Reproduced from the Anchorage Daily News, August 1984
Charles Duncan Democrat House district 14 – A
Explain the concept of “front- loading the permanent fund.” How long will that option be open to the state? Do you support or oppose proposals to front-load the fund?
Oppose. This question typifies the battle between the American and British systems of political economy. Alexander Hamilton’s American System leverages governmental and private funds into high technology capital goods production and distribution systems and taxes inflationary speculation. Adam Smith’s British System would front-load more money to the fund than mandated by the Constitution.
Consultants and the state Department of Transportation estimate that toll revenues would cover no more than 30 percent of the estimated $550 million to $750 million cost for building Knik Arm Crossing. The bridge itself would not be eligible for federal highway money. If no private developer steps forward with an acceptable financing offer, should the state pay for most of the construction? If so, how?
Yes. I support what the draft Environmental Impact Statement calls “land value capture.” Many governments throughout history have failed to tax speculation and consequently, ended up subsidizing the economy to the point of bankruptcy. The bridge should become an industrial educational project for Anchorage through the purchase of laser machine tools that will eventually be donated to the school system.
Do you favor continuing the practice of giving the House, Senate and governor exclusive control over equal portions of all or part of the state construction budget? Why or why not?
If each branch of government would play their proper historical economic roles, then the current system would work. The executive branch gives direction through science driver projects such as the current Strategic Defense Initiative (beam technologies). The state or federal House and Senate then pass bills and resolutions supporting the science driver by providing infrastructural, industrial, and agricultural projects to apply the new technologies.
Give the last legislature a grad of (A-F) for its performance and explain the issues: what the candidates say.
The legislature totally isolated the President by not passing a resolution supporting the Strategic Defense Initiative and its strategic minerals development for Alaska. The Governor slowed future industrial revenue development by delaying the introduction of laser robotics into state projects and educational systems. The purchase of the railroad and the efforts to establish a major projects fund brings my overall grade estimation up to C.
