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Since 1975 about $134 BILLION dollars have been spent by
government in Alaska!
Annual state employee payroll
in 1975 was $198,365,040. By 2000 the payroll had
grown to $1,026,772,488, a 518% increase!
In 1975 the state population
was about 350,000, today it’s approximately
630,000, not quite double.
Since 1995 total state spending
has grown from about $5.8 BILLION to $8 BILLION a year. During that same
time period North
Slope oil production fell from 1,572,000 barrels a day to 991,000 barrels a day!
Our legislature overspent
income by almost $1
BILLION dollars
again this year. They were forced to borrow money from the
Constitutional Budget Reserve to balance the budget. No proposals
are currently being considered to repay these multi-BILLION dollar
loans! If overspending continues at the current rate, this
deficit is estimated to reach $1.476 BILLION a year by 2010!
HB 193 closed the primary
election, which denies freedom of choice for Alaskan Voters. See
how your elected official voted on HB 193 at:
http://www.akvoters.org/watchdog.htm
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State government cost per
capita (per person) was $2,286 in 1975. By 2000 that
cost had increased to $12,761, a 558% increase! Alaska is about double the next
four highest states in government spending, and about triple the
national average!
The State Legislature recently
passed a $1,290,378,015
(one point three BILLION dollar) capital budget (SB 2006) that
funded a community center study in Nikiski, paved parking lots in
Anchorage city parks, gave grants to the Arctic winter games among
other things, but failed to pay for construction of needed schools and
transportation projects. These projects will be bond issues on
the November ballot. If passed they will put the state into debt,
and will ultimately cost us about three times more than it
should. This will also force even tighter budgets in future years.
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Total government spending in
1975 was $800,000,000. In 2000 it was $8,000,000,000, a 1000% increase!
The state’s operating budget
approved for FY 2003 is $545,362,400 higher than this year’s enacted
budget, and has 649
new state full time job positions! As a result
of these budget “cuts” Governor Knowles closed road maintenance
stations and public parks at various locations around Alaska. As the legislature
continues to grow the size and cost of government in the face of
declining revenues, it spells the end for PFD’s, and make new taxes a
real possibility!
Total deposits from oil
revenue into the permanent fund are $9.8 Billion ($7.1 Billion from dedicated
oil revenue, and $2.7 Billion from oil revenue through special
appropriations). Additional deposits to the fund came from income
of the fund and amount to $11.3 Billion ($6.9 Billion inflation proof,
and $4.4 Billion from fund income). Total dividends paid since
1982 are about $11Billion.
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