Issue Position: The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend

Issue Position

Under no circumstances should the PFD be taken from Alaskans and used to fund state government without a vote of the people to do so. Those who believe that our state bureaucracy will do a better job of spending their PFD for them are always welcome to donate their PFD to the state. Pick. Click. Give.

Because today's politicians have repeatedly proven themselves untrustworthy to follow the law, the only lasting protection for the PFD will involve the election of new legislators and an amendment to the Alaska Constitution. I have never wavered from this position.

Since before I was sworn into office, Senator Mike Dunleavy and I jointly sponsored legislation that would restore the full PFD to the amount set out in state law.

There are some who believe that the strength of the public sector is the best indicator of the strength of an economy. They could not be more wrong.

The strength of the private sector is the better indicator of an economy because the public sector can only exist to the extent that it continues to be supported by the private sector.

A strong public sector built on top of a weak private sector economy is like a hammer crashing down on a lightbulb. If you snap a photo a microsecond before the hammer smashes the lightbulb, you might get the impression that the light bulb is stronger and will withstand the blow. But if you care about a functioning light bulb, that would be a terrible mistake to make.

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