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[Ferrio]

Argh, I didn't sign up for direct deposit for my alaska permentant divident fund, so everyone that did is getting a check for ~1000 dollars right now. I gotta wait another 2-3 weeks for mine.

That so sucks.

 

[B'z-chan]

Argh, I didn't sign up for direct deposit for my alaska permentant divident fund, so everyone that did is getting a check for ~1000 dollars right now. I gotta wait another 2-3 weeks for mine.

That so sucks.

Wait your getting free money? HOW THE FUCK? i want me some free money. Damn thats nice. They let the power go out over here in cali and your tv blows on you its your fault you have to pay money to replace it, is that shit fair? HEll no but Alaskins get free money for sitting on there ass (no offense) shit what has this world come too.

 

[Particle Physicist]

whats it like living in alaska? ive been thikning about moving there.. but i would like some firsthand impressions.

 

[karasu]

Thats what rocks about Alaska.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Wait your getting free money? HOW THE FUCK?

As I understand it, Alaska makes a lot of money from the oil/gas industry, hence citizens get money as they aren't entirely sure what else to do with it.

 

[Nerevar]

As I understand it, Alaska makes a lot of money from the oil/gas industry, hence citizens get money as they aren't entirely sure what else to do with it.

uhh, no. They get the free money because the Alaskan government essentially paid off the citizens of the state for running thousands of miles of pipes through the "pristine" wilderness of Alaska. If they hadn't done that, you can rest assured the Alaskans would have been up in arms about this.

 

[Ferrio]

whats it like living in alaska? ive been thikning about moving there.. but i would like some firsthand impressions.

Cold, fucking cold. I mean what else is there. It's like any other place.... just cold... really cold.

Fairbanks, although the 2nd biggest city in alaska is quite small. If you're used to a big city you might want to stick to anchorage, but it's pretty comparatively small too. Ya it's cold.


As for the check it's pretty small, only 950 dollars or so this year. Two years ago when I got it for the first time it was around 1,700.

 

[fennec fox]

I remember reading through my parents' old Whole Earth Catalogs -- there would always be an article about moving to Alaska and building a new life for yourself up there, working in lumber and receiving fat oil checks. If I ever get angry enough at the government to want out of the country, that's what I would do.

 

[Ferrio]

What you could do is work on a lobster boat for 3 months which nets you around 60k. Of course there's like a 1/10 chance of dying.

 

[BugCatcher]

uhh, no. They get the free money because the Alaskan government essentially paid off the citizens of the state for running thousands of miles of pipes through the "pristine" wilderness of Alaska. If they hadn't done that, you can rest assured the Alaskans would have been up in arms about this.

What? Did you just make that up?

The Permanent Fund is money saved by the Alaska State Government that they receive from leases (on the land used by oil companies) and royalties (from the oil). Initially they just spent this money as part of their annual budget, but in 1976 (7 years after the initial land sale) Alaskans voted to amend the constitution to allow the government to save some of this money in a special fund. Prior to this, the government had to use all of it each year, which they spent on projects and services. This change provided some economic stability, and the fund would benefit future generations of Alaskans, even after oil reserves were depleted. So the reasons for the creation of the Permanent Dividend had nothing to do with outrage over perceived environmental devastation, and was not even established until years after the land had been auctioned off and construction had begun. Alaskans simply felt that this was a more effective way for the government to provide services to its citizens.

In 1980 the Permanent Fund Dividend was created. This uses part of the oil money that would be spent as part of the annual budget, not the money saved in the Permanent Fund. The PFD was created as a means to stimulate the economy of the state. We are (or at least, were) very dependent on oil, so using this money to develop a more balanced economy would prevent disaster later when the state could no longer depend on oil revenues.

About the PFD
Yearly dividend amounts

 

[Nester]

I checked the Minnesota State Unclaimed Property website today and found that I have two paychecks from 2001 that I never got in the mail. The restaurant I worked at just sent the checks to the state and they just sat there until I found them. The total on the two checks is $342.00 and I just fill out a claims form and the state sends them to me. They'll get here right in time for Christmas present buying. It's kinda like free money.

 

[rs7k]

I would LOVE to move to Alaska. But I'm a Canadian citizen. Yukon would be my best bet, but the biggest city has a population of like 15,000. Yuck.