WE "DONE GOOD"

I think the legislature did itself proud last night on HB2001, Governor Palin's ACES bill to restructure oil taxes. Whether we voted yes or no on any of the amendments, or on the bill itself, we helped to rebuild the Foundation of Trust that’s needed between the good people of Alaska and those they elect to represent them. We conducted an open, honest, and respectful debate. It wasn’t the food fight that could have happened. We "done good."

The legislature paid a lot of money to expert consultants, and they all said that 25% base rate was the way to go. Last year, even former Governor Murkowski’s consultant, Pedro Van Meurs, recommended 25% before the governor, and who knows who else, beat him down to 20%

Basically, our House floor session was a polite debate between the optimists and the pessimists. Now I’m an optimist. I don’t preach gloom and doom, and I don’t think the sky’s going to fall. Our vote will provide the long-term stability the producers want - and rightfully so. It will give us more opportunity to pay down PERS/STRS debts, and to repay our debt to the Constitutional Budget Reserve, and maybe add some to the Permanent Fund. Whatever, we shouldn’t “tinkle” any added revenue away.

I don’t know what our friends in the Senate are going to do – or how we’ll resolve any conflicts in Conference committee – but, like I said, I’m an optimist.