A cursory examination of demographic distribution of federal disbursements shows that per capita, Alaska is the leader in Government largess. (And there are three or four states with less population than Alaska.)
You're right, and as proud conservatives we are very happy about that. Republican Gov. Jay Hammond and a bunch of Democrats in the Alaska Legislature dreamed up the Permanent Fund give-away program and it has made Alaska a solid Republican state. Back when we didn't have two nickels to rub together everybody was a Democrat.
A cursory examination of that political sea change might indicate that investing in the people pays off!