Contributed by David Wilson
Like many Alaskans, I have been very concerned about the future of the State of Alaska. I believe there are workable solutions available that will improve and solve the current fiscal crises. Over the past few years the state budget has been out of control. Current state legislators knew for years that they would not be able to maintain the current level of spending and failed to take sufficient action to address the problem.
The actions in Juneau affect us all and sometimes in ways we do not like. Recently, our government interventions have resulted in unintended consequences. These consequences have to be dealt with as well, which leads to new unintended consequences. The result is a constant growth of government. Our state government has grown to a size that we can no longer afford to maintain in its current state.
It was not always like this. Our country and state were founded with something different in mind. Over two hundred years ago, a remarkable group of men got together in Philadelphia to write a constitution for a new nation they helped to create. They were a wise group of people that learned the lessons of history. The great danger to freedom is a concentration of power, especially in the hands of the government. They were determined to protect the citizens of the new United States of America from that danger and they crafted the constitution with that in mind. This constitution has served us well. It has enabled us to preserve our freedoms for over two hundred years. But in recent years we have been forgetting the lesson that these wise men knew so well. From regarding government as a threat to our freedom, we have come more and more to regard government as benefactor from which all good things flow.
We now have an inflated state government that has been a threat to our economic freedoms. These freedoms will be diminished if our legislators allow the capping of the PFD to pay for our larger sized government. The PFD is a great responsibility for our legislators to protect. It is a greater responsibility to protect it for the next generation. This generation is failing in this regard, as the future of the PFD is now in jeopardy. We must find other options to fix the budget, and I believe that additional taxes for Alaskans should be off the table until we have a leaner government.
Albert Einstein once stated: “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” I feel this also applies for the legislators that we have sent to Juneau. It is time we demand more from the people we have chosen to represent us in government. It is time to reload our legislature with a higher caliber of officials.
I have been involved in public service since 2006, and currently serve as a councilman for the city of Wasilla. I have earned Master’s in business administration and I currently serve as the director of a local domestic violence and sexual assault program. I have long worked for positive change in my community and for the state of Alaska. I want to bring creative ideas and positive solutions to the state of Alaska by running for State Senate to represent you in District D in the republican primary.
I am turning to the people who also believe that Alaska is not only The Last Frontier, but also The Great Frontier. That is why I am inviting you to get involved to support a candidate with integrity, honesty and experience that will help make Alaska strong again. Please remember to vote for David Wilson for State Senate on August 16th.
For more information, please visit my website at www.davidwilsonforsenate.com.