The Weekly Top 3

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of March 7, 2022. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we put the version of the House Operating Budget currently being considered by the House Finance Committee into context by comparing it to prior budgets and discuss what we will be looking for as the budget continu...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of February 28, 2022. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the upcoming Spring Revenue Forecast and why we think the Administration should release it sooner than later (2:10); 2) we explain the opportunities the withdrawal from Russia of BP, other oil &...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of February 21, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the lead fiscal bills that are emerging in both the House and Senate and why they ultimately aren't headed anywhere (2:02); 2) we explain why we likely are a no on the Governor's proposed ge...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of February 14, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the significance of the ongoing increase in oil prices to the #AKbudget; at the levels projected by the futures market, the FY23 budget now balances at a full, statutory PFD (2:09); 2) but now that th...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of February 7, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain that while the federal infrastructure bill does bring significant benefits to Alaska, it also comes at some cost that needs to be accounted for as well (1:59); 2) we discuss some important assumptions...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of January 31, 2022.The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on FacebookLive and via streaming audio from the Show's website weekdays from 6–8am. I join Michael each week on Tuesday's show, from 6:20–7am, for a d...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of January 24, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) why we support using a portion of the federal COVID relief funds as replacement UGF revenues this budget cycle (2:02); 2) we explain why we increasingly believe Gov Dunleavy has become a fiscal wimp (22:48); and...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of January 17, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) after looking at the summaries published by each, we discuss how far both the Administration and the Legislative Finance Division already are straying from "truth in budgeting" this session (2:06); 2) i...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of January 10, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain our concerns about the Governor's proposal this budget to raise revenues through permanent PFD cuts, without first exploring even obvious revenue alternatives the Administration itself has raised...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of January 3, 2022.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we review the Governor's proposed FY23 budget and 10-year fiscal plan released just before the holidays (2:17); 2) we discuss the Carl Marrs' op-ed appearing in the ADN and elsewhere over the holidays, t...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - Holiday Edition, our last of the year, for the week of December 20, 2021.Normally on the podcast we talk about the Top 3 issues currently facing state fiscal and oil & gas policymakers. But this week on the holiday edition Michael and I get in the spirit by talking about three, holiday-themed topics: 1) we talk about our favorite Christmas movies, including taking...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of December 13, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss what we will focus on in the Governor's Supplemental FY22 and FY23 budgets when they are released later this week (2:01); 2) we provide our way to early thoughts on the Permanent Fund Board'...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of December 6, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss how, with oil prices dropping in the wake of the Omicron variant and other events, the Administration is facing rougher times ahead on its fiscal proposals (1:58); 2) we consider what the federal infra...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 29, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we outline what we believe HB4003 - what seems to be the House leadership's leading fiscal bill coming into the next session - really does (2:01); 2) we discuss former Gov Walker's recent - and highly...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 22, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we outline the key criteria we intend to use in deciding which candidates to support this coming election cycle (1:56); 2) we discuss the potential impact on Alaska of President Biden and other countries' d...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 15, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss why a recent op-ed by Sen. Robb Myers reminds us a lot of Gov Hammond's themes behind the PFD (1:58); 2) we explain our frustration with the bill that House Ways & Means appears to be readyin...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 8, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss how the fiscal battle this coming regular session over the anticipated excess oil revenues is shaping up (1:52); 2) we take a wayyyy too early look at the impact of redistricting on Alaska fiscal polic...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 1, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why we have a lot of questions about the Administration's recently released Preliminary Fall 2021 Rev F'cast (2:25); 2) we discuss what we will be looking for in DOR's new "Fiscal M...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 25, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how the legislature's House Coalition has consistently masked from the public critical information in its analysis of various proposed fiscal solutions (2:20); 2) we dig down into the information...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 18, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we take a look at what's happening (or not) in the Special Session (2:02); 2) we explain why we think the Fall Rev F'cast - due in December - will surprise many and have a big impact not only on next ye...

This week Alaska Public Media's "Talk of Alaska" focused on the Permanent Fund Dividend. We are reposting the podcast of the discussion here. Permanent Fund Dividends will arrive soon, but the plan to pay for them going forward hasn’t materialized. Legislators have yet to agree on a solution, despite a fourth special legislative session and a list of recommendations made by a bipart...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of October 11, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the Walker/Drygas campaign offers some troubling insight into their PFD and, through it, their fiscal policy (2:09); 2) after defying the odds to develop an agreed set of proposals, legislative leadership seems intent on avoiding the recommend...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of October 4, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the legislature's Alaska House Coalition effectively admits it is fine with inflicting collateral damage on MIDDLE income Alaska families (1:58); 2) yes, oil prices are up but no, Alaska's fiscal situation isn't saved (21:08); an...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of September 27, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) why we think House Democrats are leaving MIDDLE income Alaska families out in the cold (2:03); 2) why we don’t see many signs of progress leading up to Monday’s start of the 4th Special Session (21:20); and 3) why its not just us that are co...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of September 20, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) how much of the FY22 budget is being paid for by PFDcuts - we think it will shock most (1:57); 2) the public abandonment by the House Ways & Means Committee Chair of the efforts of the Comprehensive Fiscal Working Group (17:59); and 3) w...