To me, government by the people and for the people is more than just a theoretical concept. I believe this famous phrase from President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address must be put into practice for government to work. That’s why I’ve been going door to door in Wrangell, mailing out surveys and hosted a town meeting at the Nolan Center in October.
The revenue options
survey results showed our district supports restructuring
our oil tax program to maximize profit. There is also majority support for a state lottery. A common suggestion was to create a tax on marijuana sales.
The other most common suggestions were: cut oil
credits, megaprojects, the
annual Anchorage LIO building lease and legislative per diem. I agree with all of these
suggestions and will advocate for their funding to be cut. I recommended last week that legislative per diem be cut by 15 percent. Another suggestion was that Alaska should look to sell hydropower and
create more energy systems from which the state can
profit. I shared this idea
with the Department of Revenue and they informed me this could potentially be big industry for southeast.
I have successfully worked in the past to support our southeast hydropower projects, and I will continue to fight for increased hydropower infrastructure in the upcoming session.
Most respondents indicated that corrections is the least important department and implored me to seek cuts and reduce sentences for non-violent crimes in order to stop, as one participant stated, ‘the culture of incarceration.’ More people indicated they would choose an income tax over a sales tax, but most asked that we create an income tax for non-resident seasonal workers and a sales tax during the summer before creating a year-long tax impacting everyday Alaskans.
If you have yet to participate in this survey, you can fill it out online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RepOrtiz or request a paper copy from my office. Please feel free to write me at rep.dan.ortiz@akleg.gov or call 247-9072 to share your opinion with me on any issue.
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