Because of Sen. Bill Wielechowski’s court case, many Alaskans now know that they have no constitutional right to a dividend, much less a $3,000 one. But, for the following reasons, that really doesn’t matter.
First, the historical component: Almost 40 years of guaranteed dividends have created a powerful momentum, a public expectation that’s impossible to suddenly halt without, as Sen. Donnie Olson has said, splattering “blood on the walls.”
Second, a large segment of the public felt cheated by Gov. Bill Walker and the Legislature’s 50% withholding of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 dividends. They’re nursing a grudge and want recompense of their grievance.
Third, many Alaskans have observed past legislators wasting extraordinary amounts of money on gold-plated infrastructure, bridges and roads to nowhere, sprawling institutions and other grandoise state programs in response to influential public interest groups such as teachers, Natives, public employees, etc. For the individual Alaskan, the dividend helps rectify that budgetary inequity. What could be more fair, after all, than distributing a portion of the state’s income on such an equitable basis?
Fourth, many Alaskans believe that the dividend program has been crucial, as former Gov. Jay Hammond intended, for mobilizing public support to nurture and preserve the Permanent Fund.
Finally, the state legislative majority, in this $3,000 PFD high-stakes card game, is playing with a weak hand. They refuse to acknowledge that the governor holds the trump card with his veto; they threw away a good bargaining position with their recent gaffes on the statutory dividend vs. the Senate Bill 26 formula, on prematurely paying legislative per diem, and refusing to accept Wasilla for the special session; their arrogant and defiant attitude toward the governor, the legislative minority, and members of the public has alienated other players and precludes establishing the cooperative bipartisanship necessary for a long-term winning strategy. Consequently, they’ll have to pay big to play, and the cost to re-engage in working to resolve the state’s future budget is a $3,000 dividend for 2019. After that, we can talk.
— Larry Slone
Homer
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