From the Publisher

Assembling a long-term fiscal plan for Alaska has been like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with some key pieces missing from the box.

It's frustrating and you can't win, no matter how much you try pounding the pieces to fit together.

In this case, the puzzle would fit together better with a governor who doesn't stretch the numbers to suit his arguments, and who thinks more about public services that can build the state's future and less about dividends that can build his reelection campaign.

The puzzle also is missing a few other pieces, particularly more legislators who understand that the...