This is what I want to hear from someone in the Alaska House of Representatives:
Permission to speak on "Plain as the nose on your face," Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, to use a twist on an old idiom, our budget problems are as plain as the noses on our faces.
First, we must acknowledge that most of us here, along with the former governor, are responsible for the size and unsustainable budget of state government. We must pick up where we left off under SB 21 and work with the industry to adjust the state's oil tax revenues. As a responsible body, Mr. Speaker, we must do no harm to Alaskans. To that end, Mr. Speaker, we must more gradually reduce the size and spending of state government.
It is painfully obvious. We cannot cut our way through a $3.5 billion-plus deficit. Heroic efforts have been made by this governor and this body, but cuts alone won't work. Cuts to basic public safety like closing state trooper stations and closing rural university campuses squelches community development. Cuts like these squelch one's sense of security and opportunity. And broken promises to school districts across the state defeat us all. These are unacceptable choices, Mr. Speaker. As representatives of the people, we are obligated to try harder. And we must.
State leadership must reach out to the oil industry, an industry that has made billions from the sale of Alaska's natural resources. Oil industry leaders must be approached to do what is necessary to meet us halfway in this time of crisis.
Given that the industry stands to make billions more leads me to expect their cooperation. I urge the leadership of this body to take action and work with the governor to urge the industry to step up to the plate. We must solve the revenue side of our budget
This truth has been said by many -- we cannot cut our way to a balanced budget, Mr. Speaker. To that I say, "That is as plain as the nose on your face."
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Someone with great courage, please stand up -- please stand up.
Tara Jollie is the former Director of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Division of Community and Regional Affairs. After working 20 years for state government, she is now retired and blogs on rural affairs under the nickname "Leaddog" at LeaddogAlaska.net, where this commentary first appeared.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.