It disgusts me to see that the coalition government in the state House is outright refusing to fully refund the stolen portions of the Permanent Fund Dividend that were taken the last three years, simply due to partisan politics.
First, Gov. Mike Dunleavy was elected with the signature campaign issue of restoring the PFD. He won decisively (seven points and almost 20,000 votes), illustrating that it is the will of the people of Alaska that the PFD be restored. Refusing to refund that portion is a direct insult to their voters.
Second, the PFD is literally the only money that many bush families see all year and is a massive boon to people in every city who are poor or below the poverty line. It is, quite literally, taking food out of the mouths of children to fund non-specific government programs. The list actually ends here because I could add many more reasons, but I shouldn’t have to.
We as Alaskans have to band together and tell our legislators that enough is enough. We cannot allow them to ignore our wishes any longer. The entire House is suspect as it is, as the people who elected 23 Republican Representatives now have a member of the Democratic party as Speaker of the House.
Please, call your legislators’ offices. Show up for public testimony. Send an email. If you see them on the street, have a polite chat and ask that they support the PFD.
Jeremiah Crockroft,
Juneau
My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.