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Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

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Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#51

Post by drak0n1c »

justin66 wrote: post #44
drak0n1c wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alaska has a basic income distributed to all residents (oil dividend). Alaskans want that increased regularly, despite falling oil revenue. That money has to come from somewhere, and it's going to be the voting minority. This is not dictatorship, this is pure democracy in action - the popular vote. Tyranny of the majority.

> That money has to come from somewhere, and it's going to be the voting minority. This is not dictatorship, this is pure democracy in action - the popular vote. Tyranny of the majority. This is a little like discussion of frictionless surfaces and spherical cows in high school physics. In reality, a lot of laws are written for the rich minority.

I agree that there is a lot of regulatory capture in lawmaking. However, this is a case of exactly the opposite. The cuts are happening to a relatively wealthy minority in Alaska (academics, college attendees, the engineering community, and oil corporations that depend on engineering schools) while more popular welfare and training programs go untouched.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#52

Post by cynicalkane »

AWildC182 wrote: post #43
tastyfreeze wrote: post #40

The Alaska budget cuts are not only to the University. Deep cuts across the board with services Governor Dunleavy feels are unnecessary taking the biggest hit (public health, university, public ferry transportation). However, according to Alaska's constitution the government must come up with a balanced budget. They have failed to do so since revenue shortfalls began. The previous governor used a stopgap measure of u…

While this may be true, Alaska, unlike almost all other states, basically operates without any income or sales taxes. They depend almost entirely on oil revenue and property taxes which obviously isn't sustainable long term. https://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/state-taxes-alaska.as...

Property, income, and sales taxes are all part of the cost of living and doing business. Raising property taxes won't hurt the general public any more than raising the other two. Taxes aren't a menu where you need a little of column A and a little of column B, just because. It's all money coming from the economy in some form and the important part is what you're incentivizing or disincentivizing.

In fact, there's a minor but respectable economic school of thought that property taxes should be greater than 100% of all taxes, and the excess should be redistributed to the disadvantaged. Property taxes disincentivize hoarding and wasteful use of valuable property, which is A Good Thing.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#53

Post by brookhaven_dude »

tsunamifury wrote: post #27
brookhaven_dude wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because most of the benefits of the former are getting concentrated into the hands of educated and urban dwellers. So people want change, but end up stupidly sabotaging. Disclaimer: I am not a Trump supporter.

I don't think that holds water. In the article, these are the urban dwellers being sabotaged.

And most of these urban dwellers did not vote for Trump or this vindictive Governor.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#54

Post by CalChris »

brookhaven_dude wrote: post #25
tsunamifury wrote: post #12

I understand a well off nation ruled by democracy due to distributed table-stakes, and a poor nation ruled by a dictator due to centralized table-stakes, but I've never known a well off nation to intentionally sabotage its own table-stakes in order to surrender to dictatorship. Why is this happening? Who supports it? Why do they think it is necessary?

Because most of the benefits of the former are getting concentrated into the hands of educated and urban dwellers. So people want change, but end up stupidly sabotaging. Disclaimer: I am not a Trump supporter.

brookhaven_dude isn't agreeing with what he's saying. He's just trying to explain why people are acting the way they are. He even calls their sabotage stupid.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#55

Post by AWildC182 »

cynicalkane wrote: post #52
AWildC182 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While this may be true, Alaska, unlike almost all other states, basically operates without any income or sales taxes. They depend almost entirely on oil revenue and property taxes which obviously isn't sustainable long term. https://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/state-taxes-alaska.as...

Property, income, and sales taxes are all part of the cost of living and doing business. Raising property taxes won't hurt the general public any more than raising the other two. Taxes aren't a menu where you need a little of column A and a little of column B, just because. It's all money coming from the economy in some form and the important part is what you're incentivizing or disincentivizing. In fact, there's a m…

Sure, but the issue isn't the fact that property tax is the sole source of tax, it's that oil absolutely dwarfs everything else in the state budget. They have property taxes but they don't really cover anything.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#57

Post by TallGuyShort »

hnruss wrote: post #56

51.4% voted for this governor in 2018, so I have to conclude that this is the outcome that most voters wanted. When you vote for a party that wants smaller government, it should be no surprise when you get fewer government services.

I'm troubled that we equate 51.4% with "most" (especially since voter participation tends to be even lower than that). As long as we have to live with first-past-the-post voting, we need to get rid of this "the voters have spoken!" mindset - a 1.4% win isn't some kind of democratic mandate.

That said - I too see this mindset that a lot that people will make arguments about what is and isn't government's business, but will only stick by it when it suits them. It either shouldn't be an argument in the first place, or it should be a principle you stand by regardless. None of this "small government" when it costs you money but "strong leadership" when it puts money back in your pocket.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#58

Post by [deleted] »

cynicalkane wrote: post #52
AWildC182 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While this may be true, Alaska, unlike almost all other states, basically operates without any income or sales taxes. They depend almost entirely on oil revenue and property taxes which obviously isn't sustainable long term. https://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/state-taxes-alaska.as...

Property, income, and sales taxes are all part of the cost of living and doing business. Raising property taxes won't hurt the general public any more than raising the other two. Taxes aren't a menu where you need a little of column A and a little of column B, just because. It's all money coming from the economy in some form and the important part is what you're incentivizing or disincentivizing. In fact, there's a m…

[deleted]

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#59

Post by oeoeo00 »

tastyfreeze wrote: post #40

The Alaska budget cuts are not only to the University. Deep cuts across the board with services Governor Dunleavy feels are unnecessary taking the biggest hit (public health, university, public ferry transportation). However, according to Alaska's constitution the government must come up with a balanced budget. They have failed to do so since revenue shortfalls began. The previous governor used a stopgap measure of u…

“Raided.”

They “raided” a fund generated by public effort to pay for public services.

I mean what is this, an Indiana Jones movie?

The tone of the general public towards these things says to me the anti-government propaganda messaging is working as intended.

Divide and conquer.

Re: Alaska’s Engineering Colleges Prepare to Slash Programs, Lay Off Faculty

#60

Post by rovolo »

tastyfreeze wrote: post #40

The Alaska budget cuts are not only to the University. Deep cuts across the board with services Governor Dunleavy feels are unnecessary taking the biggest hit (public health, university, public ferry transportation). However, according to Alaska's constitution the government must come up with a balanced budget. They have failed to do so since revenue shortfalls began. The previous governor used a stopgap measure of u…

I think that you're underselling the size of the PFD relative to the state budget when you say "akin to digging through [the] couch cushions for change". Here's a comparison of the numbers:

    // (expected - actual) * valid applicants
    // ($2,300 - $1,100) * 666,047
    PFD withheld 2017:        $  687M
    Total state revenue 2017: $1,018M
Also, these statements are in conflict:

> the PFD that isn't constitutionally protected

> pay residents what is constitutionally granted

[pfd_applicants] https://pfd.alaska.gov/Division-Info/Annual-Reports

[pfd_projections] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Permanent_Fund#Annual_i...

[state_budget] http://www.tax.alaska.gov/programs/programs/reports/AnnualRe...

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