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 May 13, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) what is happening with the Conference Committee on the budget and where we are headed after it finishes its work (at 1:49), 2) a News-Miner op-ed editorializes on courage, yet shows none itself (22:52), and 3) we discuss a Rasmuson Board op-ed in...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of May 6, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the question those urging restored spending -- such as doctors and university supporters, to pick a couple that have made the papers in recent days -- should be asked (at 1:51), 2) how so-called conservative Sen. Chris Birch is urging his fellow l...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of April 29, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the Senate Finance Committee's adoption last Friday of a $3000 PFD for this year (at 1:50), 2) the huge significance of the Senate Finance Committee's simultaneously proposed move of $12B from the Permanent Fund earnings reserve to the Permanen...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of April 22, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) early in the session, the House and Senate scolded the Dunleavy Admin for not doing its homework, but now, both bodies are doing the same thing (at 1:47); 2) the long-awaited Buckeye Institute Report, which the Administration touted in its 10-y...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of April 15, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) why the state's current budget process doesn't achieve the needed goal of balancing "what we want" with "what we are willing to pay" (at 1:46); 2) we count the number of PFD "plans" circulating in various parts of the legislature -- we are up t...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of April 8, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the House Finance Committee's proposed budget and things to watch as it moves to the floor (at 1:38), 2) why both SJR6, the Governor's proposed spending cap, and the Senate Finance Committee's version of the same, are ineffective as written, and...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of April 1, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) why some in the #akleg keep pressing for PFDcuts even when other options are better, for the overall Alaska economy and Alaska families (at 1:46), 2) the concerns we have about raising oil taxes (at 21:27), and 3) why think changes are needed to...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of March 25, 2019. This week we only covered the first two of our Top 3 before running out of time: 1) the false choice the Alaska House Majority is pushing between spending cuts and PFD cuts -- there are other options that are better for most Alaskans which the House steadfastly is refusing to discuss...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of March 18, 2019. This week we start with a brief discussion of the controversy surrounding the treatment of the Governor's proposed budget earlier this week in a House Finance Education Subcommittee hearing (at 2:05). Then we turn to our Top 3: 1) an update of our 10-yr outlook to reflect the Administ...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of March 11, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the hypocrisy of Win Gruening (and many others in Alaska's Top 20%)(at 1:38), 2) why last week's SFIN ISER hearing was hugely misleading (9:59), and 3) Tax Policy 101: "It's all about the bas(e)" (22:12).

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of March 4, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we walk through a spreadsheet that explains why Governor Mike Dunleavy is doing what he's doing on the budget (at 2:26), 2) we discuss why we believe a #FlatTax is better than PFD cuts & other options (20:01), and 3) before we go too far down th...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of February 25, 2019. This week the first two of our Top 3 are focused on the big things missing so far from this year's budget discussion: 1) a 10-year outlook, which is critical to enabling us to understand the longer term concerns facing us and the options available to us (at 1:53), and 2) a discussi...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of February 18, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) our initial take on Governor Mike Dunleavy's proposed budget (at 1:45), 2) once the smoke clears, what we think the ultimate answer is to the state's fiscal situation (12:24), and 3) no, oil producers aren't receiving "$1.9B in unnecessary subsidie...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of February 11, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) our view of what to expect from Governor Dunleavy's budget and, as importantly, where the #akleg goes from there (at 1:40), 2) why cuts to the University budget are inevitable and completely reasonable (11:02), and 3) the question isn't if there's...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of February 4, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) Governor Dunleavy's proposed Constitutional Amendments need some work (at 2:04), 2) a Twitter exchange reveals a critical disconnect in the PFD debate (17:00), and 3) what Governor Dunleavy's proposed Supplemental Budget rollback tells us about the...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of January 28, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: (1) What is the dispute between the Dunleavy Administration and the Legislature's Leg Finance Division over so-called "designated" general funds really about (at 2:12), (2) is the end of Alaska's recession really on its way as some economists predict -...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of January 21, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: (1) Governor Mike Dunleavy's proposed "payback" of past PFD cuts (and why we oppose) (at 1:41), (2) But why we believe preserving future #PFD's is critical (18:37), and (3) a quick primer on a #FlatTax, what we think is a better alternative going forwa...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of January 14, 2019. This week Michael and I start the segment with a brief discussion of the accreditation issues at UAA's College of Education (at 2:02) before turning to the Top 3. Once we do, the Top 3 are these: (1) our look out at the Alaska budget over the next 10 years, why we are coming to beli...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of January 7, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: (1) our thoughts on the coming budget debate as the #akleg session approaches (at 2:33), (2) HB 331 -- the oil tax credit bonding bill -- survived its first court challenge, but we discuss why we nevertheless believe the upcoming #akleg should ki...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of December 17, 2018. For those that follow, this is our final podcast of 2018. We will resume the week of January 7, 2019. This week our Top 3 issues are these: (1) our thoughts on the Dunleavy Administration's revenue forecast and budget proposal (at 2:00); (2) our view of what the new Dunleavy Admini...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of December 10, 2018. This week our Top 3 issues are these: (1) the potential consequences for fiscal reform arising from Rep. Gary Knopp's departure from the House Republicans (at 3:03), (2) our thoughts on Governor Dunleavy's administrative order consolidating the budget making process into the Govern...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of December 3, 2018. This week our Top 3 issues are these: (1) some initial thoughts on the impact of the earthquake on the state budget (at 1:41); (2) our thoughts on Gov. Dunleavy's pick for DOR Commissioner (we think its a lost opportunity) (21:00), and (3) what the trade cease fire between the US an...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of November 26, 2018. This week we start with a brief discussion of a couple of things that occurred Monday -- Governor Walker's final draft budget and Governor-elect Dunleavy's announcement of his selection of OMB Director -- (at 2:38) and then turn to the weekly Top 3. They are: (1) why taking "excess...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of November 19, 2018. This week our Top 3 issues are these: (1) our thoughts on what the new Alaska Senate organization means for state fiscal policy (at 4:39), (2) Alaskans are hearing great news on all the new activity related to North Slope oil development, but we need to understand it doesn't mean t...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of November 12, 2018. This week our Top 3 issues tare these: (1) our views on the early appointments & organization by the Mike Dunleavy Administration and the House Republicans (at 2:30); (2) why we believe the state should not rebate past #PFDcuts (19:52), and (3) what is going on with oil prices and...