Daily Archives: October 4, 2013

Why Alaska Needs to Reduce State Spending (and how to do it) (from the October 2013 Alaska Business Monthly)

October 2013 Alaska Business MonthlyIn addition to pieces on this page and elsewhere, I write a monthly op-ed column on oil, gas and fiscal policy issues for the Alaska Business Monthly.  The following piece was originally published in the October 2013 print edition and is available online here.

Based on state Office of Management and Budget data, over the last decade annual state government general fund spending—operating and capital combined—has nearly tripled, from roughly $2.3 billion in FY 2004 to a now-projected $7.1 billion for FY 2014.

Over the same period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has only increased by 27 percent. Continue reading