Posted: Tuesday, 07 July 2009 15:53
by Dave Mindeman
I was posting a little sporadically last week because I was on one of those once in a lifetime vacations -- an Alaska Cruise. It really was a spectacular trip. Let me share a few thoughts that I picked up along the way.
Alaska has a lot of pristine wilderness. The state has a constant battle between environmentalists and energy interests. I suspect that because of the sparse population (less than North Dakota), the majority of people living there don't see any problem with some energy exploitation of the vast acreage. (Texas and California could both easily fit into the land area).
The majority of the population (total is about 650,000) lives in the southern coastal areas. The cities of Anchorage and Juneau make up half the population themselves. The major income source is royalties from oil production. Taxes aren't usually much of a problem because so much oil is produced that most of the people get a refund check from the government each year. Since oil prices have dropped so much recently that may be a problem next time around -- the grumbling can begin.
We stopped in Ketchikan early in the trip. The population is about 10,000 people....which doubles when the cruise ships dock. Here's a little known fact. Ketchikan has streets named for every President. When a President retires they rename one of the other streets for that person. Naming a street for President Clinton was a little controversial. One of his last acts as President was to proclaim the Tongas Forest a Federally protected area. That shut down the local wood pulp mill and cost the city 2,000 good jobs. The town council had a tradition to uphold, so ideas were needed to find a Clinton Street. A significant number of people wanted to go with a street that was formerly a well known red light district lined with brothels at one time. That was finally rejected as undignified. So Clinton Street became a one-block long, dead end street in Ketchikan.
Last Wednesday we stopped in Juneau. My family must have been one of the few people actually interested in touring the Alaskan Capitol. It isn't as ornate as most Capitols are.... it was a very plain looking office building about 4 stories high. The Legislature is like ours -- only in session for a few months. Unfortunately, the chambers were closed for rennovation....but we did get to see the Governor's (Sarah Palin) office. Over her entrance door is a countdown clock... It said, 514 days 14 hours and 22 minutes. Time to make a difference. Since I take things literally too often, I asked the tour guide, "Time to make a difference for what?" She got this totally shocked look on her face and said, "Why, time to make a difference for Alaska, of course!"
Of course....except it should have said 48 hours to make a difference, because two days later she quit.
Coincidence? Hmmmm.
We went on Whale Watch Excursions twice....saw humpbacks both times. Watching a humpback take a deep dive and have their tail disappear in the waves is an exhilarating experience. We didn't see any breeching but it was still wonderful to see.
We also got to see a number of glaciers. At least the ones that are still around. We heard several comments about where the glaciers used to be....most of them have receded considerably. The ship tried to have some educational lectures as well. They had one afternoon session where they talked about Global Warming. My wife and I went and joined the "crowd" of 12 people (out of 2200 passengers). I guess when you are "cruising" the last thing you want to think about is environmental catastrophe.
But the curious thing about that was that once the lecturer finished the presentation, one of the audience members proceeded to pepper him with questions and statements that clearly demonstrated he was a "denier" about climate change. My wife and I speculated that this guy might have been paid to attend this lecture and express the doubts. He listed every single Republican talking point that I have become all too familiar with.
Still, all in all, it was a breathtaking experience. To see the snowcapped mountains towering above the thick forests that go right to the shoreline.... well, you can't capture that in a photo. It just has to be seen.
Alaska is a beautiful place....and worth protecting.
Did your vacation highlights include the site for the Bridge to Nowhere ?
I suppose if you want to see where your tax dollars are spent, Alaska is the place to go. Based on Federal dollars per capita, Alaska has lead the nation seven years running while Minnesota has typically fared poorly.
Look at the numbers (based on the most recently available data per TaxFoundation.org) :
2000 Alaska $9,513 Minnesota $4,716 (#47)
2001 Alaska $10,169 Minnesota $5,177 (#47)
2002 Alaska $11,844 Minnesota $5,575 (#47)
2003 Alaska $12,298 Minnesota $5,752 (#49)
2004 Alaska $12,902 Minnesota $5,997 (#49)
2005 Alaska $13,950 Minnesota $6,145 (#48)
Another way to look at it is how much the Federal Government spends versus how much it collects from the residents … Alaska is once again at the top end while Minnesota is at the bottom
2000 Alaska $1.57 for every $1 paid in taxes versus Minnesota $.83
2001 Alaska $1.57 Minnesota $.80
2002 Alaska $1.74 Minnesota $.77
2003 Alaska $1.79 Minnesota $.68
2004 Alaska $1.84 Minnesota $.68
2005 Alaska $1.84 Minnesota $.72
So, while Alaska has seen its “return on tax dollar” increasing, Minnesota has become an even bigger donor state.
The question that should be raised to Congressman John Kline, “How can Minnesota get a fair return on its tax dollar with your No Earmarks philosophy ?”
Besides the US Government sending monies to Alaska, the Alaska Permanent Fund earns royalties from the state’s natural resources. In 2008, a dividend in the amount of $2,069 was paid to every eligible man, woman and child. This is the highest payment yet, and the change in global oil prices, probably mean that the dividend will be lower in future years (which I suspect is one of the reasons why Governor Palin is quitting.) As a point of comparison, in 2007 the amount was $1,654; 2006 was $1,106.96; then $845.76 in 2005; $919.84 in 2004; $1,107.56 in 2003; $1,540.76 in 2002; and $1,850.28 in 2001.
In August 2007, Alaska Gov. Palin called state lawmakers into special session to enact her "Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share" which raised taxes on the oil industry and sent money to struggling consumers (roughly $1,200 rebate to residents as energy prices rose).
Selecting Alaska as a vacation site may be equivalent to Disneyland … it’s a fantasy land paid by others. Welcome back to reality.