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Alaska: 19,000 State Workers Receive Pink Slips By MARY KAUFFMAN - Today, nearly 19,000 State of Alaska employees will receive pink slips. Unless the Alaska Legislature passes a budget in the next month, all non-essential state services will shut down July 1st.

The Alaska Legislature is currently in a 30 day Special Session called by Governor Bill Walker to address the FY 2018 budget, oil and gas tax credit reform, several revenue measures, and a bill to help respond to the opioid epidemic in Alaska. The Special Session is scheduled to end on June 16th. A possible government shutdown in Alaska would occur on July 1st if a budget compromise is not reached. 

Governor Bill Walker commented on the layoff notices in a prepared statement saying, "This action is not just about government jobs; it affects the overall economy and will hit the private sector as well as public services.

Walker said, " The government employees who will be forced to stop work are the people who process your fishing permits, business licenses, driver’s licenses, and record home sales - among many other services they provide. They also have families to feed, and mortgage and car payments to make."

"I’m disappointed these layoff notices had to go out - -but legislative leadership in both the House and the Senate have assured me they are actively working toward a compromise, and have asked that I give them one more day to reach a solution. I have honored that request, and will address tomorrow what they have accomplished. We must have a complete fiscal plan before July 1st. Alaskans deserve no less.”

According to the Alaska Senate Majority, the Democrat-led House continues to block progress in the second week of the special session in a political game to win support for their tax plans, making losers of everyday Alaskans facing the growing threat of lost services and economic disruption.

If an operating budget isn't passed by July 1, all state government operations will come to a halt, putting more than 15,000 state workers out of work and depriving thousands of Alaskans access to public services they use daily.

Alaska House Republicans say they remain firmly opposed to allowing a government shutdown, and to wasting any more time or public money. According to the House Republicans, Alaska House Democrats hold the power to schedule conference committee meetings that can move Alaska forward and pass a budget that Alaskans can afford.

In the face of the unfortunate and unnecessary threat of a government shutdown hanging over Alaskans' heads, House Republicans are urging residents to take action now to complete any business dependent on state services prior to July 1.

“This is the third year in a row that extended budget negotiations have threatened thousands of hard-working state employees’ jobs. Our Coalition is seeking long-term fiscal solutions to prevent this scenario playing out year after year,” said Speaker of the House Rep. Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham).

Edgmon stated in a press release, “Protecting vital state services remains a core principle of our Coalition. We understand how disruptive the ongoing budget negotiations are to people’s lives, not just for state employees, but for anyone who wants to buy a home, renew a driver’s license, or engage in any of the multitude of other transactions or activities in which the State of Alaska plays a role."

"I want to stress that we are committed to passing a budget as soon as possible because a government shutdown is not an acceptable outcome to this legislative session,” saud Edgmon.

The Alaska Senate’s fiscal solution calls for a spending cap to limit future government growth, uses Permanent Fund earnings to help pay for government and a dividend and makes about $200 million in operating budget reductions. The Senate protected working Alaskans from an income tax proposed by the House Democrats. And, the Senate concurred with the House and Governor in eliminating cash payments for tax credits to the oil industry, a move that will save the state up to $200 million per year. - More...
Thursday PM - June 01, 2017

COLUMNS - COMMENTARY

JOHN L. MICEK: Griffin's Stunt the Latest Slide into Incivility - An anonymous reader of the newspaper I work for had a lot on his mind:

"If that was your hero Obama's bloody head, I do believe there would have been a small novella condemning every right-winger ... by now," he or she, operating under cover of an online pseudonym, chided me.

My faceless friend, as you might have gathered, was referring to the latest paroxysm of rage to seize the online commentariat this week: A photograph of D-list comedienne Kathy Griffin posing with the decapitated head of President Donald Trump.

Let's get this out of the way right now, lest someone out there think I found the photo even remotely amusing:

Griffin's stunt was sick and disgusting. Full stop.

And while her particular form of protest is constitutionally protected, it doesn't make it any less repellent. In fact, it's the fastest way for progressives to kneecap their own cause.

Griffin's stunt, which had the salutary effect (at least for her) of making people remember her name, is just the latest stumble down a slope of incivility in our politics that is getting more and more slippery all the time. - More...
Thursday PM - June 01, 2017

PETER ROFF: Online Health Care: The Future is Now - The world is changing a lot faster than people can comprehend. The old ways are changing. They're being replaced by Internet-based systems, the gig economy, and smart technology. For those on the cusp of this new economic order, that's great news.

On the other hand, for those who've spent decades building out their space in the traditional marketplace, these new commercial spaces are a threat to their continued survival. As we saw when Borders lost out to Amazon.com, retailers and suppliers must successfully adapt or they will die.

Uber and Lyft have wreaked havoc on traditional taxi and limousine services. The big hotel chains are feeling the heat from Airbnb. Department stores are losing customers who now shop online on retail web sites. New technology is leading to the creation of start-ups faster than brick and mortar-based businesses can adapt, so the latter have started running to the government seeking protection against the competition.

No industry is safe, not even health care - something most people think requires face-to-face interaction between suppliers and consumers in order for treatments to be delivered effectively and efficiently. - More...
Thursday PM - June 01, 2017