Back in the days of my youth, when the Copper River Delta was overwhelmed with migrating waterfowl every fall, Dad mentored me in the fine art of wing shooting.
In our blind on the edge of Walhalla Pond, also known was Widgeon Central, we would be deafened by the sound of their white-hued wings slashing into our decoys, and rise in unison, as he shouted, “Shoot! The air’s full of widgeons!”
Which we did.
The massive flock would fly off, with an occasional feather, but nary a bird, falling on the pond. Silence would ensue as he packed his pipe with Half and Half tobacco. Soon sparks would fly as he merrily puffed away. Then he would mumble, “Pick a bird, son, pick a bird.”
Photo by Dick Shellhorn/The Cordova Times
As of late, our governor’s approach to budgeting reminds me of those days back in 1959. He is blazing away at every target in sight and waiting to see if a flock of legislators will succumb to his will.
Every day headlines appear in the Anchorage Daily News announcing his latest volleys, some hitting very close to home.
Examples: ADN Feb 21: “Alaska fishing communities would take hit under Dunleavy proposal to end fish tax revenue-sharing.”
The proposed end to local fish tax revenue is new. And not being taken kindly. Dutch Harbor has been the No. 1 fishing port in the nation for the past 20 years. Last year it took in about $8 million in fish tax revenue.
“This is going to be a major hit and naturally we’re going to scream bloody murder about it. For these smaller communities, fisheries tax is a big part of their budget,” said Unalaska Mayor Frank Kelty.
It is safe to say Cordova fits in “major hit” category. In 2017, Cordova received about $1.2 million from that source. Our mayor, Clay Koplin, agreed “it would be pretty devastating,” while adding, “We understand, though, that this is just the first chess move in the process of trying to get our arms around a $1.6 billion deficit.”
Hmm. In the Legislative chess game, guess who is the king, and which chess pieces represents small Alaska communities?
Meanwhile, the carnage continues. In a Feb. 22 ADN article headlined “Lawmakers push back on Dunleavy’s health budget”, an exasperated Sen. Natasha Von Imhof, R-Anchorage, described, during hearing about cuts in the health budget, a need for the governor to explain his proposed cuts.
“Right now I sort of look at it, and for some of (the cuts), I think it’s just a Zorro cut,” she said. “I don’t really see a rationale.”
Hey, last week I referenced Pogo. Von Imof prefers Zorro. Except Dunleavy’s proposals do not belong in the Comics section.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, added this observation, after querying Sana Efird, who represented the Department of Health and Social Services during the hearing, about cuts: “You said it may not affect people’s lives, but it may affect people’s lives. That is the other flip side of your equation, and you are, with this proposal, playing with people’s lives.”
Here’s another ADN headline, from Feb. 20: “Murkowski: Cutting state funds makes it more difficult to unlock federal cash.”
In her address to the State Legislature, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that with less state funding, many programs become eligible for less federal funding.
Plus, while discussing the difficulties of unlocking federal coffers for Alaska at a time when the governor is considering a boost to the Permanent Fund dividend, she stated, “When I try to make the case for additional money for very basic things — water and sewer — what I’ll hear is, ‘Well, wait a minute. How much is that free money that you give away to Alaskans every year?’”
Good question.
As more of Dunleavy’s “flock shooting” surfaces, it appears more Alaskans are expressing dismay, and sometimes not very politely. ADN headline, Feb. 24: “Dunleavy’s proposed budget cuts spark outrage at Anchorage, Eagle River town halls,” which were so crowded, fire marshals would only allow the crowd to stay if the doors were kept open.
Some Alaskans are coming around to the idea of re-instituting state income tax, which we paid from Statehood until the oil started flowing, typically as a percentage of our Federal tax. Not surprisingly, locals favor it as a way to tax out-of-state fishermen.
We can’t do an income tax because the Governor said he will veto it,” said Sen. Gary Stevens said in reply to an email I sent him.
When queried about how many votes it would take to override a veto, he said “it would take a three-quarters in joint session — so 45 out of 60 — a pretty high bar.”
So, there you go; and perhaps our legislators ultimately, if necessary, will find the will to go.
When the birds were pouring through Walhalla, we would take boxes of shotgun shells to the blind, and blaze away.
To counter this barrage of budget proposals coming from Dunleavy, who seems to be using the same strategy we employed in duck hunting I would suggest you start blazing away with e-mails to your governor and legislators.
I’ve fired off my first volleys.
Have you?
