Alaska Center for Public Policy

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Kids Count

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Research Matters No. 38. Kids Count Alaska Data Book 2006-2007
August 25, 2008

Compared with kids around the country, Alaska’s kids are more likely to be born at a healthy weight, about as likely to live with single parents, and less likely to commit violent crimes. But kids in Alaska are more likely to be killed in accidents and less likely to graduate from high school—and fewer of those who do graduate go on to college.

These and many more measures of the well-being of children and teenagers in Alaska are reported in the new Kids Count Alaska 2006-2007 data book from ISER. These data books are funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which publishes its own national data book every year and also sponsors Kids Count programs in every state.

Printed copies of the new data book were paid for by Wells Fargo and are available from ISER; call Virgene Hanna, director of Kids Count Alaska, at 907-786-5431.

It is time to Invest in America’s Infrastructure and Economic Wellbeing

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One year ago (August 1), Minneapolis’ I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during rush hour, killing thirteen people. This tragedy is an illustration of a much larger problem—the deterioration of our nation’s infrastructure. Progressives should not be afraid to talk about spending priorities during this election. A new poll by Time magazine and the Rockefeller Foundation found that 83 percent of the public supports “increasing government spending on things like public-works projects to help create jobs.”

America’s bridges and roads need much repair. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that nearly 25 percent of bridges in the U.S.—over 152,000 bridges—are “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” Nearly one in four miles of urban interstate is in only “poor” or “mediocre” condition. Read the rest of this entry »

August 20 Debates: Clean Water and Clean Elections

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Alaskans Go To The Polls on August 26; Have Your Questions Answered Before You Vote

Alaska Common Ground along with AARP, the League of Women Voters and Commonwealth North presents a forum on two of the initiatives on which we will be voting on August 26.

When: August 20
7:00 to 9:30 pm

Where: Marston Theater, Loussac Library
3600 Denali Street
Anchorage

Ballot Measure 3 is known as the “Clean Elections” measure. Speaking in favor of Ballot Measure 3: Read the rest of this entry »

Future State Toxic Toys Laws to Be Preempted Under Federal Consumer Protection Legislation

Consumer and safety groups are rightly applauding an agreement by House and Senate lawmakers to move forward a bill which bans lead and most phthalates — plastic chemicals that can cause developmental disorders — in most children’s products. The bill, already approved by the U.S. House, will also increase funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, strengthen testing standards, and enhance public access to product safety information.

Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Fineberg: Local Energy Policy Analyst of Note

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In my humble opinion, one of the finest energy policy analysts in the state, perhaps THE finest, is Richard Fineberg. During the 1980s he was senior advisor to the Governor of Alaska on oil and gas policy, and since then he has been an intrepid independent analyst with an excellent reputation. In his own words…

At this web site [www.finebergresearch.com] you will find fact-based information about economic and environmental aspects of oil industry operations in Alaska, with special emphasis on the North Slope oil fields and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), which provides about one million barrels of oil per day (five percent of the nation’s total consumption) to the West Coast. Due to the oil industry’s power, political clout and media skills, much of the information you will find here is not widely reported or readily available elsewhere.

Read the rest of this entry »

Energy Policy: The Appearance of Reasoned Substance

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In the July 25, 2008 issue of Senator Elton’s off the record, he expresses his dissatisfaction with the Governor’s energy bills:

The gasline rhetoric unfortunately obscures the rest of this special session’s agenda–energy. The energy bills include: the governor’s $1,200 cash payout; and the governor’s proposed suspension of the state’s motor fuel tax.  To spare anyone the pain of reading all the way to the bottom of this newsletter to get my reaction to the governor’s energy lynchpins, I’ll be upfront. In my considered, calm and nonjudgmental opinion, these two bills have all the nutrition of bon-bons.

He poses as alternatives this set of suggested policies, which do have, in my humble opinion, the appearance of reasoned substance.  Would you agree? Read the rest of this entry »

Policy Research Before the Vote: Curiously Refreshing

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Elected officials have the collective ability to ram through public policies for whatever reason they may have.  Maybe it appeases a particular voting block.  Maybe it will be looked upon favorably by a lobbyist and his or her deep pocket employers.  Maybe the legislator has been bribed to “produce results.”  Maybe it looms large in the eyes of the legislator because it is in response to a neighbor’s experience or a family members tragedy.

As voters and members of Alaskan society, however, we may have other lenses through which we view these proposals for public policy.  For example, does a public policy benefit low- and medium-income families in Alaska?  Does it actually address the problem effectively and efficiently that it is supposed to address?  Have other policy alternatives been systematically considered and evaluated?  Will this public policy have unintended consequences?  Is there any research data that will help our evaluation? Read the rest of this entry »