I don’t think that is true. Alaska is a special case because it recieves so much Federal money compared to the other states. Doesn’t it even go to individuals?
Lot of fed money for sure. Mostly in the form of military bases. But fed money does not go to individuals. You are thinking about the PFD, Permenant Fund Dividend, program. It works like this. Alaskans cannot own what’s below ground, oil, etc. it belongs to the state. But the people ARE the state. So, the oil companies pay the state a per barrel amount of money for the oil they pump out. The state invests a portion of that money in the world markets, stocks, gold, etc. Every year they project what they will earn from the investments (interest). Half of the earnings, by law, are put back into the permenant fund. The other half, as enshrined in the state constitution, MUST be split between every man, woman, and child in the state (you must apply of course). And believe me, politicians in Alaska have been trying for a loooong time to figure out a way to get around the constitution and cease giving it,or get their hands on the main reserved portion of the fund. And it is VERY large. But they all know it would be a political death sentence to try. Don’t touch the PFD, you do so at your peril. Just google the program sometime. It is facinating. It was the idea of Govoner Jay Hammond in the mid-70’s. In my view the best Gov the state ever had.