The notion of giving each Alaskan a cash distribution is not very well thought out. It is like the old proverb about giving a person a fish, feed him for a day. Why not give each Alaskan homeowner a free energy audit, then $1000 credit under Interior Weatherization or some other organization for a start on a weatherization or full enegy retrofit project. Interior Weatherization’s own figures show that for an average of $7500 invested, they can realize 38% savings on energy. This will provide them with a real permanent fund (read as two words, not as in PFD) of their own that will save them more money each year than they get as a PFD check. Every year. Forever.
Such a plan would provide many jobs in a currently slumping homebuilding industry. It would provide savings to thousands of homeowners who would then have more discretionary income to use on other items (such as “getting drunk” in the not-so-pc words of Rep. Bill Thomas). This money, from the energy auditors to the contractors who do the work, to the laborers, carpenters and plumbers working under the contractors, to the suppliers of the materials, and the financial istitutions who may finance more extensive projects, all this money stays in Alaska instead of going to oil companies based in Texas or London. It bolsters OUR economy, not someone else’s.
With the rising cost of energy, this is one sure hedge against that form of inflation; the cheapest unit of energy is the one you do not use.
I would like to see support for any action that might put such a plan into place. even if it were voluntary; “you can have $500 cash now, or a free energy audit and $1000 credit toward weatherization and reap rewards the rest of your life”, it would be much more meaningful and lasting than just a cash give-away.
Karl Monetti
North Pole , Alaska
