Redirect the dividend

It isn’t every day that a hard-line conservative like Republican Mike Dunleavy wins the governor’s mansion by guaranteeing socialism for his constituents. But this is just another typical election cycle for Alaskans who are upset regarding their Permanent Fund dividend.

Student Brittany Gilman wrote in the Anchorage Daily News recently about the sad reality facing Alaska. While our schools struggle, our mental health system decays and our economy flusters, Alaskans are instead asking for a greater share of personal wealth. Not wealth that we have personally earned, or taxes we would otherwise pay. Our state government provides us a seasonal bonus for simply being residents.

I agree with Gillman that we as a state must shift our priorities. To do so would be to revive the cause originally at heart when the Permanent Fund was created. Gov. Jay Hammond and other thinkers in the 1970s recognized that with Alaska’s newfound wealth from Prudhoe Bay, we were given a chance to provide for ourselves down the line. The fund was intended as a support during hard times, or an investment in a stronger and more reliable state economy. A personal dividend was not the focus, and some, like Wally Hickel, thought it was a bad idea entirely.

I do not think the dividend should be abolished. It provides much needed assistance to struggling families, especially in rural parts of the state. But should we be debating to increase our own share right now? I do not want $3,000, I want my students and future children to have a good education. I want roads that are safe and thoroughly plowed during the winter. I want affordable hospitals and quality mental health facilities.

If a cap on the dividend could help improve our state, then I will advocate for one. Politicians need to do what is right for Alaska and not only what their constituents want every two or four years.

Ryan Foisy is an educator and writer living in Palmer.

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