990s, we believe the current Permanent Fund Board must be sunset and replaced with a restructured approach (39:29).

The Weekly Top 3 (6.3.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of July 1, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we examine the sum total of the Dunleavy budget legacy so far: spending growth, no fiscal plan and PFD cuts (2:00); 2) we explain how the Permanent Fund Corporation is trying to manipulate Alaskans and why it no longer can be trusted (18:08); and 3) we explain how the Hilcorp tax loophole keeps growing and what that means for the state (35:00).

The Weekly Top 3 (7.1.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of July 8, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss what the true "opportunity costs" are of PFDcuts (2:13); 2) we explain why assuming state revenues from oil follow oil production volumes is wrong (19:10); and 3) we explain why KTUU's recent "man on the street" question about the PFD is misleading (36:10). At the end of the third segment, Michael and I also have a brief discussion about the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to abandon judicial deference to federal agency actions (a reversal of the so-called "Chevron doctrine").

The Weekly Top 3 (7.8.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of July 29, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the movement we are (finally) seeing from Southcentral utilities on gas supplies (2:10); 2) we discuss another bad week for the Permanent Fund Board and how the new Chairman made the case even stronger for replacing and restructuring the Board (24:01); and 3) we explain why the new childcare (or any type of) tax credits are worse than subsidies (39:19).

The Weekly Top 3 (7.29.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of August 5, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how a recent ADN editorial board op-ed advocates for a fiscal future that, if successful, would largely undermine former Governor Jay Hammond's vision for Alaska (2:15); 2) we explain how the Permanent Fund Corp and others are manufacturing a fake earnings reserve crisis and why Alaska's press seems to be buying it hook, line & sinker (18:59); and 3) we explain why many of Alaska's so-called progressives are just the latest incarnation of the old Limousine Liberals (36:51).

The Weekly Top 3 (8.5.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of August 12, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss whether the Alaska economy is on an up- or down-swing (2:17); 2) we discuss the significance of global LNG supplier Excelerate's recent announcement that they are in advanced discussions to bring LNG to southcentral Alaska (19:43); and 3) we explain why we think the proposal to merge the two Permanent Fund accounts - the corpus and the earnings reserve - into a single account should become an election issue (36:17).

The Weekly Top 3 (8.12.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of August 19, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how, after draining the Statutory Budget Reserve, the Constitutional Budget Reserve and a large part of the PFD, some are positioning to come after the Permanent Fund corpus (2:19); 2) we discuss what the Alaska oil & gas industry is NOT telling Alaskans about the next ten years (17:30); and 3) we explain why, while they make claims that they are, those pushing for increased K-12 spending really don't care about middle and lower-income Alaska families (36:26).

The Weekly Top 3 (8.19.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of August 26, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss our take on the results for various legislative races from the primary election and what we see as the path forward (2:33); 2) we discuss the effort by some to combine what we view as two entirely separate issues related to the Permanent Fund: whether the Permanent Fund Board should be reformed (which we strongly agree with), and whether the two-account Permanent Fund structure should be merged into a single account (which we strongly disagree with) (20:25); and 3) we discuss how a recent letter to the editor from Keep Alaska Competitive co-chairs Joe Shierhorn and Jim Jansen dodges a critical fact about oil taxes (38:18).

In addition, we include a brief discussion Michael and I had about the proposals by some to return state employees to a defined benefit pension plan (47:10).

The Weekly Top 3 (8.26.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of September 30, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how those justifying PFD cuts on the basis it's "free money" in reality are just trying to direct it into their pockets instead (2:06); 2) we explain the fundamental hypocrisy of many pushing for increased K-12 spending (18:25); and 3) we explain how Jesse Bjorkman has become so desperate to avoid defending his own record, he's taken to lying about others (36:48).

The Weekly Top 3 (9.30.2024)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 21, 2024.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) whether the Governor's focus on data centers is a last-minute Hail Mary in support of the AKLNG project and, if so, whether its a good one (2:14), 2) Larry Persily's most recent column and why we think it's hypocritical in not applying a similar standard to the state budget (17:28), and 3) some interesting developments in both the Kenai and Fairbanks legislative races and why we think they are significant (38:08).

New tracks tagged #Alaska Permanent Fund