Wow! What an excellent letter to the editor on June 1 by Phillippe Vermeyen. You should print it and tape it to the wall and reread it at multiple points as we approach the November elections. "The ultra-rich are very good with propaganda," and we will be bombarded with billions of dollars nationally and millions of dollars in Alaska in social media, print, radio and TV propaganda. Mr. Vermeyen's honest and insightful observations provide refreshing counterpoints to this propaganda.
If you want a bigger dividend for you and your family, vote for Democrats and independents. The Alaska Senate Republicans voted down the bipartisan legislation passed by the House in 2017 that would have provided additional state revenues of more than $1,000 per dividend, per year. These Republicans cost Alaskans and Alaska businesses that rely on dividend spending more than $600 million per year. So, if you want a smaller dividend and greater use of your dividends to pay for government, vote for Republicans. The Republican Party is not the same. It has been captured and controlled by the ultra-rich, and is serving them — not you — now.
The good news is that we can fix this. All you have to do is vote for Democrats and independents. They are in tune with our collective values as Alaskans and Americans. But you have to vote. Elections matter.
— David Carter
Anchorage