Those Days are Likely Gone

The first Permanent Fund Dividend check was signed by Commissioner of Administration, Carole Burger, because Gov. Jay Hammond feared a political backlash from Alaskans known for disdaining government handouts. This writer personally worked for Burger in Juneau two years at the Association of Alaska School Boards, where she was a management spokesperson in contract negotiations of member school boards against local district NEA-Alaska teacher unions, at a time when the State of Alaska still attempted to maintain responsible funding and accountability for public education.

Burger Told Me this Story Herself

The Next Year Mike Dunleavy Showed Up

From Wikepedia:
In 1983, Mike Dunleavy moved to Alaska and his first job was at a logging camp in Southeast Alaska. Later, Dunleavy earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He spent nearly two decades in northwest Arctic communities working as a teacher, principal, and superintendent.

Over all these years on the gravy train as an AK Educrat, Dunleavy has constantly promoted the status quo in AK Public Education. Costs for public education factories have continued to accelerate while academic outcomes continue to decline in some 50 districts.

The Alaska Permanent Fund was a Promise to Present AND Future Alaskans

From a previous story:
Some might argue that as our partners in Alaska oil resource development the oil companies didn’t need to be our corporate nanny. Their success is automatically our success if the state gets a percentage of all oil produced. But the genius of the Permanent Fund is that it protected our part of the earnings by distributing a statutory amount in addition to providing for an equal amount to fund reasonable State government.

[1] When Legislators Cared About Alaskans, DONN LISTON December 25, 2022
Live Links are in References

First Frontal Assault After 20 PFDs

Before the turn of the century a bunch of the elected officials who are legislators because they like to go to Backwater Juneau and spend public money started a campaign to diminish the payout of the annual Permanent Fund Dividend to all Alaskans. From their fortress on Gastineau Channel these officials elected from districts around Alaska wanted to allow the camel’s nose under the tent to pay more to special interests and buy more government.

They only Wanted $500 from Each PFD

What began in 1999 ultimately failed by 2004, but today remains a reminder that protection of the AK Permanent Fund requires constant vigilance and awareness of the dividend commitment to present AND future Alaskans.

HISTORY

Ten years after Alaska achieved statehood, oil was discovered on the North Slope and the young state was suddenly rich. With the understanding that Alaska’s new oil wealth would not last forever, residents created the Alaska Permanent Fund in 1976 so this non-renewable resource would provide benefits to current and future generations. Four years later, the Alaska Legislature created the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation to prudently manage the Fund. After more than 40 years of wise management, APFC has grown the Permanent Fund to more than $81.4 billion. Want to know how we did it?

[2] Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation Website
Live Links are in References

Reminder: The Annual PFD is NOT a government handout. The PFD is a DIVIDEND for Alaskan’s collective investment in resource development. It is managed by the State of Alaska under a Permanent Fund Board of Trustees appointed solely by Alaska’s Imperial governor.

[3} Alaskans Deserve to Elect Our State AG, DONN LISTON, June 2, 2024
Live Links are in References

[4] Why the Permanent Fund Corp Turmoil? DONN LISTON  April 28, 2022
Live Links in References

Today’s High Value Permanent Fund is the result of Sound Investment Policies and NOT LISTENING to Fear Mongers who Say State Government is unsustainable without ever higher contributions from the fund while passing record State budgets. Just as individual Alaskans must live within their means the State of Alaska has plenty of money if it is spent wisely to serve The People with adequate government services performed by competent employees.

Alaska has a small and declining population base served by an abundance of State/Local/NGO agencies.

As is true every legislative session in Backwater Juneau, a lot of drama is generated surrounding how much elected officials from around the state must pay Permanent Fund Dividends to Shareholders in the Owner State. Let’s take a look at why there is such a fund and why politicians speak out one side of their faces about protecting a dividend for Alaskans but usually come up short after colluding to pay so many Special Interests out of the other side of their faces.

For background, the first Permanent Fund Dividend check for $1,000 was issued in 1982, following a bruising court battle, in which the initial plan for a distribution of dividends–with amounts given on a graduated scale based on length of AK residency–was ruled unconstitutional by the Alaska Supreme Court. The Capitalist idea of Gov. Hammond and others was that Alaskans were entitled to a Dividend under Alaska’s Constitution because Residents own shares of Alaska’s resource bounty the same as any hypothetical Oil Company Investor anywhere receives financial dividends from Alaska Oil Company investments. However, instead of basing the PFD on individual investment and participation in Alaska, the progressive AK Supreme Court required the Dividend to be a give-away program of an equal amount annually to all residents who had lived in-state at least one year—aka STATE WELFARE.

This early COURT-IMPOSED POLICY reinforced Alaska’s traditional Get-What-You-Can Get-And-Get-Out Boom/Bust Economy as might be expected from judges on their Alaska Adventures–all trained in law elsewhere. Incentive is DEPENDENCE–and to achieve retirement in a government job before going elsewhere with your gold poke.

Learn about Alaska’s flawed Legal system and what must change here:

After some three decades of splitting revenues 50/50 Permanent Fund/AK State Government, another lawsuit was launched in 2016, again settled by the AK Supreme Court, to further diminished The People’s/SOA stake from 50/50 to 25/75.

Hold Your Nose for this One

Anchorage Democrat Sen Bill Wielechowski sued Democrat Gov Bill Walker challenging his veto of the amount to the PFD set by statute that year by the Legislature.

Do You Sense the AK Court Collusion Setup?

Plaintiffs argued that the governor’s veto violated existing statutes (and past practice) governing the PFD, which mandated automatic transfers from the Permanent Fund’s Earnings Reserve to the dividend fund without requiring legislative appropriation. However, the AK Supreme Court upheld the governor’s veto, ruling that the transfer of funds for dividend payments required legislative appropriation and was subject to the governor’s veto power.

The People Were Screwed

This lawsuit effectively placed the PFD in direct competition with other state budgetary items, as its funding became contingent upon annual legislative appropriations rather than automatic transfers as the only state dedicated fund it had been established to be.

[5] BILL WIELECHOWSKI RICK HALFORD CLEM TILLION v. STATE OF ALASKA ALASKA PERMANENT FUND CORPORATION (2017) Live Links in References.

Almost every Uniparty candidate for public office since this lawfare scam against The People began has campaigned on “Protecting your PFD,” including particularly Gov. Dunleavy. To show he meant business Dunleavy generated a record PFD government handout in 2022!

The AK Court System Trap

From the story:
At age 62 Her Honor probably wants to spend more time with her grand kids. This might also be an opportunity to tour Anchorage elementary schools to reinforce the lie about how Alaska’s courts dispense justice for Alaskans.

I Recommend She Now Move to a Safer Place–As I Had To.

[6] Happy Retirement Judge Pamala Washington, DONN LISTON, May 10, 2025
Live Links in References.

Alaskans are Suckers

Today representatives of government/ NGO/ Union special interests and Bureaucracy constantly Fear Monger about PFD being unsustainable given Government costs–which THEY have created and enabled.

Alaska Bureaucracy Feeds Elected Officials

On every reference these Juneau-based agencies always emphasize their “non-partisan” mandate. However, employees of all agencies supporting the AK Legislature in Juneau have foremost underlying interests as residents of Juneau to control Alaska out of the gaze of voters regardless of Uniparty affiliation.

Legislative Affairs Agency includes the Division of Administrative Services, Division of Technology and Information, and Division of Legal and Research Services. The Alaska Department of Law also has Legislation, Regulations & Legislative Research Section. The Legislative Finance Division (LFD) provides budgetary and fiscal analysis to the Alaska State Legislature. It reports to the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee (LB&A) and supports the finance committees in developing the state’s budget. The Office of Management and Budget is the only place that knows how much is in the budget in the Office of the Governor.

Once elected in districts around Alaska, Legislators and their staff become captives during session in Juneau. This is a hostile workplace for conservatives. An elected official can suggest legislation they would like to propose but before it is allowed to be introduced it must undergo rigorous evaluation by helpful unelected AK bureaucrats hovering over the capital.

From a previous story:
This is Juneau’s Capital Theme Park. All summer long tour ships dump millions of tourists to discover where Alaska elected officials are sequestered from voters to attend needs of Special Interests during session. The Park features traditional tourist trap venues near the docks; the Red Dog Saloon and plenty of t-shirt shops welcome all visitors, some of whom embark upon the hearty climb up the mountain. Soon, they discover a number of buildings related to Alaska State Government. In addition to the Capitol itself, this includes the former Capital School that has been repurposed to the Terry Miller Legislative Office Building directly behind the capitol. This building houses Legislative Affairs Agency. Next to the Capitol on 4th street is the former Scottish Right Hall turned into the Thomas B. Stewart Legislative Office Building.

[7] Former Philippines Capital Makes Dandy Museum, DONN LISTON June 8, 2023
Live Links in References.

The First Assault on the PFD Ultimately Failed

[8] Alaska Statutes for Permanent Fund Distribution.
Live Links in References.

I was Chief of Staff for Rep. Jerry Sanders, Explained Eddie Burke in an exclusive interview with this writer. The Establishment Republicans decided the Permanent Fund Dividend needed to go because, “oh my gosh, we got to have money for State Government!” So, they started this big lie campaign, telling everybody the world’s coming to an end. They, told people they’re gonna lose their homes, lose their schools, lose school bus rides, if they didn’t give up $500 of their PFD.

“WE ONLY WANT $500!”

There was a coalition of eight reps in the House including Ramona Barnes, Pete Kott, Scott Ogan, Vic Koreing and Sanders—the conservatives—and a bunch of other Establishment Republicans in the House and Senate; Gail Phillips, Brian Porter, Lisa Murkowski, continued Burke. Establishment Republicans in the Senate and House put together this legislation, and they passed it. But there was a coalition in both houses of conservatives, and they were fighting against this thing, but they were outnumbered. So they put it on the ballot and they told moms and dads across the state: “if you don’t pass this, if you don’t give up $500 of your dividend–I’m not making this up. I’m not exaggerating–they said the state was going to collapse because that’s the dire straits we were in!  My kids came home from grade school, and said the teachers told them that “if your parents don’t vote for this, $500 from their dividends, you kids aren’t going to get recess anymore.”

Eddie Became a Pissed-off Parent

I thought, oh my god, I’m going down to the school, continued Burke. I walked into the principal’s office and I said: “Come on, you gotta be kidding me. Really, they’re not gonna get recess? That’s what you’re telling the kids? I mean, give it a break. You know, just teach them reading, writing and arithmetic. We’re already at the bottom of the barrel in the exams and testing across America.”

Burke continued: So because of that kind of shit people started figuring it out. The commercials said: “You need to give up $500 of your dividend in order to SAVE YOUR DIVIDEND!” At first people thought, “oh, okay, because my dividend’s probably 1,500 and I’ll still get 1,000 so therefore I’m willing to give up 500.”

But after further consideration people started saying: “Wait a minute. How the hell you give up 500 to save the other part? In the end you’re losing $500. You’re not saving shit. You’re just allowing them to take it.

Eddie was a Golden Gloves Boxing Champion at Age 16

This Became a Boxing Match

It took a little bit for that to click, continued Burke, and as people figured out that the legislature was lying–because saying everyone would lose their home, job and all that stuff just became kind of silly. And once they figured it out, it started steamrolling. It didn’t matter what the commercials said, how many people said it, how many important people you could invite to a meeting someplace. It just rang hollow.

AK Gov Frank Murkowski tried to Run Interference for The Steal with a Call for Public Discussions

But that brought more people into the “Alternative Conference” fray to OPPOSE it.

Burke was Chair of Alaskans Just Say NO!

When the ballot measure was voted on, in November, I was back home in Anchorage, continued Burke. We put together this coalition of support–including some of the most liberal people in the state, and many others including right wing conservatives. So that’s really where I learned about the Anchorage Daily News and how biased they are. I’ve always been on the outside of that–because I’m a conservative–but now I was on their side, actually talking to reporters on how we’re going to get our plan through, you know, our tactics. It was just crazy, it was surreal. I remember thinking: “I feel like I’m on the inside of the huddle in the NFL, and I get to hear what the other team’s talking about, and how they operate, and how they’re going to create the story.“ They were interested what I had to say, because we happen to be on the same side of the issue!

And Because His Side Won Eddie was Kicked Out of Juneau

Senator John Cowdery got me kicked out. He told my boss, Rep. Sanders, to get rid of me. This had never happened before in the legislature–firing a staffer in that way under those kind of circumstances. Typically, you cannot do that without the legislator him or herself making the call. But what they did was tell Jerry: If you don’t do this, we’re gonna fuck with you–Eddie’s gotta go.

Read How Alaska Sen. Lora Reinbold was Blocked from Juneau by Seattle Airlines

[9] Senator Reinbold Sues Seattle Airlines, DONN LISTON May 11, 2023
Live Links in References.

Eddie Went Home before Most Boxes were Unpacked

This second half of the legislative session started in January, and I was gone by February. During the first half of the session they had passed this advisory vote for the $500 withholding. I had embarrassed a couple legislators on the campaign trail, you know. We called out liars and stuff. The Daily News was on our side, so they just repeated whatever I said.

The most enlightening part of the story is that, oh-oh, guess what? Everything changed on a dime! Now we have money! Oh, there IS money! Oh-oh, we’re NOT gonna all die! We’re NOT gonna lose our homes, our jobs, and our children are going to get recess! Yes, yes, they are!

They Were Angry, but they Were Laughing About it, Too!

Because oil prices were down a little bit back then it was like, nine bucks a barrel or something you know, and then they come right back up, and when they were down, that’s when they cry: “Oh, the sky is falling! Yeah, yeah! Save your children!”

By the next session, oil prices started rising, money was flowing, but did they try to save anything? Naw, they just went right back at it, like dogs on dead meat. Man, they are just all over that spending...

Burke reflected further: Anybody who has been around Alaska for a while understands how the dividend is supposed to be split, the legislature can spend half and the other half goes to dividend. That’s a statutory formula. So they spent their half, see, we had a deal: You get half and we get half.  They spent their half and now they want our half–so they just take it. And pretty soon they’re gonna want the the corpus too.

The Latest Assault in Case Anybody Cares

From the Anchorage Daily News:
JUNEAU — The Alaska Legislature on Sunday set this year’s Permanent Fund dividend at $1,000 per recipient ahead of a final budget vote.

Facing a severe budget crunch due to declining revenues, legislators are planning to make deep spending cuts across the board. When adjusted for inflation, this year’s PFD is set to be the smallest received by Alaskans since the program began in 1982.

[10] Alaska Legislature sets $1,000 PFD ahead of final budget vote, Sean Maguire, ADN May 19, 2025
Live Links in References.

After 53 years of jacking Alaskans around on their Permanent Fund Dividend in collusion with AK Courts, the Dividend this year has been set at the amount of the very first PFD.

Logical Conclusion: Everybody in Alaska today is on the take. Any promise to the future is meaningless because as long as the AK Capitol is in Backwater Juneau most politicians dance to the tune of Special Interests over the rubes back in districts around Alaska who elected them.

But schoolchildren will get recess because of an unsustainable increase in Base Student Allotment (BSA) passed over Gov. Dunleavy’s veto without any accountability for academic outcomes. The fix is in but knowledge is power.

Who’s Going to Fight for the Permanent Fund Dividend Now?

References:

[1] When Legislators Cared About Alaskans, DONN LISTON December 25, 2022
When Legislators Cared about Alaskans

[2] Learn more here
https://apfc.org/history/

[3} Alaskans Deserve to Elect Our State AG, DONN LISTON, June 2, 2024
https://donnliston.net/2024/06/why-alaskans-deserve-to-elect-our-state-ag/

[4] Why the Permanent Fund Corp Turmoil? DONN LISTON  April 28, 2022
https://donnliston.net/2022/04/why-the-permanent-fund-corp-turmoil/

[5] Happy Retirement Judge Pamala Washington, DONN LISTON, May 10, 2025
https://donnliston.net/2025/05/happy-retirement-ak-judge-pamela-washington/

[6] Former Philippines Capital Makes Dandy Museum, DONN LISTON June 8, 2023
https://donnliston.net/2023/06/former-philippine-capitol-makes-dandy-museum/

[7] Alaska Statutes for Permanent Fund Distrtibution.
https://pfd.alaska.gov/docs/permanentfunddividendlibraries/statutes-and-regulations/2023-statutes-and-regulations.pdf?sfvrsn=70043cac_1

43.23.025. Amount of dividend.

(a) By October 1 of each year, the commissioner shall determine the value of each permanent fund dividend for that year by

(1) determining the total amount available for dividend payments, which equals

(A) the amount of income of the Alaska permanent fund transferred to the dividend fund under AS 37.13.145(b) during the current year;

(B) plus the unexpended and unobligated balances of prior fiscal year appropriations that lapse into the dividend fund under AS 43.23.045(d);

(C) less the amount necessary to pay prior year dividends from the dividend fund in the current year under AS 43.23.005(h), 43.23.021, and 43.23.055(3) and (7);

(D) less the amount necessary to pay dividends from the dividend fund due to eligible applicants who, as determined by the department, filed for a previous year’s dividend by the filing deadline but who were not included in a previous year’s dividend computation;

(E) less appropriations from the dividend fund during the current year, including amounts to pay costs of administering the dividend program and the hold harmless provisions of AS 43.23.240;

(2) determining the number of individuals eligible to receive a dividend payment for the current year and the number of estates and successors eligible to receive a dividend payment for the current year under AS 43.23.005(h); and

(3) dividing the amount determined under (1) of this subsection by the amount determined under (2) of this subsection.

(b) [Repealed, § 5 ch 68 SLA 1991.]

[8] Senator Reinbold Sues Seattle Airlines, DONN LISTON May 11, 2023
https://donnliston.net/2023/05/senator-reinbold-sues-seattle-airlines/

[9] Alaska Legislature sets $1,000 PFD ahead of final budget vote, Sean McGuire, ADN May 19, 2025
https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2025/05/18/alaska-legislature-set-to-approve-1000-pfd-as-part-of-budget/

Postcards & Stories from Exile: