Jay Hammond knows what’s going on, in grave.
In reading opinions in the Alaska Dispatch News, it appears that the few Alaskans supporting Walker's theft of the PFD have any understanding of the history of the Permanent Fund.
Gov. Jay Hammond originally suggested the Permanent Fund dividend not only as an avenue to share the wealth from our collectively owned savings account but also as a check on government. He believed if Alaskans received a dividend every year, they would pay more attention to government spending. He believed that when the government came for our PFDs, citizens would notice the state government's excessive spending before they depleted our entire savings.
The Alaska Constitution, Article IX, Section 15 states that income generated from the Permanent Fund "shall be deposited in the general fund unless otherwise provided by law." In the 1980s, the Legislature enacted AS 37.13.140, which creates a formula for determining the income available within the Earnings Reserve Account for distribution to Alaskans via the PFD. AS 37.13.145(b) requires, "the corporation shall transfer from the earnings reserve account to the dividend fund. …"
The Alaska PFD is a right and the Senate wants to take it away from us. Walker's veto of over half of our PFD is illegal taxation, without voter approval, in direct violation of our Alaska Constitution and of article 9 of the US constitution which forbids Capitation tax. Walker has no legal right to veto our dividends. If we don't stand up and fight this now, Hammond will be rolling in his grave.
Walker hurts people, nonprofits, and our depressed economy.
I would like to thank Clem Tillion, Rick Halford and Bill Wielechowski for their battle to save the PFD and to Shannyn Moore, whose article "Dividend raiders déjà vu" (Sept. 25) was spot on. The governor is one of those rich guys to whom $1,000 doesn't mean much, but for people on fixed incomes and people in rural Alaska, the PFD is essential.
Further, the governor has killed a number of Alaska nonprofits as people are not going to be willing to Pick, Click. & Give. this year. I assumed that he was going to be a governor for the people, instead he supports Big Oi companies. It is disappointing to find both he and Sean Parnell both in bed with them. Instead of rescinding SB21, reenacting ACES and collecting the back taxes due since the implementation of SB 21, He now wants to tax the people in addition to stealing their Permanent Fund Dividends.
Those of us, like Clem Tillion and myself, who personally knew the late governor and Marine Jay Hammond recognize that if Jay were around today, he wouldn't be happy. I'll tell you that a lot of people are not happy with our state governor or our Maffia Legislature. Get those thieves out of there. Bring back Sarah Palin as our Governor.
John J Kiernan
Anchorage.
P.S. Since 1982, I've lived and enjoyed life here in America as a legal Resident Alien, but to run against Governor Walker I would need to become a Citizen. I'm 85, Sarah Palin has youth and experience on her side. We need Sarah Palin.
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