The Weekly Top 3

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of November 2, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the huge internal inconsistencies that both the right and left have demonstrated on fiscal issues during this election cycle (2:16); 2) we explain our thoughts on the position fiscal conservatives should take this coming session during the first wave of budget issues: dealing with the $1+ billion “surplus” (16:45); and 3) we outline the same for dealing with the second wave: the push for defined benefits, even greater increases in K-12 spending and the proposed constitutional amendments to establish a K-12 investment fund and consolidate the Permanent Fund into a single account (37:15).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of October 26, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) has JKT become just another limousine liberal (2:01); 2) Senator Sullivan is flunking Oil Market Economics 101 (19:24); and 3) AIDEA is wandering far from its lane at a time we need to keep Alaskans’ money in Alaska (36:53).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of October 19, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the questions and dynamics that will come into play if JKT is elected Governor and, as he has said he will, pushes to raise “new revenues” (2:13); 2) we discuss why the federal government might want to “federalize” the AKLNG project and the impact on Alaska if it does (15:55); and 3) we discuss how the fog surrounding Enstar’s proposed new Kenai storage project might be clearing a bit (32:43).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of October 12, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why, even with this year’s higher oil prices, the state isn’t on track to producing a budget “surplus,” and the problems created by thinking it is (2:22); 2) we explain why, to be successful, Alaskans must think in terms of developing a “comprehensive” fiscal plan rather than looking solely to oil, or any other component (including PFD cuts), to be the silver bullet (20:13); and 3) we explain why those, espeically self-proclaimed Republican “fiscal conservatives,” who claim their goal is to develop a “sustainable PFD” are being disingenuous (38:32).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of October 5, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss whether, between President Trump's announcement and South Korea's response, there was any real progress made last week on #AKLNG, and what is really driving South Korea's and others' reticence to move forward (2:21), 2) unlike Must Read and Alaska Story, who just repeat the Permanent Fund Corporation press releases, we look at the actual returns being received on the Permanent Fund under the corporation's management and why its performance continues to raise significant concerns (19:50), and 3) we explain how the most recent op-ed from the Legislature’s House Majority on the so-called need for increased "investment" in K-12 proves yet again that they really aren’t concerned about middle-income Alaska households, they are just focused on finding ways to rationalize increasing the spend for one of their favored constituencies (39:35).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of September 21, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) using the Legislative Finance Division’s “swoop” chart as a base, we examine the scale of the reduction in UGF revenues being created by tax expenditures (2:10), 2) we do some dollar tracing to determine in whose pockets the dollars being diverted from middle income Alaska households through PFD cuts are ending up (21:08), and 3) we discuss the push for increased state spending on childcare, whose pockets the dollars are likely to come from and a new study that helps explain the impact of taking those dollars from middle-income households (39:53).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of September 21, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how Republican gubernatorial candidates Dave Bronson & Treg Taylor fell for a trap on the issue of Permanent Fund structure during the Commonwealth North debate (2:10), 2) we make a correction to a comment we made on last week's show about household income levels and then explain how we use those in analyzing the impact of PFD cuts (18:35), and 3) we use a recent op-ed to explain why the solution some see to making Alaska more affordable for a select few makes it less affordable for a lot of others (36:48).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of September 14, 2026.
The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain how the trends in the state legislative races are helping us decide what to do in the Governor's race (2:06), 2) we explain a new question that this year's candidates should be asked as we enter the final stretch to test their knowledge of the state budget and, as a candidate, their fiscal approach to the state deficits (19:44), and 3) we look at the current version of the budget charts Ross Perot used in his 1992 campaign for President to explain why its time for someone to make the same effort again (38:30).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of September 7, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why “incentives” are just another name for state spending, and why we should treat them that way so that their impact on other spending categories and revenue requirements is clear (2:18), 2) we discuss why a recent headline and story in the Alaska Beacon about the supplemental $115 million for K-12 is hugely misleading, and what the revenue source really is (16:39), and 3) we explain why the federal initiative to streamline federal permitting in the NPRA is a big step in the right direction and, if done correctly, should help narrow litigation and speed up exploration and development (36:52).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 — our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets — for the week of August 31, 2026.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss what we will be doing the remainder of this election cycle (2:05), 2) we discuss how the Southcentral utilities seem to be working things out for this winter, but explain the big question mark that continues to apply to the winters beyond (18:16), and 3) we explain why, from a fiscal standpoint, the APFC should be among the first things on which the next Governor focuses (36:14).

The Weekly Top 3 is a regular weekly segment on The Michael Dukes Show. The Show broadcasts on Facebook and YouTubeLive as well as via streaming audio from the Show’s website weekdays from 6–8am. We join Michael weekly in the first hour of Tuesday’s show, from 6:25–7am, for a discussion between the two of us about our three issues.