The Weekly Top 3

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 14, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we examine what's going on with the budget and how, in our view, the legislature should respond to the conference committee proposal (1:43); 2) we discuss what the Governor needs to bring to the table to save the PFD (17:55); and 3) we expla...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 7, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we question whether the Governor really is serious about passing SJR 6, the proposed PFD constitutional amendment (1:46); 2) we explain why Rep. Fields is complaining about the wrong set of Republicans in his recent Anchorage Press op-ed (16:32);...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of May 31, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) why the numbers 11 and 6 are key in resolving the budget (1:52); 2) last week's evolution of the discussion around SJR 6 and what its going to take to constitutionalize the PFD (20:37); and 3) why, although the new oil field announcement from...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 24, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) where the legislature is on the budget and the issues ahead in resolving it (2:02); 2) what we think its going to take to pass SJR6, the Governor's proposed PFD-related constitutional amendment (22:08); and 3) we focus one last time on why we...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 17, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) where the legislature & Governor appear to be on the PFD now, as we enter the last two days of the regular session (2:03); 2) why we are perplexed about the Governor's proposal to delay addressing the appropriation of the state's sha...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 10, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the current state of play (as of showtime, Tuesday morning) concerning the PFD, including the Administration's statement last week that they no longer back the current statutory PFD (2:16); 2) the current, incomplete state of play surrounding...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 3, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) the current, confused budget situation in the House (2:00); 2) why we believe Reps Rasmussen & Merrick dissemble when they say they oppose an "income tax" (they just oppose one that requires the Top20% to contribute, they don't...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 26, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) why, despite the influx of flexible federal dollars which could be used to create adequate fiscal space, the HFIN's draft committee substitute nevertheless threatens to divert almost all of the PFD to government (1:53); 2) we focus on an e...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 19, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) how HJR1, Rep. Kreiss-Tomkins proposed constitutional amendment, sets a trap for the PFD (2:00); 2) why we are deeply disappointed in the way the Governor proposes to spend the bulk of the federal funds coming to the state under the American Re...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 12, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) our take away from testimony last Saturday before the House Ways & Means Committee (1:56); 2) our concern as some start proposing ways to spend Alaska's share of the federal American Rescue Plan funds (21:49), and 3) some good oil news...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 5, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) we are increasingly concerned the combination of some oil price recovery and the incoming federal rescue dollars is leading the legislature to avoid facing up to the state's fiscal situation yet again (2:04), 2) we take a look at what'...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of March 29, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) we discuss how the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner badly botched an analysis of Alaska's tax burden (1:56); 2) we ask whether the Senate Finance Committee even cares about Alaska families & the overall Alaska economy (13:37); and 3) some re...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of March 22, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) why we believe the Department of Revenue's Spring Rev F'cast misleads on an important issue (1:50); 2) the Alaska House Coalition's proposal to layer on yet another regressive tax on middle & lower income #AKfams (14:00); and...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of March 15, 2021.This week our Top 3 issues are these : 1) how we believe the legislature should address the federal money coming to the state under the American Relief Plan (1:52); 2) why we think the House Minority's "Declaration of Guiding Principles" prioritizes the Top20% over middl...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of March 8, 2021.This week at Michael's request our Top 3 becomes a Top 4. These are the issues : 1) LegFin's presentation to the Senate Finance Committee last week was great as far as it went, but it had one huge hole (2:12); 2) an op-ed piece in Republican mouthpiece MustRead Alaska signals...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of March 1, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the growing battle over whether to overdraw the Permanent Fund (2:00); 2) what Reps Merrick & Rasmussen really mean when they say they intend to "stop" an income tax (17:09); and 3) we celebrate some good news from the oil patch (34:12). T...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of February 22, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) establishing a House Ways & Means Committee is a good thing (1:58); 2) the COVID relief bill currently making its way through Congress shortchanges Alaska and other state & local governments in need (12:52); and 3) following up on a listener...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of February 15, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the Ninth Circuit's decision staying Conoco's Willow project raises longer term concerns (1:50); 2) we need alternative revenues to substitute for PFDcuts, but how do we avoid them adding to spending (15:10); and 3) our take on the current...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of February 8, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) a Ketchikan Daily News op-ed has it right, the legislature should "Focus on the Economy," but they aren't (1:50); 2) oil prices are going up, but not nearly enough to dig the state out of its fiscal hole (18:43), and 3) like his predec...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of February 1, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the Senate Finance hearings are revealing a lot about where members think the state's fiscal situation is headed (1:56); 2) the ADN editorial page entirely ignores what we believe is the fundamental problem driving some to push for excess Perman...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of January 25, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) Senator Micciche outlines the right objectives, the challenge will be in achieving them (1:59); 2) the language of the Governor's proposed Constitutional Amendments doesn't match what we understand to be the objectives (18:39); and 3) forge...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of January 18, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the ADN's myopia is making Alaska's fiscal situation more difficult, not better (1:51); 2) Rep. Prax's approach will lead to continuing, ever-deeper PFD cuts (17:25); and 3) the Manhattan Institute's Brian Riedl offers some import...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of January 11, 2021.This week our Top 3 are these: 1) we start by taking a look at Legislative Finance's budget outlook presentation last Friday (1:44); 2) we discuss what we find of interest so far in the legislature's stack of prefiled bills (15:45); and 3) we share our takeaway from last we...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of January 4, 2021, our first podcast of the new year. (To demonstrate how rusty we are, the podcast starts by referencing the week of January “9th,” but don’t be confused, its the week of the 4th.)This week our Top 3 are these: 1)our take on the upcoming House Finance Committee session on the Governor&...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of December 21, 2020, our last podcast of the year. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) our take on the ADN's outlook for the coming legislative session (1:50), 2) why former Governor Murkowski's proposal that the state bid on ANWR leases is a bad idea for the state (16:45), and 3) as we approac...