Guest Editorial: Keep trust alive by paying for public integrity

The budget cuts aren’t easy this year. The easy cuts were done last year.

Now, the Alaska Legislature’s job is to spread the pain and ensure everyone shoulders the burden of budget cuts equally.

With the state facing an annual deficit of $3.7 billion a figure rising every day oil is below $56 per barrel there’s no other option. Even with higher taxes on Alaskans and spending earnings from the Permanent Fund, the state’s budget still must be cut to break even.

We understand the difficulty of the job facing lawmakers, but we feel obliged to speak out against one particular cut. This cut does not...