Alaska is closing?

We all remember the news coverage of the federal government shut down with its focus on people being turned away from our nations monuments, museums and parks. I particularly remember the photograph of a world war two veteran in a wheel chair not being allowed to visit the National war memorial. Well the legislature in Alaska has sent out notices to the state employees of an impending lay off and announced the closure of state parks and the Alaska ferry system all because just like their mentors in Washington they can not balance a budget!

It seems cowardice is a common trait among politicians because they do not want to cut spending to balance the state budget. They have a plan of ‘borrowing’ money from the interest on the royalty oil permanent fund interest, but are afraid to do even that because of the outcry from the people of Alaska. So they have brought us to the brink of shutdown and when enough state employees raise their voices they will then say the only thing they can do is drain the peoples fund.

One would think that my old 10% across the board budget cut would sound reasonable but we have to remember politicians are thinking of only one thing……re-election. If they balanced the budget to match the states income then people across the state would feel the effect and that would mean they would be out of office. So no doubt after some limited pain from the states shut down their hands will reach into the pockets of its citizens to fund us through another year.

But just like Washington
a time will come when there is no more money to borrow
and all of us will then realize what real hardship is.