Let me ask you something. When you work who owns the fruits of your labor? If you watch KTUU and read ADN you'll see the argument being made that your money really belongs to the government and after they eat their share they'll hand you whatever scraps are leftover.
Well I say if they really want my money they can do my job for me. Then they can keep however much money they want. I wonder how that deal would work for them?
There's some drama going on about The PFD. The State is in a budget crisis and is wondering how to save it. All the solutions I'm hearing from the media is that they need to take the money from either working Alaskans or raise the price of goods. Boy that's quite the deal we're getting!
But what was The PFD supposed to be about anyway? It was giving us the money The Oil Industry made off our lands. Obviously they're not doing so hot right now. Or well it would seem that way if you just watch KTUU. Lets not forget it's a billion dollar industry.
And our government doesn't seem too concerned over taking their money over ours. In fact Dean Westlake voted to give them a 10% tax cut while giving us a income tax. Doesn't seem like he wants us to do the heavy lifting for them?
Anyway let's face the fact that The PFD was not created as a social program where the working folk all pitch in a pot to give everyone $1,000 a year. But that's what our state government wants us to do. The argument is that it'll help the poor. And sure $1,000 is a lot of money but who's going to live on such a amount in the course of a full year?
Don't get me wrong I'm all for helping people out. I'll admit I'm a young guy but in my experience just handing people money who could work doesn't improve their lives. As the old saying goes easy come easy go. My experience is a majority of the time they'll keep coming back for more until you say no.
What's wrong with Alaska's government is that they don't have the backbone to say no. Certainly people say they need The PFD. They also say they need a cigarette or to be spotted $20. Is Dean Westlake going to do that for them as well?
But it doesn't take that much backbone to steal from people. And that's what they want to do! They just call it a income tax or a sales tax. If the government were really concerned with what was right and stand by what The PFD was created for the money being handed out each year in The PFD would decrease. The better the oil industry does the higher it should be. And it should be lower during times like this.
Let's ask ourselves the question are we going to let ourselves be fooled and intimated into something that's unfair? Nobody in the media is serious questioning the move for The PFD from being a form of rent on the oil industry to a social program. And it's not even a good social program!
Education and helping people find jobs in the work place is far more important than The PFD. Welfare for those who actually need it is more important than just giving everyone money every year.
Lets stand up for the working class who should be able to keep the fruits of their labor. Lets make a better budget aimed towards a better future for Alaska. Lets balance the damn thing too.