I mentioned the Longevity Bonus as an example of a similar program. I think if it were "needs-based" instead of every person getting the LB, it might be different. But a multi-million dollar guy like Wally Hickel got the same monthly stipend as people who were counting on it for food. So, I think it became an issue of equity. There are other ways to provide for needy elderly persons...
Remember when the PFD program first was proposed, it was supposed to only be for Alaskans who had lived here a number of years. Ron Zeigler sued and said it had to go to every Johnny-come-lately who showed up with his palms turned up. The result was the 1-year requirement. And, as a businessman I like the PFD because it means you can sue dead-beats in small claims and count on getting their PFD!
I understand your points. However, if, for example, the Longevity Bonus or the PF were based on "need", THEN it could then and only then be classified as "socialism". What I appreciated about the theory behind the LB and the PF was that it was based on the population in general. I'm not sure if I've worded that correctly, but you prolly get the gist of it. A vote and program supported by Alaskans FOR Alaskans.
As for the "dead beats" and being a business owner.....you bet, it's probably the only opportunity some business owners in Alaska have to be paid back.
We LOVE Alaska, and PF or not, we will remain here until our dying day. :)
That was Ron Zobel, and he's deceased.
Web posted January 27, 2005 Alaska Digest Staff and Wire reports Attorney who shaped PFD distribution dies ANCHORAGE - Anchorage attorney Ron Zobel, whose lawsuit shaped the delivery of Alaska Permanent Fund dividends, died Wednesday. He was 60. Zobel died of pneumonia brought on by complications of cancer, said his wife, Penny. He had retired in May. The Zobels came to prominence in the late 1970s when they sued over the original configuration of the permanent fund dividends. The Alaska Permanent Fund was created in 1976 by an amendment to the state constitution as a means of preserving part of the vast North Slope petroleum wealth that was to become available to state government. The amendment required the dedication of 25 percent of mineral bonuses, royalties and related income to a special fund to be put into income-producing investments. The value of the fund as of Wednesday stood at nearly $29.3 billion. Then Gov. Jay Hammond and state legislators devised a law to distribute a percentage of earnings to residents in dividends. As originally conceived, the amount of each dividend would have depended on how long the recipient had lived in Alaska. Hammond said the plan would discourage the "rip off and run" syndrome among people receiving the dividend. The Zobels, lawyers who were then newcomers to Alaska, filed a lawsuit saying the concept was unconstitutional.(from the Juneau Empire)