Snow, it's not that I think government departments should spend the money, it's just a matter of who should be considered the owners of the oil.
Of course, the USA and Alaska have constitutions, so it's settled and in that case, it should be divided among the owners according to their wishes as is done.
But it seems a silly idea that hordes of people invading the USA from Mexico can just carry on up north and collect the loot by becoming Alaskans. I take it that any Americans can become Alaskan and get in on the gravy train.
It's probably not quite enough money to attract hordes, but it's certainly a decent dollop of loot.
I had some sympathy with the idea that Kuwait's oil is as logically part of Iraq as just a matter for the few lucky local yokels who happened to be born sitting on top of it. In the natural world, might makes right, so China owns Tibet, Israel owns Israel [UN resolutions helped there too], Iraq doesn't own Kuwait though they tried.
Because an accident of history meant Alaska became a separate state rather than just an island part of another state, people are attracted to a silly place to live because it's abnormally wealthy.
BTW, most of the money is being frittered and NOT handed over to the citizens. With so much sloshing around, you can be sure it's as wasted as the windfall wealth of the wealthy Arab rulers. But then, if it was owned by the federal government, they would probably just blow it on a war of little value or first class travel to Global Warming conferences.
Mqurice |
