AlaskaConversations

11/08/2020

Summer is winding down, Commercial fishing is wrapping up, and AKConvo is getting ready to return. The complex and divisive nature of the climate in every corner of our country has made everything seem like a waste of time hasn't it? Does anybody care if something is true or false? Does anybody acknowledge that everything we do should be weighed against some alternate thing we could do?

Consider the presidential election which is already on everybody's mind and weeks away from being all-consuming. What is the best argument for Biden? What is the argument for Trump?

It is so tiring to listen to everyone just point and say "that guy bad."

03/05/2020

Episode #17 is up. Thank you to Andy Jensen the Managing editor at the Alaska Journal of Commerce . The conversation covers the Alaska budget and economy, factors that lead to homelessness, and potential hurdles to Alaska's future.

Homelessness seems to be a problem where the most important things is that the solution makes US feel better about US.

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/017-homelessness-and-the-economy-andrew-jensenwav

Casey speaks with Andrew Jensen the managing editor of the Alaska Journal of Commerce about his recent article about homelessness. Andrew discusses what he discovered cleaning up a homeless camp, wha

22/04/2020

Luckily for Alaska, record low oil prices, declining oil production, and a pandemic should not result in a decline in government spending or jobs.

20/04/2020

What do you think about the performance of our legislature?

Episode 16 is up.

This week we talk with undeclared candidate for Alaska House District 6 Elijah Verhagen . The Alaska legislature is the smallest state governing body in the country. Alaskans, especially those that spend time and effort following Alaska politics, elevate our state representatives higher than in other states in the country. We discuss what it is like to be a staff member, what actually gets done, and how people get along. We also have a discussion about the infrastructure of political parties, the presence of lobbyists, and how a bill becomes law.
https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/016-understanding-the-alaska-legislature-elijah-verhagenwav

Casey talks with legislative staffer, local politico, and undeclared candidate for Alaska House District 6 Elijah Verhagen. The Alaska legislature is the smallest state governing body in the country.

06/04/2020

The 2020 Fishing season is a giant if at the moment. This week I spoke with Dr. Brett Watson from ISER about the kind of impact commercial fishing has in local communities.

The data says the majority of permit holders are Alaska residents although the vast majority of the catch goes to out of state residents. Why do you think that is?

Should more groups invest in processing to increase local value added operations?

As always, eat, buy, and gift Wild Alaska Salmon.

Credit to JJ Orloff for the picture!

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/015-local-impacts-of-commercial-fishing-dr-brett-watsonwav

Dr. Brett Watson is an economist and has completed a lot of research into how commercial fisheries benefit Alaskan communities. Dr. Watson discuses how the multiplier effect of commercial fishing and

30/03/2020

Episode 14 with Ed King. How do recessions happen? Is stimulus effective? And what are we going to do about the absolute collapse in the price of oil?

Next week should be another great show as we explore the economics of commercial fishing.

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/014-recessions-stimulus-and-collapsing-oil-ed-kingwav

Ed is back for a second time to talk about how monetary policy works at the national level. Governments have an ability to pull levers to induce investments and expansion but what if this contraction

23/03/2020

This is a unique episode recorded as a monologue and is going to be used as a framework for future episodes as we all navigate what COVID-19 and the oil price collapse means for our economy and Alaska specifically. This episodes include talks on applying new knowledge to past events, economic decision making for families, and the unmeasured costs on society. Additionally, Casey talks about the reality of oil prices today. The changing supply conditions, and the eventual need to rethink life in Alaska.

This is a difficult time. We're all going through significant thought experiments to attempt to understand the world around us. Listen to this weeks show knowing we're all trying make sense of it and in the coming weeks we will continue to dig into what the global economy and the oil collapse means for Alaska's future.

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/013-the-anatomy-of-a-crisis-monologuewav

This is a unique episode recorded as a monologue and is going to be used as a framework for future episodes as we all navigate what COVID-19 and the oil price collapse means for our economy and Alaska

17/03/2020

This weeks episode with Bob Griffin of the Alaska Policy Forum. We talked education, subject mastery, and why Alaska consistently scores so low.

*Hint: It isn't from lack of spending

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-012-alaska-education-bob-griffin

Are we getting the results we want in education? What are our desired outcomes? What is the best possible way to spend each additional dollar of education funds? This week Casey speaks with Bob Gri

17/03/2020

If we assume Alaska takes all of the correct steps to stop COVID-19, What do we need to accomplish to open fisheries this summer?

Is it possible the risk of bringing in processor workers, support industry, and crews from all over the globe to small coastal communities is too great?

Rep. Bryce Edgmon

16/03/2020

Is there anyone in this state that agrees with this?
Alaska Libertarian Party
Alaska Democrats


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viAXGth3gQA

09/03/2020

We may see oil prices open tomorrow 30% below where they closed on Friday.

Cooler heads in our legislature will need to prevail as we discuss our future. Oil markets overreact and it is unlikely prices will stay at their bottom for long.

08/03/2020

Health insurance is expensive and confusing. Doctor visits are getting shorter and less personal. What if there was a different way to do it? This weeks episode is with Midnight Sun Family Medicine. This is a great examination of the insurance industry, the business of medicine, and we talk about the basics of the newer Direct Primary Care model.

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-011-a-different-type-of-medicine-dr-gayle-hornberger

The current ‘fee for service’ billing model of medicine has led to complex, burdensome, and expensive costs of health insurance; short, often ineffective doctor visits, and many hidden costs. It leads

06/03/2020

COVID-19 is all but inevitable in Alaska, is all the panic justified, should we cancel travel plans? We discuss COVID-19, Health Insurance, and Direct Primary Care as a solution to standard medical offices, next week on AKConvo, as Casey chats with Dr. Gayle Hornberger.

05/03/2020

Early voting isn't a great idea.

Michigan is a great example in the Democratic Primary. Ballots started being cast in January.

02/03/2020

Episode 10 is with Colleen Mondor. We talk the history of aviation, infrastructure investments, and find out which rural carrier has a particularly poor record.

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-010-a-terrible-2019-flying-colleen-mondor

give some feedback, review the show on itunes, like the page and enjoy the week.

Flying is a way of life in Alaska. Alaskan's rely on airplanes for transportation, medical care, and for cargo. Casey talks with Colleen Mondor about the terrible no good year for air carriers in 20

29/02/2020

It is funny how Important Alaskans think we are.

-JPM Chase has a market cap 6x our Permanent Fund
-If our entire Permanent Fund was invested in JPM and we divested ALL of it, it would be less than half a percent of JPM Assets under Custody.
-New York's 14th District has a population equal to Alaska
-We produce as much oil as California

Governor Mike Dunleavy said Alaska is open for business, However, I wonder how many Legislators and residents are happy to see banks divest from Alaska development.

Is there anything we can do about it?

26/02/2020

Oil pays for schools to stay in villages. Oil puts troopers in communities across the state. Oil brings ferries to coastal communities.

25/02/2020

Alaska's economy doesn't work without oil. Outside interests are risking our future.

24/02/2020

Beer and Yoga? I don't think so! Episode 009 is with HooDoo Brewing Company. Great conversation about what goes into a good beer, supply chains, and regulations.

Should Craft breweries be able to provide entertainment?

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-009-hoodoo-brewery-bobby-wilken

Casey talks with the president of the Hoodoo Brewery. Craft breweries in Alaska have really exploded over the last 10-15 years. Casey and Bobby talk about what it takes to learn the business and the

18/02/2020

Did you know.. there is almost no accountability in Alaska's criminal justice system

-Alaska has no elected Sheriffs (47 of 50 states elect sheriffs)
-Alaska does not elect the Attorney General (43 of 50 states elect their AG)
-Alaska does not elect Supreme Court Justices (23 of 50 States elect Judges)

Any one of these seem like a reasonable method. All three does not seem prudent.

17/02/2020

EP 08 Agriculture in Alaska. Did you know we grow less than 5% of what we consume in AK? This week we talk with Alaska Flour Company. Alaska has a lot of Agriculture potential but its going to take vision, a bit of luck, and people willing to do the work.

Do you think we should continue to invest in developing food security in AK? Let me know what you think about it, Share this post, subscribe to the podcast and always buy

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-008-agriculture-in-alaska-bryce-wrigley-alaska-flour-company

Search AKConvo on Itunes, Iheart, Tunein, or youtube.

Casey talks with Bryce Wrigley the CEO and owner of the Alaska Flour Company. The Alaska Flour Company is a large barley operation located in the interior around Delta Junction and traces its roots t

10/02/2020

Here is Epidsode 7 with Patrice Gopo. We discuss her book All the Colors We Will See. Its a great and important conversation and I highly recommend the book.

The Homer Bookstore
Fireside Books Alaska
River City Books

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-007-race-identity-us-patrice-gopo

Patrice Gopo is the author of All the Colors We Will See, Reflections on Barriers, Brokenness, and Finding Our Way. Patrice grew up in Anchorage and they discuss memories and experiences from then inc

07/02/2020

ESG or socially responsible investing could grow to be one of the greatest challenges to industry in Alaska. Should we care? Is it worth it?

www.alaskaconversations.com

03/02/2020

This week we talked with Ed King about economics and numbers. What type of Alaska do we want to be? And I'd like to know why you think two people can draw different conclusions from the same set of data?

https://soundcloud.com/akconvo/akconvo-006-alaska-economic-models-ed-king

You can also find AKconvo on Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/akconvo/id1496003587

Like the page, share the show and subscribe.

Ed King, Principle of King Economics group and former chief economist for the State of Alaska joins AKconvo to discuss forecasting, modeling, and the economy of Alaska. Casey and Ed discuss where eco

31/01/2020

From a market perspective this is not a good move by the ACLU. If all people contact the governor, those that need the Governors help most will be lost with those that don't, but at least they made their political hay.


https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/01/31/after-clarkson-letter-aclu-encourages-alaskans-needing-immigration-help-to-contact-dunleavy

The group created a form letter with which Alaskans can ask the governor to write President Trump for help, after Dunleavy did the same for the Alaska attorney general.

31/01/2020

This is extremely interesting. Look at this organization,

“Well, we have donation and volunteer recruiters, we have maintenance and general labor recruiters, we have the web designer, and the media outreach, we have security, and then we have the treasurer/donation organizer,” said Roberts.

“A lot of us have high school diplomas, we have college degrees, we've been in the workforce field, we've been general managers,” said Ramsey.

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/homeless-community-at-east-austin-camp-creates-committee-for-the-homeless-run-by-the-homeless.

Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/akconvo/id1496003587

The once mostly empty lot off U.S. 183 and Montopolis in East Austin has become home to more than 100 people without another place to go.

28/01/2020

Episode 5 with Brad Keithley of Alaskans for a Sustainable Budget.
You can get us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/akconvo/id1496003587

The debate over the dividend has to be settled before anything else can happen. Can we cut our way out of this? Should we implement taxes to maintain the dividend? Will a spike in oil prices or production rescue us once more?

Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=499418&refid=stpr
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-788050698

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, like the page, share the page so we can keep the conversation going.

New shows are available every Monday.

Next week's guest is economist Ed King.

‎Society & Culture · 2020

28/01/2020

27/01/2020

Episode 5 with Brad Keithley of Alaskans for a Sustainable Budget.
You can get us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/akconvo/id1496003587

The debate over the dividend has to be settled before anything else can happen. Can we cut our way out of this? Should we implement taxes to maintain the dividend? Will a spike in oil prices or production rescue us once more?

Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=499418&refid=stpr
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-788050698

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast, like the page, share the page so we can keep the conversation going.

New shows are available every Monday.

Next week's guest is economist Ed King.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHGhvY9EdQ4

25/01/2020

We are now on iTunes. Search AKconvo and subscribe.

Find AKConvo on Youtube, Soundcloud, or stitcher as well.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/akconvo/id1496003587

‎Society & Culture · 2020

23/01/2020

The pipeline and significant oil revenues changed the landscape of politics in Alaska.

Interesting observations about Gubernatorial elections in AK.

1) We've only re-elected one governor since the pipeline was completed (unless you count Jay Hammond who was also Governor during its construction)

2) The three governors who won election with the smallest percentage of the electorate since the pipeline was built: Walter Hickel (1990) 38.9%, Jay Hammond (1978) 39.1%, Tony Knowles (1994) 41.1%

3) The three governors who won election with the largest percentage of the electorate since the pipeline was built: Sean Parnell (2010) 59.1%, Frank Murkowski (2002) 55.9%, Mike Dunleavy (2018) 51.4%

22/01/2020

Alaska will quickly hit a decade of deficit spending. We keep searching for a solution, but there probably isn't one. In the last 45 years Alaska has had 18 years of deficit, 15 years of surplus, and equal income in 12 years. What do you think is the most critical step for us to take this session:
a) Increased Oil Taxes
b) Cutting expenditures
c) Increased use of the Permanent Fund Dividend
d) Passing a broad-based statewide tax

22/01/2020

Now you can get AKconvo on Stitcher as well.

Next week we talk with Brad Keithley about taxes, cuts, and PFD's
​​https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=499418&refid=stpr.

Podcast by AlaskaConversations

20/01/2020

Alaska Oil vs Shale oil. What's the difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NJIUCp9blw

Casey speaks with Professor Doug Reynolds, he is a professor of resource economics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Doug discusses his recent opinion p...