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 September 13, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) where are we headed on the PFD as this session comes to an end (1:49); 2) the additional arguments the Governor should be using to push back on PFD cuts (11:15); and 3) we explain how both the legislature and Administration are using distor...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of September 6, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the Administration restarts discussions on revenue, but then immediately rules out the very approach that has the lowest adverse impact on Alaska families & the Alaska economy (1:54); 2) as the FY22 budget mess moves to the Senate, we explor...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of August 30, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) yes, the state’s fiscal situation is a result of a “lack of guts to make the decisions,” but the real question is who is it that is lacking (2:13); 2) we discuss what it will take for the 2022 election, unlike the previous ones the last decade...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 23, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we do some numbers that show the extent of the #AKfiscal challenge, why the legislature has resorted to bigger and bigger PFDcuts and why that will continue without substitute revenues (2:01); 2) we explain why the US District Court's decision...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 16, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss a weekend op-ed by the Anchorage Daily News editorial board, which completely ignores #WhoPays, the issue that ISER Head Ralph Townsend told the legislature's Fiscal Policy Working Group earlier this month is the "single most import...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 9, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the Governor shows some movement in the Administration's presentation to the Fiscal Policy Working Group, but we explain why, in our view, he's limiting the options too narrowly (2:05); 2) in his presentation to the Working Group, ISER head Ral...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 2, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss what the legislature's Fiscal Policy Working Group is missing so far in its public analysis so far (1:56); 2) we explain why Rep Wool's HB37 isn't much of a compromise once you fill in the missing part (18:26); and 3) we explain how...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 26, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss Sen. Hoffman's hint about where the legislature's Fiscal Policy Working Group may be headed as well the comments we intend to file (1:50); 2) we make our point about the gaping hole in Gov Dunleavy's fiscal policy in graphic form (26:...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 19, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1)we discuss the lessons we draw from CNBC's recent ranking of Alaska as 50th - dead last - for business (2:03); 2) we explain why we think funding the PCE and PFD are essentially the same issue (21:01); and 3) we discuss a slide left out of Sen. v...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 12, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the three things we hope the legislature's new Comprehensive Fiscal Policy Working Group keeps front and center in its deliberations (1:56); 2) we explain why we think the Governor continues to fall far short on proposing a complete f...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 5, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss two ADN op-eds that, for various reasons, miss the mark on Alaska's fiscal situation (1:54); 2) we explain how a recent BBC story badly misunderstands what went on in Alaska's last election cycle (11:58); and 3) in preparation for the...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 28, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the final outcome of the budget during this special session (1:49); 2) we explain why some who claim to be "pro business" are really "pro business executives" instead, and why that's a huge difference (19:44); and 3) we examine what w...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 21, 2021. This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain our thoughts on how to resolve the current budget impasse (1:55); 2) we explain why we think, in its weekend editorial on fiscal issues, the ADN failed badly to live up to the standards of objectivity and balance usually expected of e...

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 explain w...

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 Pan...

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 thi...

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 share of the fed...

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 the...

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 mind one that most...

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 excel...

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 R...

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 from th...

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's going o...

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 recent dis...