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 December 2, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the outlook for the state's fiscal situation that likely will be reflected in the upcoming fall 10-year revenue forecast and budget plan (2:07), 2) in light of the likely severe fiscal restraints the...

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 18, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss what Alaskans realistically should expect from the Trump Administration on resource development (2:07), 2) we discuss the coming legislative budget cycle and, based on the current oil outlook, what...

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 11, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why we characterize the new House Coalition as a "bipartisan plutocracy" - government by the wealthy for the wealthy (2:11), 2) we explain why President Trump's recent video hasn't changed our skept...

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 4, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we ask whether the four business leaders writing a recent op-ed claiming that SB21 in its current form is still working for Alaska families even looked at the data first (spoiler alert: it's not) (2:31), 2) we...

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 28, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the broader implications of a recent op-ed in the ADN about the impact of government picking winners and losers (2:06), 2) we explain why those claiming to be "fighting for" Alaska families and the A...

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 21, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) whether the Governor's focus on data centers is a last-minute Hail Mary in support of the AKLNG project and, if so, whether its a good one (2:14), 2) Larry Persily's most recent column and why we think it's hyp...

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 14, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the question legislators don't want constituents to ask: is the legislator willing to put their own money where their mouth is (2:14); 2) we explain why, to quote the late Yogi Berra, it's beginning...

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 7, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how Republican legislative candidates have hamstrung themselves this election cycle (2:05); 2) we discuss how those candidates who continue to press for Cook Inlet gas subsidies are proposing to set t...

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 September 30, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how those justifying PFD cuts on the basis it's "free money" in reality are just trying to direct it into their pockets instead (2:06); 2) we explain the fundamental hypocrisy of many pushing for 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 September 16, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how the data demonstrates the real driver of Alaska outmigration is faltering Alaska household income, which increased spending using PFD cuts only makes worse (2:14); 2) we look at this year’s PFD...

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 September 16, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we look into the numbers behind the latest #AKLNG proposal and explain why they raise more questions than they answer (2:15); 2) we discuss the arguments the Big Government Republicans are using in their atte...

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 September 9, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain our frustration with the Governor's veto of the proposed rental car tax in the face of the state's ongoing $1.5 billion annual budget deficits (2:10); 2) we discuss some research that, contrary to w...

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 September 2, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how some legislative candidates have become so focused on being pro-oil that they have lost focus on being pro-Alaskan (2:15); 2) on the opposite end of the political spectrum, we explain how some s...

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 August 26, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss our take on the results for various legislative races from the primary election and what we see as the path forward (2:33); 2) we discuss the effort by some to combine what we view as two entirely sep...

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 August 19, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how, after draining the Statutory Budget Reserve, the Constitutional Budget Reserve and a large part of the PFD, some are positioning to come after the Permanent Fund corpus (2:19); 2) we discuss what...

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 August 12, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss whether the Alaska economy is on an up- or down-swing (2:17); 2) we discuss the significance of global LNG supplier Excelerate's recent announcement that they are in advanced discussions to bring LNG...

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 August 5, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how a recent ADN editorial board op-ed advocates for a fiscal future that, if successful, would largely undermine former Governor Jay Hammond's vision for Alaska (2:15); 2) we explain how the Permanent...

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 July 29, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the movement we are (finally) seeing from Southcentral utilities on gas supplies (2:10); 2) we discuss another bad week for the Permanent Fund Board and how the new Chairman made the case even stronger...

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 July 22, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how the term "surplus" has become another step in the Orwellianization of Alaska budget terms (2:05); 2) we discuss what is driving what some are now saying is the long-term outmigration of working Alas...

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 July 15, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) following up on last week's discussion, we keep digging into the problem with oil revenues (2:11); 2) we explain why it's deeply concerning that, while there's continued handwringing (and wild ideas), there is no...

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 July 8, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss what the true "opportunity costs" are of PFDcuts (2:13); 2) we explain why assuming state revenues from oil follow oil production volumes is wrong (19:10); and 3) we explain why KTUU's recent "man on the...

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 July 1, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we examine the sum total of the Dunleavy budget legacy so far: spending growth, no fiscal plan and PFD cuts (2:00); 2) we explain how the Permanent Fund Corporation is trying to manipulate Alaskans and why it no lo...

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 June 24, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why the Fairbanks Newsminer editorial board is hallucinating about the potential for a gas pipeline (2:10); 2) we discuss a subject on which we think Alaska's Congressional candidates should be focusing...

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 June 17, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why, on fiscal matters, "bipartisanship" generally is becoming a dirty word at both the federal and state levels (2:13); 2) we discuss the concept of revenue design and why one of the objectives of the...

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 June 10, 2024. This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the growing calls for scrutiny of the Permanent Fund Board (2:15); 2) we explain how, rather than rationally discuss the actual facts about the Cook Inlet, the Anchorage Daily News editorial page - or a...