After nearly 10 years in office observing the political process in Juneau and seeing the effects when I return home to Wasilla, I am convinced more than ever that our fiscal crisis is the result of overspending and that we can beat it by simultaneously cutting state spending and allowing our economy to grow. I am convinced we can create tremendous new streams of revenue for our families, the state and ourselves if we remove unnecessary regulations and impediments to doing business in Alaska.

The oil industry (Like many other businesses) is operating under conditions that would please a Tsar. There are controls, paperwork, and government workers at every junction. Lawyers are required at every turn. Most of these controls are unnecessary and keep government workers employed. This is not to say that ALL controls are bad. Obviously we need to keep control of safety and pollution issues but from a reasonable point of view.

I have been working on four major areas for the last two legislative sessions year: a) creating sensible and FEWER regulations, b) streamlining the permitting process, c) making more state lands available for leasing, d) advancing financial incentives. I've been trying to create an environment where the state stops discouraging business. If we want a robust economy we have to make DOING business easier by letting business know that we WANT them to succeed. We need few but objective rules. A climate of certainty is vital to new businesses and older ones that might decide to find other states to live and work.

After taking a close look at the oil & gas industry, it is obvious that there is still a vast amount of oil and gas in Alaska. Oil companies will attempt to find it and extract it only if we make it possible for them to do so without a lawyer, politician and government agency at every turn.

We can trim the deficit down to zero by allowing the productive forces of our economy to work openly, competitively and with a good profit margin where all sides win. If the oil companies are in the black then thousands of individual Alaskans will have secure employment. Successful businesses pour money into the state faster than by heavily taxing them.

The state's role ought to be to ENCOURAGE the oil and gas industry (And all private enterprise for that matter) by serving them instead of bossing them around. If we foster a stable climate of minimal regulation that is rational and non-political, then the producers will do what they do best...create wealth for all of us. If we have the courage to cut all highly non-essential programs from the state budget, if we sunset many that are marginal, we can nourish a new and long-term boom in our economy in Alaska.

Imagine an Alaska with NO state debt! Imagine state legislators who are stingy with the people's money. Imagine an oil and gas industry producing a surge in our prosperity, which would encourage similar advances in mining, fishing, and farming without government subsidies.

This is how I see a positive future for Alaska, a state where the government is careful of public safety, where it has few but sensible laws and where the creators of wealth are honored. This is how we can get rid of the state deficit and make Alaska prosperous again.

This is Representative Vic Kohring, serving Wasilla and the Mat-Su Valley.

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