• Again, PFD did not fund the $1200.00 rebate. This was instituted by the Alaska Legislators. Also, the Permanent Fund Dividend program is part of the Alaska Constitution. It is not something that can be undone by a governor or the federal government.

• Alaskan’s must pay federal taxes on any money received from the PFD. Also, I have never heard of any Alaskan politician returning or not applying for a PFD on principal or any other reason. As you also point out, Alaskan’s don’t HAVE TO apply for the PFD year after year. However, I do resent the fact that you insult any of the approximately 641,000 Alaskans who are not ‘rugged individualists’ because they apply for and cash a PFD check. I spent 29 wonderful years in Alaska. My mother was born and raised in the Alaska bush. My father grew up homesteading in the Eagle River area. According to you, my family is not considered ‘rugged individualists’ because we cashed PFD checks? My family and friends who hunt and/or fish for either sportsmanship, subsistence, and/or a living are not rugged individualists?

• Also when you consider what the federal government does pour into Alaska, please also consider that the federal government owns and manages over half of the land in Alaska as well as several Army and Air Force Bases as well as Coast Guard stations.

• The proponents of the fund when first created were trying to generate future income for the state, prevent excessive spending by legislature and take some of the non-renewable oil wealth to transform it into a renewable source of wealth for future generations of Alaskans. Also, the PFD amounts are not based off one year’s revenue or losses. They are based on a five year average to protect against years where there is a loss of revenue. The fund receives only 25% of oil and gas royalties. The rest is based on how well or poorly the fund investments performed. The rest of the oil and gas royalties go to help fund the Alaska State Government.

http://www.apfc.org

Thank you for your comments.

First, let’s keep in mind that I never wrote that Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) was Sarah Palin’s creation. I wrote that as a willing recipient she continues to support a government transfer program that – in public at least – she claims to oppose. At the end of the day, Sarah Palin could return the government checks on principle, but she chooses not to.

Second, it appears we do have an issue with the amount calculated per year and the actual year that the government checks are disbursed. Thanks for catching this.

The source for my numbers came from Alaska Department of Revenue Permanent Fund Division, which takes Alaska’s net income from the development of its natural resources and calculates the PFD amount each Alaskan is supposed to receive. If you look at the Alaska Department of Revenue’s cite we see that the number they calculate from lags one year behind the amount disbursed. So, for example, on earnings of $3,428 in 2007 the state of Alaska was able to distribute $3,269 (which includes $1,200 from the rebate) in 2008, as you note. My mistake.

To make things clearer I should have used the Permanent Fund Division numbers – which you cite – and wrote that Alaska was able to distribute $3,269 per Alaskan citizen in 2008 on income from $3,428 in 2007 (for a total of $19,614; minus Trig). So, yes, I agree with your math. I’ll correct this here, or on my blog. Thanks for catching this.

Still, as the numbers from the Permanent Fund Dividend makes clear, the tens of thousands of dollars that the Palins have received over the years suggests that Sarah Palin and the state of Alaska are not the “rugged individualists” that the press makes them out to be. The state of Alaska regularly takes in much more from the federal government than they pay into the system.

Again, thanks for the comments.

- Mark

Sarah Palin did not institute or come up with the idea of the Permanent Fund Dividend program. This program distributed the first checks in 1983, when Mrs. Palin was 19 years old and went by Sarah Heath. The governor at that time was Mr. Bill Sheffield. This fund came to be after voters passed a constitutional amendment which was ruled unconstitutional and then the legislature came up legislation for the fund that was constitutional. Mrs. Palin had nothing to do with that legislation. (wink wink)

Currently, to be eligible for a PFD you must be an Alaskan resident for a full calendar year. There are exceptions for babies born during a calendar year. If not a resident on January 1, of the prior year, you are ineligible for the dividend. When it comes to babies, a parent can apply the calendar year after a child is born or adopted. Trig was born in April 2008. So his parents would have filed his first application in 2009.

So for Mrs. Palin’s family, that would mean that in 2007 and 2008 her family would have only received six dividends. And furthermore, the amount you quote is WAY OFF. In 2007, the dividend amount was $1,654.00 for each eligible applicant, 2008 amount was $2069.00, and the 2009 amount was $1305.00. Now it is a fact that in 2008, the check amount was $3269.00. This total included the $2069.00 from PFD and the 2008 energy rebate of $1200.00 which was passed by the Alaska legislator in August 2008. This rebate was similar to economic stimulus payment in 2008. This $1200.00 was intended to help Alaskans who were paying outrageous amounts of money for heating and energy cost.

http://www.pfd.state.ak.us/dividendamounts/index.aspx

This website can help you check your facts.