Every man woman and child in Alaska gets $1,100 dividend check this year

[Herman Munster]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092100259.html

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Almost every Alaskan will be $1,106.96 richer this year, thanks to dividend checks from the state's oil royalty investment program distributed annually to eligible residents just for living here.

Gov. Frank Murkowski on Wednesday night announced the amount of the checks, which end a five-year slide in dividend amounts from the Alaska Permanent Fund, established in 1976 after North Slope oil was discovered. Dividends have been paid since 1982, ranging from $331.29 to a record high of $1,963.86 in 2000.

Steve Meads is among the 602,350 Alaska men, women and children waiting for the money to begin flowing in October. The 62-year-old Anchorage hotel doorman said his check is already spoken for.

"I'm going to spend it on a new set of teeth," he said. "I need a partial rebuild and I don't have dental insurance. Without this money, I'd be out of a job because I have to smile so much."

[Redstone]

1. Good for them. Good to see tax money being distributed fairly.

I hope his new teeth are comfortable.

Redstone

[MissB]

2. The Permanent Fund was a good investment.

I received checks from 84 to 87 (lived there from 83 to 87). It wasn't enough to keep me there, but I'm sure it probably is enough to attract some families.

[freethought]

3. Surprise, surprise! Well, actually not really.

This has been a long standing benefit of living in Alaska. If you can take the brutal winter weather, long and dark winters, brief summers, limited employment oppurtunities, high cost of living (just about everything has to be shipped in), and isolation you're golden.
I was in Alaska a few years ago at the height of the summer. I saw a pretty small part of it, the Kenai Peninsula. It is truly spectacular. But to live there all year round can be extremely tough. Much of the work is seasonal for example commercial fishing, timber, tourism and sportsmen, among others only have a 4-5 month window to make a living for a year. Petroleum is going year round but you have to be able to stand the elements
and they can't employ everybody. It becomes even harder if you a far outside some of the major commerical centers like Anchorage, Fairbanks, Gnome, or Juneau. You have to be tough breed to live in Alaska year round.

[d_b]

4. I'll be donating a good portion of mine to Dem Candidates.