We're a few billion shy for this year's budget and next year could be worse, they say.
"Something", in legislator-speak, is to enact an income tax, raise taxes on everything else, announce that a few dozen employees will be laid off, and take a portion of the State's savings account. "We're broke!" they say.
Something. Must. Be. Done.
So last night they announced that they going to spend $32.5M to buy the office building they use for meetings in Anchorage ... when they're here.
So here's what they're telling us:
"Honey, I filed the bankruptcy papers at the attorney's office, like we discussed. We're officially broke. And oh yes, I bought a new truck on the way home from work."
9 comments:
Welcome to government!
Controllers wanna control!
gfa
Sadly true.
Rev. Paul,
I love the new picture you've placed on your header.
Government spending money like it's growing from trees.
No marches on the governor's office? Who owns the building?
Sigh. The longer I live the less I see the purpose for large portions of the government. Unlike a business, they are not responsive to the market and so when issues are resolved or situations go away, they do not dissolve but rather continue on in search of a new host and grown into new areas. Perhaps that is why zombies shows are so popular now - we are living it out on a daily basis.
Thanks for pointing this out. Is this the same downtown building that the "illegal lease" was under dispute a couple of weeks ago, or did they find another?
(I was in #49 for several weeks, now am back in #48 for a bit; #49 does not have much of a media presence beyond adn.com, which I studiously try to avoid. I find their repeated character assassinations of "figures that Alice disagrees with" irresponsible and reprehensible)
The money being spent on the PR blitz telling everyone that they have to raise revenues, cut into the PFD (same thing), and cut spending, is really appalling. We all know that the "cut spending" part will end up exempt in the end.
Wherever I can, I try to illuminate Alaskans on just how many different places 'zonies pay taxes, and what they add up to. Eyes universally widen once enlightened.
Sandy, thanks. That's the north fork of the Eagle River, a few miles north of Anchorage.
Chickenmom, it's a private developer in downtown Anchorage. The Governor's safely in Juneau, 650 miles away.
TB - that's because there IS no legitimate purpose served by large portions of the government. And you're quite right about the zombies in modern society.
airphoria, it's the same building. An appeals court recently invalidated the lease, because the legislator who negotiated it actually wound up signing a new contract, rather than extending the old one. Therefore, the State must either move out, or buy it. And you're right: the vast expansion of the State gov't which began under Sarah Palin has continued unchecked, until now. And of course they claim that they can't shrink it.
"the vast expansion of the State gov't which began under Sarah Palin has continued unchecked, "
That surprises me.
Ed, your response isn't unexpected: she said one thing, but the expansion accelerated during her half-term. We were surprised, at first, but realized there was only so much influence a Governor could exert over a budget already approved. And other than attacking the crony structure in Juneau, not much else was changed.
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