2005 Permanent Fund Dividend: $845.76

Alaska's SuperStation ^ | 09-20-05 | ABC Alaska News

[akdonn]

Department of Revenue Commissioner Bill Corbus has announced the amount of the 2005 Permanent Fund Dividend. This year's check will be for $845.76. That's down from last year's total of $919.84. Direct deposits will be made on October 12, and paper checks will be mailed on October 26.

[akdonn]

The annual payment to individual Alaskans who apply for Permanent Fund Paymentsw from oil development is the lowest it has been in a long time, while the price of oil is higher than ever. That's because the PFD is determined by earnings on the stock market, which is why it has gone down for the last four years. The fund now has some $30 Billion in it.

[Lauretij2]

I'd like an extra $850 for doing basically nothing myself.

[akdonn]

Yeah, everybody sure likes it. It has created an "artificial economy" with many businesses offering special deals based on the upcoming money--all year long! I've gotten it every year since it started...

[Deetes]

I live here , I do nothing for the PFD . Oh fill out a application once a year ;-)

[Lauretij2]

Oh well. It probably should be spread out among the USA citizens, but then it would be virtually nothing.

Might as well live it up.

[akdonn]

Live it up...on $850? I think it has been a magnet for rif-raf; there are people who are dependent upon it, and have more kids so they can have more checks. But $850 doesn't really go that far and we end up having them join the welfare rolls. Some years it has been double that amount.

The alternative is to have the government spend the money...

[konaice]

And before everyone gets in and DUMPS on Alaska for giving money to its citizens.....

The Alaska Constitution reserves the resources of Alaska for the citizens of Alaska. This is how it should be. The PFD is Joe Citizen's portion of the oil money.

Your state governments squandered their resources and enriched a few timber/oil/iron barons and lined a few political pockets and your citizens got squat.

The guy who pushed for this plan, and should be the Patron Saint of all Alaskans, Jay Hammond, just died a month ago.

The PFD was a brilliant plan not only because it transfers some of the money to the citizens, but also because it makes every citizen a lobbiest to keep the greedy legislature from spending every last dime of oil money the state brings in.

We know our oil will run out, and are planning ahead, and giving some back to the citizens the keep them focused on keeping the politicians at bay. The Permanant fund should be enough to fund state government for quite some time, but turn a bunch of political hacks loose and 30 billion disappears just like that.

In the mean time everything in Alaska is more expensive, food, fuel, housing. The PFD just levels the playing field a little bit.

[Eska]

The politicals will get their greedy hands on that 31 billion someday down the road; but just look at all the fun we're having along the way. Not being able to get their hands on that money must give repubs & dems alike ulcers

[konaice]

The politicals will get their greedy hands on that 31 billion someday down the road;

Not as long as you and I and all Alaskans dump on anyone who suggests raiding the fund. Be vigilant...

[Eska]

Just a couple years back the referendum was like 87% against using PFD for anything; you'd think they'd get the drift. I figure they will try to break the fund slowly with inflation proofing schemes and such. They use to dump 600 million into fund every year; they don't do that anymore.

Anyway you look at it, better Alaskans get the money than the politicians spend it for them. Our repub legislators are crooks too.

[originalone]

I would agree! I say, give it to anyone who could live up here for only one month, "January"! :-) Then, you would be worthy...

[RightWhale]

It probably should be spread out among the USA citizens

Why?