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THE PERMANENT FUND "Protect it for the generations to come"
Reconnecting Alaskans!
A major “disconnect” currently exists between the people of Alaska and our State Legislature. With each passing Legislative session, this gap grows wider. Campaign promises made by those representing the public are soon forgotten, or at the very least misinterpreted. Alaskans concerned about their future wonder why this “disconnect” continues to grow and many are searching for ways to close this gap.
To explore the extent of this problem, volunteers of the Alaska Voters Organization began conducting public opinion surveys in May 2002. Examples of recent public opinion surveys are shown below which help illustrate just how bad this "disconnect" really is.
The most recent survey was conducted in Soldotna during the August 2003 Progress Days event. 248 people were surveyed with questions about the Longevity Bonus program. Several questions with the results follow:
· Do you agree with Governor Murkowski’s veto of the Longevity Bonus program?
Yes – 11.7% No – 75.4% Not sure – 12.9%
· Should your Legislator’s position on the (proposed) Longevity Bonus program special session be made public?
Yes – 88.1% No – 5.8% Not Sure – 6.1%
In June 2003 a survey was taken by 347 people at the Kenai River Festival and Nikiski Fun in the Midnight Sun events. Several of the questions with responses are show below:
· Governor Murkowski had Senate Bill 119 introduced, where it passed mostly down party lines. SB-119 allows individual campaign contributions each calendar year to increase from $500 to $1000 for each candidate and from $5000 to $10,000 for political parties. Do you agree with this change?
Yes - 11.7% No - 73.6% Not Sure - 14.7%
· Democrats Croft and Lincoln introduced HJR-3 and SJR-19 which proposed an election to give Alaskans the opportunity to constitutionally protect our PFD from legislative spending. HJR-26 and SJR-18 were introduced by Republican controlled committees and represent Governor Murkowski’s “endowment plan” or POMV (percent of market value) scheme. The Republican plan offers no assurance of future dividends, no guaranteed inflation proofing and could even erode Permanent Fund principal. Please circle the legislation you prefer:
HJR-3/SJR-19 = 69.2% HJR-26/SJR-18 = 9.8% Not Sure = 21%
· Introduced by Republican Norm Rokeburg and passed mostly along party lines, HB-11 will divert 25% of certain royalty deposits from the Permanent Fund principal (estimated at $40 to $55 million per year) and give it to the Legislature. Do you agree with this change to the Permanent Fund?
Yes - 11.5% No - 80.2% Not Sure - 8.3%
· During the entire summer and fall of 2003 the question, "Can the Governor spend your PFD better than you”, was asked of several thousand Alaskans with the following results:
Yes - 5.2% No - 91.1% Not Sure - 3.7%
In conclusion, these survey results show enormous opposition to many recently passed bills and legislative tinkering with the Permanent Fund. If our representative form of government is going to survive legislators must first admit this “disconnect” exists and then commit to closing the distance between themselves and the rest of Alaskans. Only by working together we can make a positive difference for Alaska’s future!
The message above and other services are provided free of charge through the generous support of donated staff time and monetary contributions. If you agree with our project please consider a donation in one form or another. Alaska Voters Organization, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation and in most cases your donations of cash or in kind are 100% tax deductible.
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