Contributed by Valerie Mittelstead
I believe the Alaska Republican Party has become the “wishful thinking” party. They wish the good old oil days would return and Alaskans would again not have to worry about paying taxes or fretting about the PFD amount. They wish the cuts of over 40% to Alaska’s budget still leaves room to “cut the fat”. The reality is that any new oil exploration will not bring riches to us anytime soon. The reality is that the price of oil is likely to stay low for a while, because there is too much oil in the world at the moment. Despite these realities, the wishful thinking party denies the need for additional revenue, such as taxes.
So, the wishful thinking party instead is looking at ways to take money from other entities to pay for Alaska’s essential services. Already, they have reneged on the promise to reimburse school districts for needed school construction. In Mat-Su, that will mean an additional tax of about $480, per year, on a $200,000 house. Already, they have raised the rates on residents of the Pioneer Home, a service started in 1915 by Alaskans to take care of their elders. Already, they have taxed Alaskans who depended on the Marine Highway to travel out of their cities. Now, they must fly to services their areas do not provide. These are, in fact, taxes. Costs that have been borne by the state are now borne by individuals.
The price of oil dropped precipitously in 2015, so much that we now give $8 per barrel “tax credits” to the oil companies. Since that time, essential services have been cut, jobs have been lost, and the conversation around increased revenue has stalled. Wishful thinking won’t get us out of this. Facing reality and working together will give us a path forward.
I am voting for Jim Cooper for Senate District F. Jim has a degree in finance, experience with budgets, and has spent most of his life in public service. He believes, “Together, we can make a difference.” We need someone like Jim in Juneau. Please join me in voting for Jim Cooper.