4 Senate Republicans help Dems restore abortion funds in Alaska budget bill
While most media outlets are fixated on the possibility that the Alaska Legislature might pass a budget that includes a $5,500 PFD payment for Alaskans, another controversy is brewing over abortion funding language. Last month, the House sent a bill to the
PFD expert: Once again, legislators give nothing but ‘crumbs’ to Alaskans
For yet another session, the State Legislature has failed to write a fiscal plan for Alaska. Time and time again, the House and the Senate disagree and neither has the numbers to force the issue. What’s the cost? To Alaskans living through the worst
Alaskan Independence Party wants to repatriate entire Permanent Fund in silver
Voltaire famously said, “Fiat currency always eventually returns to its intrinsic value – zero.” Last month, the Alaskan Independence Party voted in favor of a resolution calling for the full repatriation of the Permanent Fund, and into physical
EaglExit chair says detaching from Anchorage will save Eagle River millions
Editor’s note: The following provides updates on the EaglExit project, a multi-year effort which is underway to detach the Eagle River and Chugiak areas away from the Municipality of Anchorage in order to create a separate and independent borough. This
With Alaska oil at $117/barrel, petition asks lawmakers for full PFD
With the price of oil now hovering around $117 a barrel (as of March 25) and the state coffers flooded with billions in unexpected revenue, an online petition is urging the Alaska Legislature to approve a full, statutory Permanent Fund Dividend payment for
White, Christian conservatives must reclaim the fight for true racial justice
In an inaugural address at the University of St. Andrews in 1867, British philosopher John Stuart Mill said, “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” It may be recalled that out of the estimated
The Alaska VA’s disgraceful treatment
We published a story today about the malicious treatment of veterans with chronic pain by the Alaska VA and one Dr Cynthia Joe who is responsible. The Alaska Watchman was contacted by a group of surgeons who are at their wits end with the Alaska VA and are
Alaska’s PFD won’t last long without constitutional protections
Editor’s note: This column is jointly written by Joe Geldhof (a Juneau lawyer and board member of the Permanent Fund Defenders) and Juanita Cassellius (an Eagle River nurse and coordinator for Permanent Fund Defenders). For a long time, significant
12.20 > Healthcare costs are exploding
In a recent commentary, I pointed out the shift in focus among hospitals from refuges for the sick and injured into profit centered extraction chambers that almost omit a sucking sound as you walk through the sliding doors… but it’s probably just the
‘Awash with cash’ Alaska has money to pay a full Permanent Fund Dividend
In Fiscal Year 2020, the net income of the Alaska Permanent Fund was $1.63 billion while the Percentage of Market Value (POMV) draw was nearly $3 billion, a loss of about $1.3 billion after the draw. That was a shock to me. I’ve always trusted that the body