Contributed by Mike Widney
Save The PFD is an effort we just launched, focused on one thing and one thing only, saving the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, which has been under unrelenting attack from Juneau since Jay Hammond was governor, and with special intensity for the past three years.
When they couldn’t convince the people, the legislators, aided by the governor, took matters into their own hands and simply declared that they would no longer support following the law which directs the state to pay a full PFD to every eligible Alaskan.
Save The PFD was started this year because there was no one organization willing to take the fight to the politicians and whose sole focus is on saving the PFD. We don’t take positions on which political party you should join or not join, and we aren’t going to latch ourselves to a particular politician’s political campaign. Politicians come and go. In our mind, what is needed is an organization who can help Alaskans sort through all the clutter of politicians who say one thing about the PFD at election time, and then do something else after they are elected. And it seems like there are a lot of Alaskan politicians who have been doing that since our current governor took office.
As I write this, we haven’t endorsed any candidates for office, but we plan to have done so by the time you read this. Hop over to www.SaveThePFD.com to learn what the politicians in your area have said (and more importantly done) about the PFD.
We aren’t being bankrolled by wealthy millionaires in Texas, or anywhere else. But if you know of a millionaire uncle who wants to save the PFD, we will gladly point them to the “Save The PFD” website where they can put that money to good use.
Lots of people talk about saving the PFD. We plan to actually do it. That of course, takes time and it takes some money. As Alaskans, it’s going to take your time and your money if it is going to succeed. We have put in the time, and some of our money, and will continue to. We have the same stake in the future of our state that you do. It matters. This is not a short-term project only for this one election. Even if all the good guys win this election and all the bad guys lose (and yes, there are some bad politicians in this state, otherwise we wouldn’t have to be talking about needing to save the PFD), there will still need to be an organization that sticks around after the election to make sure the politicians do what they said they would do. It’s a never-ending project, but we think it needs to be done if we are going to save the PFD for our grandkids one day.
That said, elections ARE important. It is the one time the people have a voice, and we intend to help them use it.
We have asked every candidate running for the Alaska Legislature, Governor and Lieutenant Governor to tell the Alaskan people where they stand on what we believe are the three most important questions about the PFD today:
1. “Should the amount of the PFD be calculated according to the traditional formula in current state law (AS 43.23.025) until such time as the people of Alaska have the opportunity to vote on the questioning a statewide public vote?"
2. “If elected, will you support legislation providing for a statewide public advisory vote by the people of Alaska on whether the amount of the PFD may be reduced to provide for government spending?”
3. “Should calculation of the PFD be enshrined in the Constitution of the State of Alaska?”
Finally, and most importantly, we asked each candidate:
“Have you ever taken a position contrary to the positions you have expressed in this survey? If so, please explain.”
It’s the last question that most politicians in office today will have trouble answering, unfortunately. We wish that were not the case. We wish the politicians had just done what the law told them to do, and that we could be out enjoying the rest of our summer. But they didn’t. They have attacked the PFD, and we will fight to defend it, with your help and support.
Every effort needs a mission statement, and here is ours:
“The mission of “Save The PFD” is to preserve the traditional calculation of the permanent fund dividend for the current generation and for future generations of Alaskans, unless and until such time as the people of Alaska first approve changing the calculation of the PFD through a public vote. The traditional calculation is also sometimes referred to as the historic or statutory PFD. The calculation of the PFD has always been enshrined in statute and determined by state law. This statutory calculation has remained unchanged in state law since 1982 and can be found at AS 43.23.025. It is only since 2016 and the administration of Governor Bill Walker that elected public officials in Alaska have publicly declared their willingness to violate this law. We insist that all elected public officials know and follow this law.”
If you support this mission, we ask for your encouragement, your support, your time and some of your money. It is that important, we believe. Do you?
Mike Widney is Chairman of “Save The PFD”, a non-partisan project focused exclusively on saving the PFD. www.savethepfd.com