Monthly Archives: October 2019

The Weekly Top 3 (10.28.2019)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of October 28, 2019.

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on FacebookLive and via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6-8am. I join Michael each week on Tuesday’s show, from 6:20-7am, for a discussion between the two of us about the three issues.

This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) only four months in, this year’s Alaska budget deficit is already growing (at 1:48), 2) there is a new, proposed North Slope LNG project (23:00), and 3) as we head into the 2020 election cycle, its important that Alaskans focus on the fact the federal budget deficit is spiraling out of control (30:57).

The segment is at the YouTube clip above. For those that prefer the audio version, it is available on our Soundcloud page here. For this and other complete podcasts of The Michael Dukes Show, go to the Show’s Soundcloud page here.

Alaska’s Fiscal Situation: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Headed



This past week we talked to both the Anchorage Hillside Rotary Club and Prof. Willie Hensley’s graduate seminar on “Alaska Policy Frontiers.” Here’s the slide deck.

The Weekly Top 3 (10.21.2019)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of October 21, 2019.

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on FacebookLive and via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6-8am. I join Michael each week on Tuesday’s show, from 6:20-7am, for a discussion between the two of us about the three issues.

This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) the Top20% are long on talking about compromise, but ignore it when offered (at 1:40); 2) Charles Wohlforth’s series on the PFD in the ADN is an important read, but proves a different point than he may intend (21:22); and 3) the oil tax initiative is out for signature; let’s talk about that (28:21).

The segment is at the YouTube clip above. For those that prefer the audio version, it is available on our Soundcloud page here. For this and other complete podcasts of The Michael Dukes Show, go to the Show’s Soundcloud page here.

The Weekly Top 3 (10.14.2019)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of October 14, 2019.

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on FacebookLive and via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6-8am. I join Michael each week on Tuesday’s show, from 6:20-7am, for a discussion between the two of us about the three issues.

This week our Top 3 issues are these: 1) rather than acting as a non-partisan source of analysis, the Legislature’s Legislative Finance Division is rigging the information deck being given to Alaskans (at 1:46); 2) what is the difference between the current statutory PFD and one based on a 50/50 split of the SB26 POMV draw; and 3) what is the impact on Alaskans and our fiscal situation of adopting the second approach, what some refer to as 50/50 POMV. (The discussion of the second and third topics are combined and begin at 21:47.)

The segment is at the YouTube clip above. For those that prefer the audio version, it is available on our Soundcloud page here. For this and other complete podcasts of The Michael Dukes Show, go to the Show’s Soundcloud page here.

The Weekly Top 3 (10.7.2019)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of October 7, 2019.

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on FacebookLive and via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6-8am. I join Michael each week on Tuesday’s show, from 6:20-7am, for a discussion between the two of us about the three issues.

This week our Top 3 are these: 1) in our view, why those resisting other taxes are prolonging PFDcuts (at 1:37); 2) Sen. Shelley Hughes took a big step at Monday’s #akleg PFD Working Group session, now it’s the Top20%’s turn to take one (20:36); and 3) the University Board of Regents blink & revert (yet again) to 2016 (28:50).

The segment is at the YouTube clip above. For those that prefer the audio version, it is available on our Soundcloud page here. For this and other complete podcasts of The Michael Dukes Show, go to the Show’s Soundcloud page here.

The Weekly Top 3 (9.30.2019)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind this week — for the week of September 30, 2019.

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on FacebookLive and via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6-8am. I join Michael each week on Tuesday’s show, from 6:20-7am, for a discussion between the two of us about the three issues.

This week our Top 3 are these: 1) wasting yet another opportunity to show vision, the ADN editorial board overlooks the middle on the PFD issue (at 1:49); 2) what the Governor’s nomination of Josh Revak to the vacant Senate seat, the likely Senate R reaction and his statement on the Special Session means about where we are headed on the PFD (23:10); and 3) we talk about whether, amidst all the static, the University will ever be able to get it right (30:50).

The segment is at the YouTube clip above. For those that prefer the audio version, it is available on our Soundcloud page here. For this and other complete podcasts of The Michael Dukes Show, go to the Show’s Soundcloud page here.