By Joe Geldhof and Juanita Cassellius

Of the Permanent Fund Defenders

For a long time, significant issues about our Permanent Fund have been bungled and avoided. How long?

Too long, since 2016, when then-Gov. Bill Walker decided to ignore the long-standing formula to pay the dividend embedded in Alaska law.

The failure to pay the dividend according to statute created political chaos. Every legislative session since Walker reduced the dividend payment has seen political fighting over the size of the dividend. Without a fix to the dividend fight, Alaska cannot adopt a sensible fiscal plan.

T...