Anybody who has traveled shared services from Prudhoe has seen the mass exodus directly to flights outside.  The oil rig tied to the Homer dock has a 100% outside crew.  The large crew doing seismic on the peninsula is 95% from outside.  The state is paying 55% or more in tax credits to fund a bunch of jobs for outsiders.  This is the main reason I support an income tax over a sales tax.   Itinerant workers would be paying part of it.  A sales tax hits me for heat and food and everything.  I agree with Mr. Pendergrast that the Republican majority owns this current budget crisis.  There is not a fiscal conservative in the bunch.  They have one long range fiscal plan and that is to keep on spending on boondoggle projects until the permanent fund is drained dry then they will all retire to their condos on Maui with state pensions and medical for life.