Alaska Report

by Joseph Littlejohn

Author's Disclaimer: I am personally biased on the issue of FSP state selection. I currently own property in Alaska, and love the state for a variety of reasons. This paper is written, for the most part, from an advocacy point of view, although a few counter-arguments are grudgingly offered.

Many would agree that the major criteria affecting state selection are ?livability? and the potential for affecting the local political process. This paper will concentrate on what I believe are the major attributes that make Alaska a good choice for the Free State.

In brief these criteria are:

1) general environmental livability, including climate and weather

2)? infrastructure, industry, employment

3) the existing political/cultural environment, including indigenous parties sympathetic to FSP goals, voter trends and current law

4) overall geopolitical factors and potential future relations with the Federal government

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Livability - climate and weather
_________________________________________

Winter temperatures in Alaska are often assumed to be extreme, and in certain areas they can be. However, during winter, it can actually be warmer in the Anchorage area and the surrounding Matanuska-Susitna borough than in certain parts of the lower 48. This is due to the warming effect of the ocean which provides a moderating influence on the local climate. ________________________________________________________________________

The normal daily mean temperature in January, for selected cities, in degrees Fahrenheit

International Falls, MN ??????????? 2.7 F
Mt. Washington, NH ??????????????? 5.2 F
Grand Forks, ND ???????????????????? 5.3 F
Nome, AK ????????????????? 5.8 F
Duluth, MN ???????????????????????????? 8.4 F
Caribou, ME ??????????????????????????? 9.5 F
Glasgow, MT ?????????????????????????? 10.8 F
Sioux Falls, SD ??????????????????????? 14.0 F
Alamosa, CO ?????????????????????????? 14.7 F
Green Bay, WI ????????????????????????? 15.6 F
Anchorage, AK ?????????? 15.8 F
Burlington, VT ???????????? 18.0 F
Concord, NH ?????????????????????????? 20.1 F
Portland, ME ??????????????????????????? 21.7 F
Chicago, IL ????????????????????????????? 22.0 F
Casper, WY ????????????????????????????? 22.3 F
Pocatello, ID ?????????????????????????? 24.4 F
Elko, NV ????????????????????????????????? 25.6 F
Juneau, AK ???????????????? 25.7 F
Kodiak, AK ??????????????? 29.7 F
Wilmington, DE ?????????????????????? 31.5 F
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As can be seen in the following list, on average, Anchorage receives less snow than many areas in the lower 48 states.
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Average Snowfall in January for selected cities, in inches;

Alamosa, CO ?????????????? 4.3 in
Glasgow, MT ?????????????? 6.7 in
Wilmington, DE ?????????? 6.8 in
Sioux Falls, SD ??????????? 7.0 in
Pocatello, ID ?????????????? 9.7 in
Casper, WY ????????????????? 10.0 in
Elko, NV ????????????????????? 10.1 in
Anchorage, AK ?? 10.5 in
Nome, AK ????????? 10.6 in
Chicago, IL ????????????????? 11.1 in
Green Bay, WI ????????????? 11.9 in
International Falls, MN 12.9 in
Kodiak, AK ??????? 15.3 in
Duluth, MN ???????????????? 17.8 in
Concord, NH ?????????????? 17.9 in
Burlington, VT 19.3 in
Portland, ME ??????????????? 19.4 in
Caribou, ME ??????????????? 24.4 in
Juneau, AK ???????? 25.7 in
Mt. Washington, NH ??? 40.8 in
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The summers are fairly moderate, with Anchorage having a mean temperature of 58.8 F in July. This is comparable to the San Francisco area, which is moderated by ocean winds during the summer, and has a mean temperature of 61.3 F in July. Likewise, Eureka CA, also on the coast, attains a mean of 58.1 F.

The shorter length of days in the far north during winter will certainly be a concern for some people, especially those that suffer to some extent from Seasonal Affective Disorder. However, only areas above the arctic circle (125 miles above Fairbanks) will ever experience 24 hours of darkness or light. In Anchorage, at winter solstice, daylight lasts about 5 1/2 hours. However, at summer solstice, the day is about 19 1/2 hours long. (recall that during the equinox, the length of day and night are equal, and the same at all locations on the earth ).

____________________________________________________________________________________
Sunshine - average percentage possible for local area, January
(accounts for cloud cover and precipitation)

Seattle, WA ????????????????? 28%
Grand Rapids, MI ???????? 28%
Juneau, AK ???????? 32%
Mt. Washington, NH ??? 32%
Anchorage, AK ?? 34%
Nome, AK ????????? 40%
Boise, ID ???????????????????? 40%
Burlington, VT 41%
Duluth, MN ???????????????? 48%
Green Bay, WI ????????????? 49%
Fargo, ND ?????????????????? 50%
Concord, NH ?????????????? 52%
Portland, ME ??????????????? 56%
Sheridan, WY ?????????????? 57%
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A side note about growing seasons;
Strange as it may sound, Alaska has a farming and agriculture industry. Output includes various vegetable crops, grain and livestock. The greatly increased hours of daylight during summer tend to offset the effect of shorter seasons. Chief crops farmed are barley, oats, hay, potatoes, lettuce. Livestock raised are cattle, sheep, reindeer, bison, and poultry.

(It's reported that the intense growing season produced a particularly fast growing, potent variety of marijuana which contributed to its later re-criminalization - this "cash crop" has been "discovered" growing as far north as Fairbanks.)
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Average growing season for selected cities and regions, in days

Portland, ME ??????????????? 173 d
Juneau, AK ???????? 172 d
Kodiak, AK ??????? 160 d
southern, NH ????????????? 150 d
Bismarck, ND ????????????? 140 d
Anchorage, AK ?? 125 d
Valdez, AK ???????? 116 d
northern, VT ?????????????? 100 d
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__________________________________________________________________
LIVABILITY - infrastructure, industry, employment
__________________________________________________________________

Salaries and wages:

Interestingly, Alaska ranked number 1 in 1990 at an average wage of $29,946 per year, but dropped to 11 in 1999, although the actual wage increased to $34,000.
In 2000, the per capita income in Anchorage was $27, 852.

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Average annual pay for selected states - year 1999

state ?????????????????????????? dollars ??????????? ranking
Delaware ???????????????????? 35,102 ??????????? 8
Alaska ????????????????????? 34,034 ????? 11
New Hampshire ????????? 32,139 ??????????? 17
Nevada ??????????????????????? 31,213 ??????????? 19
Vermont ????????????????????? 27,595 ??????????? 34
Wyoming ???????????????????? 25,639 ??????????? 44
Idaho ????????????????????????? 26,042 ??????????? 41
Montana ????????????????????? 23,253 ??????????? 49
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General Anchorage Area Demographics

Income and Poverty:
Median Household Income:?????????????? $ 55,546
Per Capita Income: ????????????????????????????? $ 25,287
Population in Poverty: ?????????????????????? 18,682
Percent in Poverty: ???????????????????????????? 7.4%

Employment:
Workforce ( Age 16 and over): ???????? 192,782
Civilian Employed: ????????????????????????????? 125,737
Military Employed:????????????????????????????? 8,503
Unemployed: ?????????????????????????????????????? 9,110
Not in Labor Force: ???????????????????????????? 49,432
Percent Unemployed: ???????????????????????? 6.8%
Percent Adults Not Working: ?????????? 30.4%

Civilian Employment:
Private Wage & Salary Workers: 89,023
Government Workers
(Military not included):?????????????????????? 27,646
Self-Employed workers
(in own not incorp business): ?????????? 8,819
Unpaid Family workers: ???? 249

Employment by Occupation:
Management, Professional & Related: 46,271
Service: ???????????????????????????????? 18,970
Sales & Office: ???????????????????????????????????? 35,834
Farming, Fishing & Forestry: ??????????? 432
Construction, Extraction

& Maintenance: ????????????????? 12,136

Product., Transport.

& Material Moving: ??????????????????????????? 12,094

Employment by Industry:

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing

& Hunting, Mining: ??????????????????????????? 3,886

Construction: ?????????????????????????????????????? 7,995
Manufacturing: ?????????????????????????????????? 2,542
Wholesale Trade: ??????????????????????????????? 4,428
Retail Trade: ???????????????????????????????????????? 15,327
Transport., Warehouse & Util.: ??????? 11,809
Information: ???????????????????????????????????????? 4,079
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate,
Rental & Leasing: ?????????????????????????????? 7,654
Professional, Scientific,

Management,
Administrative & Waste Mgmt: 12,845
Education, Health &

Social Services: ?????????????????????????????????? 24,532
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation,
Accommodation & Food Services: 11,342
Other Services

(Except Public Admin):??????????????????????? 7,156
Public Administration: ?????????????????????? 12,142
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The following is a listing of salaries for the Anchorage area, where approximately 41% of the state population lives. This is probably a more useful set of numbers for people wanting to move into the state from the lower 48, since it represents a wide range of jobs and industries probably similar to work available out of state. I've edited a much more exhaustive list of job categories down to the most common and recognizable types. Even so it's lengthy. I hope the reader may find a listing similar to their present job in order to make the comparison more meaningful.

For the complete list see;
http://www.labor.state.ak.us/research/wage/anchoes.htm.

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Average wages, per hour, for selected professions - Anchorage area - year 2000

??????????????????????????????????????????????? Mean ??????? Median ????? Mid Range Entry ??????? Experienced

Managers
Computer & Information Sys Managers 33.74 ?????? 32.35 ????????????????????? 25.06 - 40.18 ???????? 21.69 ????? 39.76
Construction Managers ???????????????????????? 38.83 ????? 37.39 ????????????????????? 29.83 - 46.58 ???????? 25.83 ????? 45.33
Education Admin, Postsecondary ?????????? 16.74 ????? 15.37 ????????????????????? 12.63 - 19.07 ???????? 12.03 ????? 19.10
Financial Managers ??????????????????????????????????????????????? 34.57 ????? 30.53 ????????????????????? 23.26 - 41.81 ???????? 20.49 ????? 41.61
Industrial Production Managers ??????????? 33.01 ????? 26.97 ????????????????????? 21.67 - 41.30 ???????? 19.65 ????? 39.69
Medical & Health Services Managers ???? 31.80 ????? 30.61 ????????????????????? 24.84 - 35.58 ???????? 21.59 ????? 36.91
Transport, Storage & Dist Managers ???? 26.96 ????? 25.29 ????????????????????? 20.12 - 33.04 ???????? 18.79 ????? 31.05

Business and Financial Operations
Accountants & Auditors ???????????????????????? 23.56 ????? 22.73 ????????????????????? 18.06 - 26.36 ???????? 15.85 ????? 27.41
Credit Analysts ????????????????????????????????????? 26.03 ????? 19.42 ????????????????????? 12.28 - 46.33 ???????? 10.56 ????? 33.76
Financial Analysts ????????????????????????????????? 26.59 ????? 26.18 ????????????????????? 23.10 - 30.26 ???????? 21.65 ????? 29.05
Insurance Underwriters ???????????????????????? 22.34 ????? 20.93 ????????????????????? 18.34 - 28.18 ???????? 16.57 ????? 25.22
Loan Officers ???????????????????????????????????????? 23.80 ????? 18.11 ????????????????????? 13.18 - 32.87 ???????? 11.11 ????? 30.14
Tax Examiners ??????????????????????????????????????? 27.94 ????? 28.54 ????????????????????? 20.81 - 34.11 ???????? 19.28 ????? 32.27
Training & Development Specialists ?????? 20.67 ????? 20.04 ????????????????????? 17.20 - 24.98 ???????? 14.68 ????? 23.66

Computer
Computer Programmers ???????????????????????? 27.00 ????? 26.21 ????????????????????? 22.32 - 31.92 ???????? 20.03 ????? 30.49
Software Engineers, Applications ????????? 28.78 ????? 28.50 ????????????????????? 23.61 - 33.58 ???????? 22.17 ????? 32.09
Software Engineers, Systems ????????????????? 31.10 ????? 32.51 ????????????????????? 22.74 - 40.16 ???????? 20.89 ????? 36.21
Database Administrators ?????????????????????? 26.79 ????? 26.24 ????????????????????? 18.86 - 34.19 ???????? 16.45 ????? 31.96
Network & Computer Systems Admin ???? 23.43 ????? 23.11 ????????????????????? 18.86 - 28.12 ???????? 16.99 ????? 26.65
Network Systems Analysts ???????????????????? 25.67 ????? 26.39 ????????????????????? 18.20 - 31.86 ???????? 16.70 ????? 30.16
Statisticians ?????????????????????????????????????????? 29.60 ????? 28.47 ????????????????????? 24.85 - 32.67 ???????? 23.38 ????? 32.71

Architectual
Architects, Except Landscape & Naval ?? 30.93 ????? 30.96 ????????????????????? 25.50 - 36.81 ???????? 22.98 ????? 34.91
Civil Engineers ?????????????????????????????????????? 31.46 ????? 30.58?????????????????????? 22.95 - 38.28 ??????? 20.92 ????? 36.73
Drafters, Engineer & Mapping Tech ?????? 20.46 ????? 19.52 ????????????????????? 15.53 - 24.32 ???????? 13.63 ????? 23.88
Electrical Engineers ??????????????????????????????? 32.52 ????? 33.27 ????????????????????? 27.04 - 39.45 ???????? 23.68
Mechanical Engineers ???????????????????????????? 31.51 ????? 31.79 ????????????????????? 25.00 - 38.95 ???????? 22.64 ????? 35.94
Petroleum Engineers ?????????????????????????????? 51.23 ????? 54.07 ????????????????????? 42.32 - 62.55 ???????? 36.98 ????? 58.36
Surveying & Mapping Technicians ???????? 22.33 ????? 23.18 ????????????????????? 17.98 - 28.42 ???????? 14.34 ????? 26.33

Life, Physical, and Social Science
Agricultural & Food Scientists ?????????????? 28.12 ????? 29.11 ????????????????????? 22.17 - 33.96 ???????? 19.45 ????? 32.46
Biological Technicians ??????????????????????????? 14.06 ????? 13.65 ????????????????????? 11.83 - 15.93 ???????? 11.16 ????? 15.52
Chemical Technicians ???????????????????????????? 16.18 ????? 14.52 ????????????????????? 10.47 - 21.90 ???????? 9.89 ??????? 19.33
Economists ???????????????????????????????????????????? 31.51 ????? 31.88 ????????????????????? 19.66 - 41.73 ???????? 17.83 ????? 38.35
Foresters ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 28.72 ????? 28.42 ????????????????????? 23.38 - 35.25 ???????? 21.29 ????? 32.43
Geological & Petroleum Technicians ????? 20.72 ????? 20.60 ????????????????????? 17.12 - 24.41 ???????? 14.76 ????? 23.70
Market Research Analysts ???????????????????? 21.92 ????? 21.44 ????????????????????? 18.25 - 25.10 ???????? 16.47 ????? 24.65

Community and Social Services Legal
Clergy ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 15.08 ????? 15.07 ????????????????????? 7.04 - 21.20 ?????????? 6.70 ??????? 19.28
Counselors, Social & Religious ?????????????? 13.70 ????? 12.83 ????????????????????? 10.87 - 15.47 ???????? 10.17 ????? 15.47
Mental Health Counselors ????????????????????? 17.83 ????? 17.07 ????????????????????? 15.26 - 20.22 ???????? 15.11 ????? 19.19
Arbitrators, Mediators ????????????????????????? 20.69 ????? 22.26 ????????????????????? 16.33 - 25.24 ???????? 14.35 ????? 23.87
Lawyers ????????????????????????????????????????????????? 43.03 ????? 41.56 ????????????????????? 29.38 - 58.76 ???????? 24.73 ????? 52.18
Paralegals & Legal Assistants ??????????????????????????????? 24.16 ????? 24.47 ????????????????????? 21.27 - 28.00 ???????? 19.08 ????? 26.70
Title Examiners, Abst & Searchers ???????? 18.22 ????? 18.69 ????????????????????? 14.89 - 21.04 ???????? 13.75 ????? 20.45

Education, Training, and Library
Education, Training & Lib Workers, ?????? 19.09 ????? 18.25 ????????????????????? 12.80 - 25.17 ???????? 12.50 ????? 22.39
Librarians ????????????????????????????????????????????? 21.81 ????? 23.20 ????????????????????? 17.72 - 27.74 ???????? 12.67 ????? 26.37
Postsecondary Teachers, All Other ?????? 49,020 ??? 49,310 ??????????????????? 40,690 - 55,980 ???? 35,160 ??? 55,950
Preschool Teachers, Except Spec Ed ?????? 10.16 ????? 10.10 ????????????????????? 9.10 - 11.25 ?????????? 8.54 ??????? 10.97
Teacher Assistants ???????????????????????????????? 25,600 ??? 26,330 ??????????????????? 18,330 - 30,940 ???? 17,360 ??? 29,710
Teachers, Primary, Sec & Adult ????????????? 39,560 ??? 41,050 ??????????????????? 20,870 - 53,980 ???? 18,060 ??? 50,310
Vocational Education Teachers, ???????????? 22.32?????? 24.17 ???????????????????? 18.06 - 27.12 ???????? 14.02 ????? 26.47

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Audio & Video Equipment Technicians ?? 11.93 ????? 11.71 ????????????????????? 10.25 - 13.05 ???????? 9.63 ??????? 13.08
Film & Video Editors ?????????????????????????????? 15.56 ????? 13.60 ????????????????????? 12.19 - 16.22 ???????? 12.10 ????? 17.29
Graphic Designers ????????????????????????????????? 17.97 ????? 16.96 ????????????????????? 12.53 - 22.55 ???????? 11.50 ????? 21.20
Photographers ?????????????????????????????????????? 12.92 ????? 12.76 ????????????????????? 11.10 - 15.28 ???????? 9.75 ??????? 14.50
Producers & Directors ?????????????????????????? 36,190 ??? 33,860 ??????????????????? 30,220 - 40,840 ???? 28,270 ??? 40,160
Public Relations Specialists ??????????????????? 24.44 ????? 21.69 ????????????????????? 16.95 - 27.66 ???????? 15.01 ????? 29.16
Technical Writers ?????????????????????????????????? 25.00 ????? 25.08 ????????????????????? 22.63 - 27.97 ???????? 21.69
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Dental Hygienists ?????????????????????????????????? 38.17 ????? 39.15 ????????????????????? 36.79 - 41.52 ???????? 37.64 ????? 38.44
Licensed Pract & Lic Voc Nurse ????????????? 16.30 ????? 15.93 ????????????????????? 14.53 - 17.59 ???????? 14.33 ????? 17.29
Medical & Clinical Laboratory Techn ???? 16.17 ????? 16.05 ????????????????????? 14.01 - 18.62 ???????? 13.46 ????? 17.53
Optometrists ????????????????????????????????????????? 46.99 ????? 48.92 ????????????????????? 44.83 - 52.70 ???????? 42.25 ????? 49.37
Pharmacists ?????????????????????????????????????????? 34.15 ????? 34.38 ????????????????????? 31.12 - 38.55 ???????? 30.40 ????? 36.03
Physicians & Surgeons, All Other ????????? 68.34 ????? >70.00 ?????????????????? >70.00 - >70.00 ??? 65.03 ????? 70.00
Veterinarians ???????????????????????????????????????? 30.82 ????? 28.34 ????????????????????? 18.66 - 37.30 ???????? 16.69 ????? 37.89

Protective Service
Protective Service Workers, Other ??????? 22.45 ????? 12.11?????????????????????? 9.80 - 44.63 ?????????? 9.40 ??????? 28.98

Food Preparation and Serving Related
Bartenders ???????????????????????????????????????????? 9.18 ??????? 9.24 ??????????????????????? 7.98 - 10.33 ?????????? 7.48 ??????? 10.03
Chefs & Head Cooks ?????????????? ??????????????? 14.95 ????? 13.38 ????????????????????? 11.60 - 16.83 ???????? 10.31 ????? 17.27
Cooks, Fast Food ??????????????????????????????????? 9.90 ??????? 9.82 ??????????????????????? 8.39 - 11.47 7.??????? 83??????????? 10.94
Counter Attend, Cafeteria/Food ??????????? 8.95 ??????? 8.14 ??????????????????????? 6.49 - 10.43 ?????????? 6.20 ??????? 10.33
Dishwashers??????????????????????????????????????????? 8.97 ?????? 8.89 ??????????????????????? 7.62 - 10.32 ?????????? 7.20 ??????? 9.86
Food Preparation & Serv Wkrs, ???????????? 17.67 ????? 21.84 ????????????????????? 9.17 - 24.51 ?????????? 8.00 ??????? 22.50
Waiters & Waitresses ???????????????????????????? 7.53 ??????? 6.58 ??????????????????????? 6.17 - 7.72????????????? 6.26 ?????? 8.16

Building and Grounds, Cleaning, and Maintenance
Janitors/Cleaners, Ex Maids ????????????????? 11.06 ????? 10.19 ????????????????????? 8.62 - 13.34 ?????????? 8.01 ??????? 12.58
Landscaping Workers ??????????????????????????? 11.54 ????? 10.51 ????????????????????? 8.55 - 13.23 ?????????? 7.88 ??????? 13.37
Maids & Housekeeping Cleaners ??????????? 10.05 ????? 9.83 ??????????????????????? 8.77 - 11.01 ?????????? 7.96 ??????? 11.09

Personal Care and Service
Amusement & Recreation Attendants ???? 11.32 ????? 9.92 ??????????????????????? 8.38 - 12.83 ?????????? 7.78 ??????? 13.08
Baggage Porters & Bellhops ?????????????????? 10.16?????? 7.46 ?????????????????????? 6.42 - 10.96??????????? 6.33 ?????? 12.07
Flight Attendants ?????????????????????????????????? 32,970 ??? 30,640 ??????????????????? 21,930 - 37,790 ???? 19,170 ??? 39,880
Hairdressers, Hairstylists & Cosmet ????? 14.39 ????? 15.01 ????????????????????? 10.36 - 17.13 ???????? 8.93 ??????? 17.12
Recreation Workers ?????????????????????????????? 9.09 ??????? 8.48 ??????????????????????? 7.25 - 10.32 ?????????? 7.00 ??????? 10.13
Tour Guides & Escorts ??????????????????????????? 8.85 ??????? 8.61 ??????????????????????? 6.52 - 10.57 ?????????? 6.41 ??????? 10.07
Ushers, Lobby Attend & Ticket Takers ?? 6.92 ??????? 6.44 ??????????????????????? 6.11 - 6.79????????????? 6.28 ?????? 7.23

Sales and Related
Advertising Sales Agents ?????????????????????? 21.44 ????? 16.94 ????????????????????? 14.16 - 26.80 ???????? 12.10 ????? 26.11
Cashiers????????????????????????????????????????????????? 8.53 ?????? 8.14 ??????????????????????? 7.16 - 9.61 ???????????? 6.99 ??????? 9.31
Insurance Sales Agents ????????????????????????? 18.02 ????? 17.98 ????????????????????? 13.08 - 20.07 ???????? 12.34 ????? 20.86
Real Estate Sales Agents ???????????????????????? 23.35 ????? 23.35 ????????????????????? 18.79 - 30.31 ???????? 13.68 ????? 28.18
Retail Salespersons ??????????????????????????????? 12.18 ????? 10.60 ????????????????????? 8.34 - 13.38 ?????????? 7.72 ??????? 14.40
Telemarketers ??????????????????????????????????????? 8.52 ??????? 8.28???????????????????????? 6.95 - 9.66 ???????????? 6.69 ??????? 9.43
Travel Agents ???????????????????????????????????????? 11.77 ????? 11.34 ????????????????????? 9.73 - 13.36 ?????????? 9.19 ??????? 13.06

Office and Administrative Support
Bookkeeping, Account & Audit Clerks ?? 14.84 ????? 14.43 ????????????????????? 12.18 - 16.79 ???????? 11.21 ????? 16.66
Cargo & Freight Agents ???????????????????????? 11.18 ????? 10.41 ????????????????????? 9.11 - 12.71 ?????????? 8.61 ??????? 12.47
Couriers & Messengers ????????????????????????? 11.26 ????? 10.23 ????????????????????? 9.25 - 11.31 ?????????? 9.00 ??????? 12.39
Data Entry Keyers ????????????????????????????????? 10.83 ????? 10.12 ????????????????????? 8.89 - 12.06 ?????????? 8.31 ??????? 12.09
File Clerks ????????????????????????????????????????????? 11.56 ????? 11.47 ????????????????????? 9.19 - 13.70 ?????????? 8.26 ??????? 13.22
Hotel, Motel & Resort Desk Clerks ???????? 8.14 ??????? 7.81 ??????????????????????? 6.77 - 9.47 ???????????? 6.55 ??????? 8.94
Insurance Claims & Process Clerks ??????? 17.85 ????? 15.76 ????????????????????? 14.16 - 18.77 ???????? 13.55 ????? 20.00

Legal Secretaries ??????????????????????????????????? 19.01 ????? 19.28 ????????????????????? 15.92 - 22.11 ???????? 14.15 ????? 21.44
Medical Secretaries ??????????????????????????????????????????????? 13.27 ????? 13.20 ????????????????????? 11.86 - 14.99 ???????? 11.66 ????? 14.07
Office Clerks, General ??????????????????????????? 12.94 ????? 12.42 ????????????????????? 10.50 - 15.04 ???????? 9.36 ??????? 14.73
Secretaries, Except Legal, Med & Ex ?????? 14.60 ????? 13.82 ????????????????????? 11.65 - 17.51 ???????? 10.38 ????? 16.71
Stock Clerks & Order Fillers ????????????????? 12.58 ????? 11.55 ????????????????????? 9.18 - 15.43 ?????????? 8.57 ??????? 14.58
Tellers ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 10.26 ????? 10.08 ????????????????????? 9.24 - 11.20 ?????????? 9.30 ??????? 10.74
Word Processors & Typists ??????????????????? 13.66 ????? 13.48 ????????????????????? 11.76 - 15.73 ???????? 11.14 ????? 14.92

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Farming, Fishing & Forestry Workers ??? 15.30 ????? 15.28 ????????????????????? 14.14 - 16.41 ???????? 13.36 ????? 16.27

Construction and Extraction
Brickmasons & Blockmasons ????????????????? 20.39 ????? 19.42 ????????????????????? 14.02 - 26.08 ???????? 11.87 ????? 24.65
Carpenters ???????????????????????????????????????????? 21.08 ????? 22.75 ????????????????????? 16.13 - 25.74 ???????? 13.92 ????? 24.67
Construction Laborers ?????????????????????????? 18.89 ????? 18.66 ????????????????????? 13.57 - 23.70 ???????? 11.76 ????? 22.45
Electricians ???????????????????????????????????????????? 28.07 ????? 29.68 ????????????????????? 24.10 - 33.21 ???????? 20.43 ????? 31.89
Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters ????? 26.32 ????? 26.97 ????????????????????? 22.27 - 31.99 ???????? 18.70 ????? 0.13
Roofers ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? 21.64 ????? 22.34 ????????????????????? 17.45 - 27.23 ???????? 14.42 ????? 25.25
Structural Iron & Steel Workers ???????????? 19.33 ????? 20.46 ????????????????????? 14.36 - 24.64 ???????? 11.53 ????? 23.23

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Aircraft Mechanics & Serv Tech ???????????? 19.66 ????? 19.53 ????????????????????? 15.83 - 23.90 ???????? 14.32 ????? 22.33
Automotive Body & Related Repairers ?? 21.80 ????? 19.97 ????????????????????? 15.84 - 25.48 ???????? 13.50 ????? 25.95
Automotive Service Tech & Mech ?????????? 17.75 ????? 17.80 ????????????????????? 13.43 - 23.57 ???????? 10.58 ????? 21.34
Computer/Auto Teller/Office Mach Rep 19.60 ????? 19.77 ????????????????????? 14.70 - 24.79 ???????? 13.33 ????? 22.73
Heating/AC/Refrig Mech & Installers ??? 20.99 ????? 22.81 ????????????????????? 18.43 - 25.51 ???????? 14.34 ????? 24.32
Maintenance & Repair Workers, Gen ???? 18.00 ????? 17.52 ????????????????????? 12.35 - 22.72 ???????? 10.71 ????? 21.64
Telecomm Equip Install/Repair, ????????????? 28.76 ????? 29.93 ????????????????????? 25.74 - 33.00 ???????? 22.52 ????? 31.88

Production
Bakers ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 10.63 ????? 10.40 ????????????????????? 8.67 - 12.47 ?????????? 7.96 ??????? 11.97
Cabinetmakers & Bench Carpenters ????? 14.89 ????? 14.07 ????????????????????? 11.62 - 18.47 ???????? 10.90 ????? 16.89
Helpers: Production Workers ???????????????? 17.82 ????? 16.49 ????????????????????? 12.15 - 24.22 ???????? 10.83 ????? 21.32
Machinists ????????????????????????????????????????????? 23.08 ????? 23.73 ????????????????????? 19.59 - 26.82 ???????? 17.31 ????? 25.97
Plant & System Operators, All Other ???? 20.04 ????? 22.33 ????????????????????? 16.61 - 25.10 ???????? 12.81 ????? 23.66
Production Workers, All Other ????????????? 10.66 ????? 9.49 ??????????????????????? 7.60 - 11.08??????????? 6.97 ?????? 12.51
Welders, Cutters, Solder & Brazers ?????? 21.19 ????? 20.13 ????????????????????? 16.07 - 26.18 ???????? 14.06 ????? 24.76

Transportation and Material Moving
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ??? 15.19 ????? 13.92 ????????????????????? 11.24 - 18.13 ???????? 10.58 ????? 17.49
Excavating & Loading Machine Opers ?? 12.97 ????? 12.75?????????????????????? 10.37 - 15.36 ??????? 9.47 ??????? 14.72
Laborers & Freight Movers ??????????????????? 13.51 ????? 11.64?????????????????????? 9.34 - 14.63 ????????? 8.44 ??????? 16.05
Packers & Packagers, Hand ?????????????????? 8.31 ??????? 6.84 ??????????????????????? 6.33 - 9.15 ???????????? 6.35 ??????? 9.29
Service Station Attendants ???????????????????? 10.75 ????? 8.93 ??????????????????????? 7.36 - 14.71 ?????????? 6.96 ??????? 12.64
Taxi Drivers & Chauffeurs ???????????????????? 9.99 ??????? 9.06 ??????????????????????? 7.58 - 11.87 ?????????? 7.26 ??????? 11.36
Truck Drivers, Tractor-Trailer ???????????? 18.78 ????? 17.54 ????????????????????? 14.66 - 24.03 ???????? 12.90 ????? 21.73
------------

Mean: is the estimated total wages for an occupation divided by its weighted survey employment. It is sometimes referred to as the "weighted average."

Median: Another "average" representing the value of the "middle" observation when the numbers are arranged from the smallest to largest. At that point, half of the employees in the occupation earn more and half earn less.

Middle Range: The middle 50% of wages. One-quarter of the workers in an occupation earn less than the low end of the range and one-quarter earn more than the high end of the range.

Mean Entry Wage: The mean wage of the first one-third or 33rd percentile of employees in the occupation (two-thirds earn more).

Mean Experienced Wage: The mean wage for the upper two-thirds or 67 percentile of employees in the occupation (one-third earn less).
-------------------

______________________________________________________________________________
Year 2000 data for top 100 employers in AK- this group represents 29% of all private sector wage and salary employees in Alaska--- 21% are non-profits;

company ?????????????????????????????? no. of employees
Safeway/Carrs ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? 3270
Providence Alaska medical center ?? 3098
Fred Meyer ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 2146
Walmart/Sam's Club ?????????????????????????????????????????? 1911
Alaska Airlines ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 1694
VECO Operations ??????????????????????????????????????????????? 1392
Alaska Petroleum Contractors ????????????????????????? 1314
Banner health system ???????????????????????????????????????? 1138
National bank of Alaska/Wells Fargo ???????????? 1118
Federal Express ?????????????????????????????????? 1113
NANA Marriot ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 1093
BP Exploration ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? 1018
Alyeska pipeline service co. ???????????????????????????? 898
Alaska Communications Systems ??? 821
Alaska Regional Hospital ????????????????? 814
Phillips 66 ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 805
Alaska USA Federal Credit Union ?? 800
GCI Communications ????????????????????????????????????????? 771
Laidlaw Transit ??????????????????????????????????? 745
First national bank of Anchorage ??? 745
Kmart ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 730
Sears Roebuck ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? 712
UniSea ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 687
Peak Oilfield Service Co. ??????????????????? 681

Southcentral Foundation ?????????????????? 675
Alaska Commercial Co. ????????????????????????????????????? 663
ERA Aviation ????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? 658
Spenard Builders Supply ?????????????????? 658
Icicle seafoods ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 631
Costco ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 612

Tanana Chiefs Conference ??????????????????????????????? 594
Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. ????? 593
North Pacific Processors ?????????????????? 582
Southeast AK Regional health Corp. ????????????? 578
Peter Pan Seafoods ???????????????????????????????????????????? 566
Anchorage Daily News?????????????????????????????????????? 520
Aramark Leisure Services ????????????????? 520
Doyon/Universal Ogden ?????????????????? 519
Nabors Alaska Drilling Co. ??????????????????????????????? 514
Williams Express ???????????????????????????????? 507
Westmark Hotels ??????????????????????????????????????????????? 506
Alyeska resort ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? 481
Valley hospital ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? 481
Unocal ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 477
Houston/NANA ???????????????????????????????? 468
Pizza Hut ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 467
Burger King ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 465
Norquest Seafoods ???????????????????????????????????????????? 464
Cominco Alaska ????????????????????????????????? 459
Hope Community Services ??????????????????????????????? 448
Maniilaq Association ???????????????????????????????????????? 446
AT&T Alascom Inc. ?????????????????????????????????????????? 426
Norton Sound health Corp. ?????????????????????????????? 412
UPS ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 398
Alaska Hotel properties ???????????????????? 398
Wards Cove packing Co. ?????????????????? 389
PenAir ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 387
The Alaska Club ???????????????????????????????? 386
Northwest airlines ?????????????????????????????????????????????? 382
AK Native Tribal health Consortium ?????????????? 381
Denali foods (Taco Bell) ??????????????????? 381
Chugach Elec. Assoc. ??????????????????????????????????????? 379
Cook inlet processing ??????????????????????????????????????? 378
Facility management of Alaska ???????????????????????? 374
Salvation Army - Alaska ??????????????????? 371
Tesoro Northstore Co. ?????????????????????????????????????? 367
Hilton Anchorage ?????????????????????????????????????????????? 360
Chugach North Techical Services ??? 354
Ketchikan General Hospital ?????????????????????????????? 348
Westward Seafood ???????????????????????????????????????????? 348
Hotel Captain Cook ??????????????????????????????????????????? 342
Assets, Inc. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 341
Ocean Beauty Seafooods ????????????????? 338
Bristol Bay Area health Corp. ?????????????????????????? 335
Royal Highway Tours ??????????????????????????????????????? 327
Sea-land Freight Service ??????????????????? 314
J C Penny Co. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 313
Silver Bay Lodging ???????????????????????????????????????????? 311
Anchorage Cold Storage ?????????????????? 305
Rural Alaska Community Action prog. ?????????? 299
Matanuska Telephone Association ??????????????? 296
Fairbanks Gold Mining Company ??? 291
Schlumberger Technologies ???????????????????????????? 289
Carlile Enterprises ?????????????????????????????????????????????? 285
Alaska Pacific University ????????????????? 281
Dynair Services ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? 279
Sky Chefs ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 277
Fairbanks Native Association ????????????????????????? 273
ARC of Anchorage ???????????????????????????????????????????? 272
ABM Company of the West ???????????????????????????? 272
Northern Air Cargo ???????????????????????????????????????????? 267
Greens Creek Mining Company ??????????????????????? 264
Halliburton Energy Services ???????????????????????????? 263
McDonalds ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 258
Nordstrom ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 256
CIRI Alaska Tourism Corporation ??? 255
United Airlines ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? 251
Udelhoven Oilfield Systems ????????????????????????????? 250
------------------------------------------------------------

Public Sector Employment
However, the following figures could be somewhat discouraging for those with desire for "small government"... If you count the public sector, several of the various branches of government fall within the Top 10 largest employers in Alaska. Significantly, the military and federal government are number one and two on the list! Most are centered in Anchorage, although the State government is located in Juneau and the University of Alaska is in Fairbanks.
___________________________________________________________________________________
year 2000 Top Ten employers including public sector

rank ? employer?????????????????????????????????????????? employees
1 ?????? Uniformed Military ?????????????????????????? 17,614
2 ?????? Federal government ??????????????????????? 17,139
3 ?????? State of Alaska ???????????????????????????????? 16,066
4 ?????? University of Alaska ????????????????????????? 6,112
5 ?????? Anchorage School District ??????????????? 5,954
8 ?????? Municipality of Anchorage ?????????????? 2,868
10 ???? Fairbanks North Star Borough

????????? School district?????????????????????????????????? 1,918
--------------------------------------------------


Unemployment:
According to the latest figures, the Alaska unemployment rate is comparatively high, but it's worth noting that 6% of a population of 627,000 is about 38,000 people, a much smaller actual number than states with higher populations but slightly lower unemployment rates. For instance, a state like Nevada with a population of 1,998,000 and with a slightly lower unemployment rate of 4.4% yields 88,000 people.
_____________________________________________________
Unemployment rate, comparison of selected states - year 1999

state ?????????????????????????? percent ?????????? ranking
Alaska ????????????????????? 6.4 ?????????? 2
Montana ????????????????????? 5.2 ????????????????? 6
Idaho ????????????????????????? 5.2 ????????????????? 6
Wyoming ???????????????????? 4.9 ????????????????? 12
Nevada ??????????????????????? 4.4 ????????????????? 21
Delaware ???????????????????? 3.5 ????????????????? 32
Vermont ????????????????????? 3.0 ????????????????? 40
New Hampshire ????????? 2.7 ????????????????? 49
----------------------------------------


Cost of Living
No getting around the fact that some living expenses are higher in Alaska. This can probably be largely attributed partly to the shipping costs of merchandise imported from out of state and perhaps the climate. People living in Anchorage spent about 41% more than the national average.
(The average household was comprised of 1.5 wage earners, and 2.6 persons, reporting a pre-tax income of $54,506.)
_________________________________________________________________________
Anchorage area consumer spending -
Percent distribution of total average expenditures in Anchorage, 1999-2000

Food ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? 13.1%
Personal Insurance & pensions ?????????? 8.4%
Cash contributions ???????????????????????????? 3.5%
Entertainment ???????????????????????????????????? 6.4%
Healthcare ????????????????????????????????????????? 4.8%
Transportation ??????????????????????????????????? 18.5%
Apparel & % services ?????????????????????????? 4.7%
Housing ????????????????????????????????????????????? 33%
Other ????????????????????????????????????????????????? 7.6%

_________________________________________________________
Consumer Price Index - All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
U.S. City Average, All Items vs Anchorage, Alaska, All Items

year ???? U.S. average ??? Anchorage average
2001 177.1 ?????????????? 155.2

______________________________________________________
some examples - costs of selected goods, 2001;

??????????????????????? National average ??????? Anchorage

gallon of gasoline ?????? $1.52 ????????????????????????? $1.65

half gallon of milk ????? $1.68 ????????????????????????? $2.29

dozen large eggs ??????? $0.98 ????????????????????????? $1.53

quarter pounder ????????? $2.12 ????????????????????????? $2.87
with cheese

day rate semi-private $800. ????????????????????????? $493.
hospital room
_______________________________________________________

 

living expenses for a family of 4, selected western cities

National average $32,000 a year

 

Juneau? , AK????????????????? $38,076

Salt Lake City, UT???????? $35,262

Fairbanks, AK?????????????? $34,398

Anchorage?????????????????? $33,518

Boise, ID????????????????????? $32,142

Butte, MT???????????????????? $30,322

----------------------------------------

 

Housing:

Housing profile - Anchorage municipality - year 2000
Total household population 253,269 - with 100,368 housing units
52% were single units, 42 % multi-unit, and 6% mobile homes
(13% were built since 1990)
61% were owner occupied and 39% rental units

(oddly enough they keep figures on stuff like this, 0.7% lacked plumbing...I suppose that means you won't have to hunker down behind a bush on the tundra like you thought)

Median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,447
non-mortgaged owners $406
renters $720

23% of owners had mortgages, 4% without
43% of renters spent 30% of their income on housing

Year 2001, median price for homes in Anchorage , $143,000.

National Association of Home Builders said in the first quarter of 2001, Anchorage emerged as the "most affordable" housing market west of Oklahoma City -- bettering all 46 other cities in 10 western states.

I highly recommend a short article on cost of living in Anchorage by George Bryson of the Anchorage Daily news, published Nov. 4, 2001, "City's Pricey Reputation Proves a Myth - Few taxes, affordable housing and the PFD make Anchorage a good deal "
In this article he basically makes the case that Anchorage is actually one of the most affordable cities to live if you factor in the lack of a state tax and the yearly "Permanent Fund" payments.

http://www.alaskapcs.com/ANCHORAGE%20COST%20OF%20LIVING.htm


The Permanent Fund;

Probably few people outside Alaska may have ever heard of the "Permanent Fund."

This is an annual dividend paid to each citizen of Alaska that comes from royalties on state natural resources (mostly oil), and a State managed investment fund. The amount fluctuates on a yearly basis, but for the year 2001, the payment was $1,850. per person.

A bit of history;
After becoming a state in 1959, the state constitution declared that all the natural resources of Alaska belong to the state.

In 1969 the Prudhoe Bay oil lease sale generated $900 million from oil companies for the right to drill oil on 164 tracts of state-owned land. (by comparison, the 1968 state budget was $112 million) The $900 million was spent on water and sewer systems, schools, airports, health and misc. social services.

In 1976 a constitutional amendment, specified that 25% of all mineral lease rentals, royalties, federal mineral revenue-sharing payments, etc. received would be placed in a "permanent fund," to be used for long term investment. The principal of the Fund is to be invested in perpetuity.

In 1980 the State Legislature decided to create a savings trust for the future. The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation manages the assets of the Fund. The Legislature also created the "Permanent Fund Dividend Program" to pass on a portion of the investment income of the Fund to Alaskan citizens directly as a dividend payment. To be eligible you must be at least a one-year resident. Supposedly, the dividend amounts to more money in the state economy than the wages paid by basic industry, seafood, construction, tourism, timber, mining and agriculture combined. The dividend provides more than 10 percent of the income of most Alaskans. The fund is currently worth $26 billion and is mandated by law to be invested in a way that minimizes risk and expressly forbids "social' or "political" investing (which is encouraging).

The Left praises the fund as the ideal way to distribute a "fair and equal share of the wealth" from publicly owned resources to the citizenry. This might normally make a free market/private property oriented libertarian somewhat nervous. However, in my opinion, short of selling off the property, this is probably the fairest way to distribute a "commonly held resource"...especially that not previously owned by anyone (remember we're talking mostly frozen tundra here). This still leaves the question of who is granted the authority to decide what's a good investment, and this issue has been and is still debated. On a positive note, the fact that part of the money is more or less directly distributed to each citizen, leaving the decision up to them what to do with their share, is a step in the right direction. This somewhat decreases concentration of control of the resource by an entrenched government elite. The danger of course, is the precedent it sets. This system keeps alive the belief that government ownership of anything is a normal and beneficial circumstance. Perhaps more disturbing, public school officials apparently think it's necessary to indoctrinate young school children about the fund, stressing the "fairness" of the system.

Taxes:

Alaska currently has no state income or sales taxes.

50% of local governments have a sales tax up to 6 percent on retail sales, however, there is no retail sales tax in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
_______________________________________________________________________
Various Non-income Tax Sources in Alaska, 1999 figures -

732.6 million total

Property, Oil, gas
charitable gaming, Alcohol, tobacco
Insurance premiums electric, telephone motor fuel corporate income corporation petroleum severence, oil, gas
salmon and seafood marketing salmon enhancement fisheries business fishery resource, landing, mining, estate
---------------------------------------------------

Economic Data
I've included this information to emphasize the existing industries, infrastructure and business in Alaska. I believe this is a good indicator of a state's economic self sufficiency, especially if secession ever becomes a serious option. One huge factor in any evaluation of Alaska is its massive size and wealth of natural resources. The following list illustrates the type of services, retail and support industries that have come into existence over the last 40 years.
_____________________________________________________
Gross State Product, 26.4 billion, figures for year 1999 -
breakdown by sector

Government ??????????????????????????????????????? 19%
Oil, gas ?????????????????????????????????????????????? 18%
Transport, communications, utilities 17%
Services ????????????????????? ??????????????????????? 13%
Other goods ??????????????????????????????????????? 13%
Financial, insurance, real estate ????????? 10%
Trade ????????????????????????????????????????????????? 10%

______________________________________________________________________________
Alaska's world wide exports, $ 2.4 billion total, year 2000
Top exports in 2001 in millions of dollars

Seafood ?????????? $1,198 m
Minerals ????????? $329 m
Oil ?????????????????? $297 m
Fertilizer ???????? $190 m
Wood ????????????? $155 m
Other ????????????? $257 m

_______________________________________
Alaska export markets by percentage

country ???? energy ????? minerals ?? seafood ??? wood ??????????????? fertilizer
Japan ?????????????? 68 ?????????????????? 15 ?????????????????? 55 ?????????????????? 58 ?????????????????? -
Korea ????????????? 10 ?????????????????? 21 ?????????????????? 20 ?????????????????? 20 ?????????????????? 46
Singapore ??????? 5 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
China ????????????? 5 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 4 ???????????????????? 4 ???????????????????? -
Mexico ??????????? 3 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 25
Canada ??????????? 3 ???????????????????? 15 ?????????????????? - ???????????????????? 15 ?????????????????? 3
other ?????????????? 6 ????????????? 19 ?????????????????? 3 ???????????????????? 1 ???????????????????? 7
Belgium ?????????? - ???????????????????? 22 ?????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
Netherlands ??? - ???????????????????? 8 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
Germany ???????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 7 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
Portugal ????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 2 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
Norway ?????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 2 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
Thailand ????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 1 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 9
France ???????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 1 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
UK ?????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 1 ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? -
Taiwan ??????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 2 ???????????????????? 7
Australia ???????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? - ???????????????????? 3
-------------------------------------------




________________________________________________________________________
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT - history, voter trends and groups sympathetic to FSP goals
________________________________________________________________________

A Short political history of Alaska -

27,000 BC humans cross Bering land bridge into new world
1741 Vitus Bering, Danish explorer working for Russia, first european to arrive in Alaska
1778 Capt. Cook sails into Cook Inlet, Anchorage, looking for north nest passage
1799 Alexander Barnov first Russian governor, in Archangel, near Sitka
1867 Alaska purchased from Russia by Secretary of State Seward, $7.2 mil
1867 -77 under jurisdiction of U.S. Army
1877-79 under jurisdiction of U.S. Treasury
1879-84 under jurisdiction of U.S. Navy
1884 designated as the District of Alaska with territorial governor
1897 The Alaskan gold rush
1906 Alaska given non-voting delegate in Washington
1912 Alaska becomes a territory
1935 "New Deal" relocates 200 familes to homestead and establish agriculture
1942 Japanese occupy Attu and Kiska islands during WW2
1957 oil discovered on Kenai penisula
1959 Alaska admitted as 49th state
1968 oil discovered at Pruhoe bay
1975 right to grow and smoke marijuana in privacy of home
1976 Permanent Fund created
1977 Alaska pipe line completed
1978 Dick Randolph of Alaska first elected Libertarian state legislator.
1984 Andre Marrou third Libertarian elected to the Alaska legislature.
1987 Libertarians nominate Ron Paul President, Andre Marrou Vice President.

1990 marijuana re-criminalized
1991 Governor Walter Hickel wins on Alaska Independence Party ticket
1998 medical marijuana legal

General Political assessment -
Significantly, Alaska has one of the lowest populations of the 50 states, if looked at in terms of population density it is the lowest, with something more than 600,000 people for 656,424 square miles (1.03 per square mile), with most of the population crowded into Anchorage and Fairbanks. The entire state has less people than the city of Baltimore.

______________________________________________________________________
Population ranking - year 2000

state ?????????????? total ??????????????? ranking

Wyoming ???????? 494 K ????????????? 50
Vermont ????????? 609 K ????????????? 49
Alaska ????????????? 627 K ?????????????? 48
Delaware ???????? 784 K ????????????? 45
Montana ????????? 902 K ????????????? 44
New Hamp.????? 1,236 K ?????????? 41
Idaho ????????????? 1,294 k ?????????? 39
Nevada ??????????? 1,998 K ?????????? 35

(various cities provided for comparison)
Washington DC 572 K
Baltimore ??????? 651 K
San Francisco ? 776 K
Chicago ????????? 2,896 K
Los Angeles ??? 3,695 K
New York City 8,008 K
----------------------------

Political breakdown;
Despite the fact that they elect a democrat governor once in a while, the state has a reputation for a conservative leaning, at least judging by election returns. The following figures give an indication of electoral trends;

2000 U.S. PRESIDENT / VICE PRESIDENT
Ballots Cast / Reg. Voters 287825 / 473648 60.77%
Total Votes 285560
--------------------------------------------
candidates party ???????????????????? votes ?????????????? percent

NADER/LaDUKE GRN ?????????????? 28747 ???????????? 10.07%
BUCHANAN/FOSTER REF ???????? 5192 ?????????????? 1.82%
BROWNE/OLIVIER LIB ????????????? 2636 ?????????????? 0.92%
Write-in Votes ??????????????????????? 1068??????????????? 0.37%
HAGELIN/GOLDHABER NAT ??? 919 ???????????????? 0.32%
PHILLIPS/FRAZIER CON ?????????? 596 ???????????????? 0.21%


BUSH/CHENEY REP ????????????????? 167398 ?????????? 58.62%
GORE/LIEBERMAN DEM ?????????? 79004 ???????????? 27.67%

--------------------------------------------------

However it's important to note that the single largest political classification in Alaska is "undeclared" at 161,000... the second largest group is Republicans at 113,000. It's hard to say exactly what this undeclared figure means. It could be a measure of 'frontier" independence, persons not wanting to be tied to any particular party, it might be that a large group of people are conflicted or inconsistent in their views, or it may simply be that a lot are willing to vote but won't bother join a party.

It is however, interesting to consolidate the smaller groups into broader categories.
Adding together;

Republican, Alaskan Independence and Libertarian voters yields 139,000 total.
Democrat, green and Republican Moderate yield 80,000 total.
Non partisan, Undeclared and "other' yield 231,000 total.

For all persons of known party affiliation, left to right (219K), Libertarians and AIP (26K) represent 12 %, significantly higher than the national average.

For this number of "undeclared voters" (231K), it might be safe to assume that at least 12% of the "undeclared" group is also of libertarian and/or AIP leanings, ...which would yield a total of 54,000 people for the whole state (450K)...? potentially, over twice the 20,000 FSP goal (and this number doesn't include sympathetic conservatives or other groups)
_____________________________________________________________
Break-down of voters by party;
TOTAL 450,141

Republican ??????????????? AK Independence ??????????????? Libertarian
113,380 ????????????????????? 18,554 ??????????????????????????????????? 7,234

Democrat ????????? Green ?????????????????????????????? Republican moderate
71,620 ??????????????????????? 4,764 ????????????????????????????????????? 2,872

Non partisan ???????????????????? Undeclared ??????????????????????? other
66,296 ??????????????????????? 161,035 ????????????????????????????????? 4,386
--------------------------------------------------
AK IND = Alaskan Independence Party
DEM = Alaskan Democratic Party
GREEN = Green Party of Alaska
LIBERT = Alaska Libertarian Party
REP= Republican Party of Alaska
REP MOD = Republican Moderate Party
OTHER = Other (belongs to group not recognized by the State of Alaska)
UNDECL = Undeclared (may belong to a party but voter doesnot wish to declare which one)
NON PAR = Non-Partisan (follows no party lines)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Alaskan Libertarian party;
There 's a mixed record here. Alaska has had Libertarian state office holders, but at present, less than 2 percent of registered Alaskan voters are Libertarians (not much different than the national average). Significantly, in 1978 Dick Randolph of Alaska became the first elected Libertarian state legislator. In 1984 Andre Marrou became the third libertarian elected to the Alaska legislature, and in 1987 became Ron Paul's running mate.
Alaska has electoral classifications called "recognized political Party" and "limited political party." A "Limited" political party ceases to be recognized in the State of Alaska if its presidential candidate fails to receive at least 3% of the votes cast for President. "Recognized' status requires registered voters (or votes cast in a previous election) equal to at least 3% of the votes cast for Governor in the last election.

Currently one Libertarian holds public office in Alaska, 3 are running for office and one ran in 2000.

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History of "recognized" status - Alaska Libertarian Party

1976 - As a Limited Political Party, MacBride / Bergland (President / Vice President candidates) received 5.5% of votes cast for President, retaining Limited Political Party status.

1980 - As a Limited Political Party, Clark (presidential candidate) received 11.7% of votes cast for President, retaining Limited Political Party status.

1982 - Randolph / Thompson (Governor / Lt. Governor candidates) received 14.9% of votes cast for Governor, establishing Recognized Political Party status.

1984 - Bergland / Lewis (President / Vice President candidates) received 3.07% of the votes cast for President, retaining Limited Political Party status.

1986 - As a Recognized Political Party, O?Brannon / Barnes (Governor / Lt. Governor candidates) received 0.5% of votes cast for Governor, losing Recognized Political Party status.

1987 - Legal opinion established that even though they had lost their status as a Recognized Political Party, they kept their status as a Limited Political Party.

1988 - As a Limited Political Party, Paul / Marrou (President / Vice President candidates) received 2.7% of the votes cast for President, losing their Limited Political Party status.

10/9/92 - Limited Political Party petition certified

1992 - Marrou / Lord (President / Vice President candidates) received 0.5% of votes cast for President, losing Limited Political Party status.

12/19/95 - Limited Political Party petition certified

l996 - Browne / Jorgensen (President / Vice President candidates) received 0.9% of votes cast for President, losing Limited Political Party status.

1997 - Limited Political Party petition certified for 2000 elections

8/99 - Recognized Political Party status achieved by having at least 3% of the registered voters claiming affiliation with the Libertarian Party.

2000 - Browne / Olivier (President / Vice President candidates) received 0.9% of the votes cast for President, losing Limited Political Party status.

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Alaska Independence Party -

This is without a doubt the most intriguing thing about Alaska politics... The Alaska Independence party has roughly twice the membership of the libertarian party and is? dedicated to a number of political reforms aimed at strengthening Alaska's autonomy and protecting their citizens' freedom... and ultimately leading to political independence and secession.

In a sense, they are the Alaskan FSP and share many of the same goals....the main difference is, they're already convinced Alaska is the place to do it. In many ways they remind me of the pre-revolutionary American colonists; still part of the mother country, but forming their own identity and priorities and increasingly resentful of a distant, heavy handed government that looks upon their home as little more than a source of raw materials.

They appear to be an amalgam of libertarian, conservative and populist ideas, combined with great concern over local issues like resource use and government reform. They definitely have an "Alaska first" mentality, strongly identifying with their local culture and circumstances, with acute resentment toward interference by the Federal government.

Their main issue is self determination. A vote was held in 1958 giving Alaska the right to either become a state, remain a territory, or become a commonwealth. The AIP believes that United Nations resolutions on the right to self-determination meant that they should have been given the right to choose independence. Therefore, they favor a new referendum including independence as an option.

AIP was formed in the 70's by a Joe Vogler, who early on advocated an independent nation of Alaska. They actually had an elected governor in 1990, even if his term was somewhat controversial (Hickle, a former republican and Nixon Secretary of the Interior). Party membership stands at about 4% and comes from mostly rural districts in the central region. In some precincts their membership is as high as 24%.

The AIP platform;
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We pledge to exert our best efforts to accomplish the following:
1 To effect full compliance with the constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Alaska.
2 To support and defend States' Rights, Individual Rights, and the Equal Footing Doctrine as guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States of America and the state of Alaska.
3 To support the liberalization of initiative and referendum procedures to hold legislatures accountable to the will of the people.
4 To call and convene a State Constitutional Convention to address the flaws in the existing State Constitution.
5 To amend the Constitution of the State of Alaska so as to re-establish the rights of all Alaskan residents to entry upon all public lands within the state, and to acquire private property interest there in, under fair and reasonable conditions. Such property interest shall include surface and sub-surface patent.
6 To foster a constitutional amendment abolishing and prohibiting all property taxes.
7 To seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution.
8 To prohibit all bureaucratic regulations and rulings purporting to have the effect of law, except that which shall be approved by the elected legislature.
9 To oppose with rare exception, any secret activities or expenditures of funds of any government agency, state, federal or international.
10 To preserve and protect the Alaska Permanent Fund, Permanent fund earnings, earnings reserve fund and individual Permanent Fund Dividends.
11 To provide for the direct popular election of the attorney general, all judges, and magistrates.
12 To provide for the development of unrestricted, statewide, surface transportation and utility corridors as needed by the public or any individual.
13 To affirm and assert every possible right-of-way established under R.S. 2477 of July 26, 1866, before its repeal by the Federal Land Management Policy Act of October 21, 1976.
14 To support the right of the individual to keep and bear arms.
15 To support the complete abolition of the concept of sovereign or governmental immunity, so as to restore accountability for public servants.
16 To support the rights of parents to privately or home school their children and to provide them individually the right to access to a proportional share of all money provided for educational purposes as an unrestricted grant for such purposes.
17 To support the privatization of government services.
18 To oppose the borrowing of money by government for any purposes other than for capital improvements.
19 To strengthen the traditional family and support individual accountability without government interference or regulation.
20 To support the right of jurors to judge the law as well as the facts, according to their conscience.
21 To support "Jobs for Alaskans...First!"
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GOAL
The Alaskan Independence Party's goal is the vote we were entitled to in 1958, one choice from among the following four alternatives:
1) Remain a Territory. 2) Become a separate and Independent Nation.
3) Accept Commonwealth status. 4) Become a State, equal to the original 13.The call for this vote is in furtherance of the dream of the Alaskan Independence Party's founding father, Joe Vogler, that Alaskans achieve independence under a minimal government, fully responsive to the people, and promoting a peaceful and lawful means of resolving differences. 
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A final comment; AIP has many ideas and goals in common with FSP. However, if FSP ever chose Alaska, it's a pretty safe bet the relationship would be one where they would expect FSP to join them. One particular difference worth noting is, AIP prides itself on refusing contributions from out of state... one of their main principles is "Alaska for Alaskans." In contrast, FSP's operating strategy is to organize like-minded individuals nationwide and gather them in one location. In my opinion, AIP needs an influx of people from out of state willing to embrace Alaska as their future home. In a state with significant percentage of the population working for the government, or receiving some form of public subsidy, AIP will never attain the numbers it needs to dominate the political landscape without financial support and immigration from outside of the state. FSP and AIP working together are likely to achieve the common goals shared by both groups.


Alaskan laws and key indicators ?

( note; the author is not specifically endorsing or opposing any of the following laws ? they are presented here in order to provide a basis for judgment of the current political climate )

-Gun laws

-Concealed permits ? recently recognized out of state permits

-Shall issue must carry permit, 5 yrs, $200 ? notify officer when carrying, cannot carry to school, courts, liquor store, etc.

-? strong right to keep and bear arms article in state constitution.

- unlicensed concealed carry Ok for hunting, camping, hiking, etc.

- record of sale, yes ? no state registration ? no license/permit to buy ?

- no state waiting period

- ordinary laws like, illegal to discharge firearms from car, or in reckless disregard to property damage and injury to persons

 

Drug decriminalization

-1975 law permitted adults to possess and grow small amounts of marijuana (under 4 oz) ? overturned in 1990 54.3% to 45.7%.

-1998, medical use of marijuana legalized

-2000, Measure 5, defeated, 61% to 39% - would have regulated marijuana like alcohol, ending penalties for use and cultivation by adults,? also legalized use of industrial hemp

 

Taxes and Permanent Fund

- no state income tax, but various other business taxes and fees

- Permanent fund provides investment dividends to all residents

 

- Property issues

- no homesteading since 1986

-Alaska currently has charter schools but no vouchers

-various republican politicians? have pushed for the issue in recent years ?

-1976, vouchers voted down,? 54% against,? 46% for

 

Gay issues

-Sodomy laws repealed in 1980

-no municipalities offer domestic partner benefits in Alaska.

-no law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

-1998, constitutional amendment bans marriage for same-sex couples

- hate crimes law does not include sexual orientation

 

Misc. laws;

-One regulation says no motorcycle helmets required, another says ?headgear? is required on public roads

Percentage of Federally Owned Land

 

Vermont, ???????????????????? 7%

West Virginia ????????????? 7%

New Hampshire ????????? 13.2%

Hawaii ???????????????????????? 16%

August 28, 2002

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the Free State Project, its Officers, or Directors.