Column

(Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Alaska House makes the right decision on constitutionally guaranteed PFD

The proposed amendment would have elevated the PFD to a higher status than any other need in the state

 

The Alaska Legislature meets in a joint session Jan. 18 in a failed attempt to override a veto by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to education funding. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Republican legislators are surrendering their constitutional power

Checks and balances of power are central to our system of government

 

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)

Point of View: Some state lawmakers need to embrace reality, not PFD political theater

State revenues minus public services do not leave enough in the checkbook to pay an oversized dividend

 

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to a joint meeting of the Juneau and Alaska chambers of commerce Thursday at Centennial Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

Opinion: Efficient administration in governance according to Dunleavy

There’s been a lot of taxpayer money wasted chasing the canard of inefficient government

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to a joint meeting of the Juneau and Alaska chambers of commerce Thursday at Centennial Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

Clean up the Tulsequah Chief mine before considering more mining in the Taku Watershed

The Taku River deserves more respect than it is receiving from the governments of Canada and British Columbia

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Artwork from inside cover of report “Learning to Thrive: Alaska’s next economy in a warming world” by Alyssa Quintyne. (Alaska Climate Alliance)

My Turn: Two visions of Alaska’s future

As the world experiences this unparalleled moment of ecological crises, two competing visions are playing out in public discourse

Artwork from inside cover of report “Learning to Thrive: Alaska’s next economy in a warming world” by Alyssa Quintyne. (Alaska Climate Alliance)
The LeConte ferry coated with cold-season ice. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Marine Highway System)

Opinion: How not to build a lasting legacy of failure

Last week the Federal Transit Administration announced it was awarding $131 million in grants for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). That’s in addition to… Continue reading

The LeConte ferry coated with cold-season ice. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Marine Highway System)
Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill.

Opinion: Music to the ears of America’s adversaries

Russia and China have interest in seeing America’s democracy and standing in the world weakened

Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill.
(Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Imagine the cost of health and happiness if set by prescription drug companies

If you didn’t have heartburn before seeing the price, you will soon — and that requires another prescription

(Juneau Empire File)
A rainbow appears over downtown as residents check out rows of electric vehicles at Juneau’s EV & E-bike Roundup on Sept. 23. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: We should all pay more for the privilege of driving

Alaska has the lowest gas tax in the country

A rainbow appears over downtown as residents check out rows of electric vehicles at Juneau’s EV & E-bike Roundup on Sept. 23. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks to a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Gazing at the stars while democracy burns

Sullivan’s refusal to address Trump’s shenanigans is matched by his reluctance to compliment Biden

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks to a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
(Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: How to protect individuals from financial damage caused by irresponsible elected officials

Think of the several million dollars the state treasury, the Kenai Peninsula Borough and Municipality of Anchorage have paid out the past few years

(Juneau Empire File)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during an April 27 news conference at the Alaska State Capitol in which options for a long-range fiscal plan were discussed. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Alaska’s rudderless fiscal ship

The Alaska Permanent Fund dividend Alaskans are set to receive is again a paltry sum compared to what Gov. Mike Dunleavy promised five years ago.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during an April 27 news conference at the Alaska State Capitol in which options for a long-range fiscal plan were discussed. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Ben Carson (center) visits Iditarod Elementary School in Wasilla with Gov. Mike Dunleavy (to Carson’s right) on Tuesday. (Official photo from the Office of the Governor)

Opinion: Embarrassing Alaska through neglectful governance

When Gov. Mike Dunleavy learned Dr. Ben Carson would be speaking in Alaska, he made time on his calendar to spend with the former U.S.… Continue reading

Ben Carson (center) visits Iditarod Elementary School in Wasilla with Gov. Mike Dunleavy (to Carson’s right) on Tuesday. (Official photo from the Office of the Governor)