These vetoes do not save money: Even Dunleavy can't claim that taking away preventative dental health insurance--which guarantees more Alaskans will end up in the ER with abscesses and bone infections--will somehow save money.
It will not save money to make seniors homeless, or to starve them, by eliminating funding for senior benefits.
It will not save money to shut down homeless services and housing programs, forcing hundreds of Alaskans to live on the street or in encampments in our backyards.
It will not save money to eliminate legal services for survivors of domestic violence.
It will not save money to eliminate the
only
law enforcement in many rural communities, leaving sexual predators to assault young children with impunity.
It will not save money to de-fund addiction treatment, but will only increase costs as addicts steal from our homes and businesses.
The Governor's vetoes are sadistic: They inflict incredible pain, suffering, and potentially premature death on thousands of Alaskans. And that is their purpose--the Governor is an extremist ideologue who wants to destroy public services and public institutions, and if that means throwing kids and seniors out on the street, or taking away the health care they need to survive, he's okay with that. He's also okay with eliminating all the private sector jobs that depend on public investment, such as the thousands of construction workers whose jobs are on the line with Dunleavy holding the capital budget hostage.
Human life must have a higher value than blind ideology. We must override Dunleavy's vetoes.
Alaskans' jobs, our public safety, our economy, and indeed the lives of many Alaskans are on the line.
Zack
