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 21, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) we dive into the "glide path" approach some have advocated for dealing with Alaska's current fiscal situation (1:46), 2) we explain why we believe Commonwealth North's new Alaska Fiscal Game misleads (23:17), and 3) we outline what a recent Congre...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3  - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week -  for the week of September 14, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) both an Anchorage Daily News editorial board op-ed and another in the Anchorage Press mislead to tilt against the PFD (1:55), 2) the ADN's "just the facts" piece about Prop 1, the oil tax initiative, misses on a key fact (19:05), and 3) surprisi...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of September 7, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) oil's new "competitive analysis" of Prop 1 dodges key points (1:47); 2) we discuss why both "No on 1" & "Yes on 1" ads are misleading (18:38); and 3) the problematic 2019 'Buckeye Report' resurfaces with the same problems as before (29:08).

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 31, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) does Wyoming's response to its own budget crisis show a way forward for Alaska (1:58); 2) we take a "way too early" look at where the next #akleg may be headed on fiscal issues (spoiler alert, it depends on reaching 16) (20:13); and 3) what the "No o...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 24, 2020. This week our Top 3 (+1) are these: 1) some R's scoring upsets in the primary ran on a platform of 'supporting the Gov," now that they have won, we ask what is the Gov's plan? (2:08), 2) Sen Coghill tries to blame 'talk radio' for being behind in the early count, but its not "talk ra...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 17, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) what the Trump Administration's action on ANWR this week means for Alaskans (both the cheerleader & realist versions) (1:51); 2) what we are looking for in the this week's election results (11:02); and 3) where the Permanent Fund goes from here (spoi...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 10, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) while some candidates say they support maintaining PFDs, the numbers show they are misleading voters (1:57); 2) while others talk a good game, Lynn Gattis has already demonstrated she is capable of effectively standing up to a "binding caucus" when t...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of August 3, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) recent op-eds by Larry Persily and others are avoiding the important question(1:47); 2) we break down the costs of ANS oil production and explain why we think Prop 1 is an acceptable addition (20:08); and 3) why what the Congress does on the next COVI...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 27, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) why a recent op-ed by Sen. Shelley Hughes and others actually has convinced us to vote YES on Prop 1 (1:54); 2) like others from the Top20%, Rep. Jennifer Johnston seems to be running on both sides of the fence at once just to stay in office (27:17); a...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 20, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) in an op-ed, Sen. Stedman expresses more concern about future generations than he does those right in front of him (1:51); 2) Senator Giessel sends out a mailer that claims things she's not (12:56) and 3) the Governor of Wyoming takes steps in response...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 13, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the, what sometimes seems intentional, confusion among candidates around the FY22 deficit number (1:49); 2) what the University should be looking for in a new, long term President (18:41); and 3)we (mostly) agree with a new report from the Alaska Polic...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of July 6, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) some good news on oil prices (1:55); 2) a recent op-ed by Sens. Hughes, Costello and Rep. Prax on oil taxes badly puts the cart before the horse - we discuss what it takes to fix it (9:01) and 3) why what happens in DC this month will have a big impact...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 29, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) a new paper provides insight from a global perspective on who opposes resource distribution approaches like Alaska's PFD and why (1:55), 2) two new industry papers help pinpoint the challenges Alaska will face in coming years in continuing to attract o...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 22, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the missing question so far in the 2020 election cycle, and why its the most important (1:50); 2) the underlying truth facing the University whoever is in charge (24:55) and 3) surprisingly (and disapointingly), the state appears ready to approve the H...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 15, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) two from the Top20% argue "don't tax me, don't tax my industry, tax middle & lower income Alaska families instead," our reaction (1:52); 2) oil prices are stabilizing and Conoco is restoring ANS production, what does that mean for Alaska's finances (17...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 8, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) the University's spending cuts are good, but there is much more to go (1:49); 2) while they don't directly impact us, Chevron & BP's layoffs nevertheless are an important signal to Alaska (12:39); and 3) why we think Ed Rasmuson's recent editorial is ho...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of June 1, 2020. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) now that we know the candidates, our first reaction to the upcoming election cycle (1:46); 2) oil prices are back to where they were in mid-March, what does that mean for Alaska (22:37); and 3) why a recent report from Moody's indicates that Alaska stat...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 25, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) What our focus will be with candidates as we head into the coming election season (1:45); 2) now that it has FERC approvals, where we think the #AKLNG project is headed (18:01), and 3) why ending proration doesn't mean TAPS is back up and running at big...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 18, 2019. 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 discussion between the two of us about the th...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 11, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) if it were politically achievable, how much would blocking the reverse sweep of PCE & the other designated budget items really help (1:53), 2) Bert Stedman raises the issue of borrowing from the future, but in our view this generation already has borrow...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of May 4, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) what concerns us most right now about Alaska oil (1:52), 2) the emerging issue in the state CARES Act debate and what our Congressional delegation can do to help (20:09), and 3) what those involved in the "Restore the PFD" rallies need to be ready to ans...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 27, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) what we've learned about the market for ANS since last week (1:50), 2) why we don't like the Begich-Parnell PFD proposal (22:50), and 3) while its still on, Alaskans still are flying blind on the BP/Hilcorp transaction, and that's not a good thing (32...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 20, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) what happened to oil prices Monday and what does it mean for Alaska (1:52), 2) this coming election cycle will be about FY22, what does that look like (22:29), and 3) the impact COVID-19 is having on the federal fiscal situation is going to make the f...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 13, 2019. This week our Top 3 are these: 1) some think its time to talk about the "death of the PFD," if so, we address the next chapter, "who lost the PFD" (1:53); 2) we discuss the negative fiscal message sent last week's by the combination of the Spring Rev F'cast followed by Gov Dunleavy's...

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week - for the week of April 6, 2019. Because of the deep dive we do on the first, this week we only have time for 2 of our Top 3: 1) because of the oil price drop, we are down to the end game on the PFD; preserving it will require a Plan B if, as highly likely, we aren't able to achieve the level of spending cuts necessar...