As with a recurring nightmare, the annul receipt of the permanent fund dividend once again reminds me that child abuse comes in many forms. While living close to a family of six for many years where the four children’s permanent funds went over the bar, up the parents’ noses, and on occasion, into their arms. One incident in particular I cannot get out of my mind happened while the two school girls of the family were trying on clothes for the coming school year, at the Salvation Army Store, the look on the faces of those two girls told the story of a legislature that had turned their backs on many of Alaska’s children in failing to protect their shares of Alaska’s oil wealth. Had legislation been in effect these and many more children could have possibly had enough savings to assist them in a college education without borrowing themselves into debt with student loans. Of all the abuses of children we know of today, the abuse, of their permanent fund checks is right up there with the top ten.
Mr. and Mrs. Legislator please pass a parental, accounting statute, to protect against the more venerable children from losing their rightful share of the states wealth.