Many years ago, I was teaching an eighth-grade Sunday School class. These kids were also in a Confirmation Class during the week so, when I asked the one Sunday what grace was, several of them answered, almost in unison, “God’s love and favor.”
A few years after that, Alaska lawmakers approvedour Permanent Fund, so we would not fritter away all of our newfound oil riches. It allowed us to build a fund for future generations that we could rely on when the oil could not support our state. Not long after that, we founded the Permanent
Fund dividend to give our residents the chance, individually, to enjoy and keep track of part of our riches.
To me and many others, that was Alaska’s grace — Alaska’s love and favor — a gift. Other than to make out the application each year, which has become much easier than it was in the beginning, we doabsolutely nothing but breathe in Alaska for a certain number of days each year to receive that gift, our PFD. We don’t do anything to earn it, nor do we deserve it. My son who lives in Wisconsin does not receive such a gift from his state, nor do residents of any other state, as far as I know. My son certainly pays a lot in taxes, however, to live there.
The PFD is not intended to be something we must rely on to get through the year. A PFD that hurts other programs in the state was not intended to be a goal. Cutting the amount was never intended to be looked at as a “regressive tax.” Any time the amount goes up, so does our federal IRS payment, and that’s our only suffering from the PFD.
The PFD is a gift and if it gets cut, we do not suffer because it is a gift. Personally, I highly favor the 25% (PFD)-75% (Alaska needs: schools, roads, safety, etc.) of the percent-of-market-value funding plan and think the 50-50 split takes away from what is good for all of us.
Let’s set a formula that will determine the amount of the PFD each year and move on. It is a gift; we all gain from it and should be glad to get it.
— Larry Graham
Anchorage
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