Dunleavy backs off

There aren't many people for whom the word "despicable" applies. Governor Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, who got elected basically by simply promising every Alaskan citizen a bigger annual oil money payout when he and the state really couldn't afford it, is one of them.  (His opponent in that election, the former governor, had basically tried to be realistic about the budget and the payout.)

Because since then, he threatened massive budget cuts to the University of Alaska system, as well as pretty substantial cuts to public aid programs.  The outcry about the damage the cuts would do was major, as it should have been, and Dunleavy came under fire, including the launch of a recall effort, which is continuing.

That didn't stop Dunleavy from meeting with POTUS Trump on a plane stop and cadging him to let a mine project go forward - a mine project that could devastate a pristine natural estuarine ecosystem and all the good salmon it supports.

Great, eh?

Well, given the public outcry, the strong level of criticism, and the recall effort, Dunleavy has backed off - way off.    This recent op-ed from the Washington Post is a good commentary.

Alaska shows why budget-cutting conservatives are destined to fail

"The writing on the wall is clear: The United States has a large government because a supermajority of Americans wants it that way. That doesn’t mean the size of government can’t be cut on the margin. But it does mean the annual $1 trillion federal budget deficit will not be significantly reduced or closed without large tax increases, reductions in spending Republicans value, or both."

I've been thinking about writing a few articles describing a dead-honest Presidential platform.  This article provides a bit more motivation to do that.