Breeze from the Capitol needs freshening

On January 21, 2003 – the first legislative day under newly elected Gov. Frank Murkowski – State Senator Gary Wilken took center stage before the Capitol press corps and announced a “fresh new breeze” was blowing from the governor’s office.

Seventeen months later the breeze was anything but fresh. Wilken again looking into the eyes of the press accused the governor of failing to do his homework. Unfortunately, failing to do their homework has become a common occurrence.

In May 2003, the legislature approved a major tax break in eight short days. Less than two years later, while hearing about the fiscal impacts to the state’s treasury, some legislators who voted for the bill admitted they didn’t fully understand the applicability.
However, committee records clearly show that legislators were told specifically of the ramifications. According to committee minutes, the Director of the Oil & Gas Division testified “that this bill applies equally to private, state and federal lands.”  

Last week, State Representative Jim Holm proposed drastic cuts to public broadcasting. The fact is that public broadcasting provides valuable - and in some rural communities exclusive – programming to Alaskans. Holm’s sole reason was because the organization was “advancing a political agenda”.

But when pressed to be more specific during the budget hearing, he cited a political reporter who doesn’t work for public broadcasting. The following day while appearing on a local talk show, callers challenged Holm to name a program that advanced a political agenda. “I can’t give you an example because I never listen to it anymore,” Holm replied.

What has happened to informed policy-making? As Ralph Waldo Emerson quipped, “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”.

But the legislative branch hasn’t exactly enjoyed a monopoly on foolish consistency. The governor has contributed more than his fair share. With a growing list of broken promises, poorly thought out policies and a lack of execution on the good ones. The governor has exhibited a knack for making policy calls in a vacuum and then not being around to answer for them.

Last Fall Gov. Murkowski created an ad-hoc committee to find solutions to the workers compensation crisis that is crushing small business in Alaska. Last week he broke his promise to wait for the committee’s recommendations. Instead he introduced legislation that accomplishes little more than retroactively shifting six years worth of increased costs to an already overburdened health care system.

In December, after announcing a historic two-year education-funding proposal with much fanfare, the governor has been conspicuously absent during the debate over education funding.  And in January after the second ethics scandal in less than a year, the governor announced intentions to introduce legislation to tighten ethics standards. Last week he went back on his word by announcing he was punting to the legislature.
 
Now would be a great time to heed the advice from two of Alaska’s elder statesmen.

Former Governors Wally Hickel and Jay Hammond have written extensively about forging good public policy. In Hickel’s book The Alaska Solution, he writes about the importance of protecting the assets of the owner state. Basing both resource development and budget policies on the best interest of all Alaskans. In Hammond’s book Chips from the Chopping Block, he writes about the costs of un-economic development and the rewards of political courage

For example, take the independence and fiscal stability that both Hickel and Hammond have spent years advocating. Today, it remains elusive due to political inaction. Instead, Alaska continues to live with a dangerous addiction to the federal government.

On March 2, as Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan was testifying before Congress that federal spending was unsustainable and must be reduced; the State Senate was passing SJR6, a resolution urging Congress not to reduce federal spending.

With less than half of the legislative session remaining, time is fleeting to solve critical problems like workers compensation reforms, ethics reforms and fiscal reforms. Policy makers would be wise to heed the advice from Hickel and Hammond whose vision and leadership helped build Alaska.

Following their lead would create an honest fresh new breeze for Alaskans.