Obscurascope - Danielle Morgan Paints

Stopped at the UAA library to pick up a book from interlibrary loan (A Short History of Privacy) and stuck my head in the little art gallery just north of the library entrance.  Bright, bold, colorful watercolors by Danielle Morgan.   Here's a closeup from Tryptomania.

Click to enlarge and focus any of these images

From the artist statement:

"Obscurascope is a word that I assembled which means to 'investigate the unseen.'  I think a lot about the transience of life, the permanence of death, and enjoy the mysteriousness of it all.  The eye is a symbol that I use to represent my fascination with this mystery."

Investigating the unseen is definitely a topic that fits right in here at this blog.  I suspect that death fits in this category well, but being unseen means we don't really know if it is permanent.  We know about the death of the body and things like no pulse, no breath, and other medical ways to determining the death, but what does permanent mean?  One could argue that death is very fleeting - it's the moment that life ends.  Or as Buddhists might, that death is a temporary state before you are reborn.  This is not meant to challenge artist Morgan's words, but to take her thoughts and play with them a bit.

The one above is called "The Beast."  There were maybe 20 pieces in this exhibit reflecting a number of different styles.

The artist statement continues:

"My drive to create has been with me from a young age, and I spent countless hours drawing and writing as a child and as a teenager.  As an adult, I was in an abusive relationship for over three years.  I spent the majority of that time in seclusion and without access to my family or friends.  Drawing in my sketchbook and exploring my imagination helped me get through those dark times, and made me feel free.   . ."

This one is called "Don't Forget To Breath."   More from the artist statement:

"I started drawing with ballpoint pen many years ago, but didn't start using watercolor paint until I took Beginning Watercolor at UAA with Professor Garry Mealor back in early 2013.  At first the medium frustrated me and I was sure that I would never get the hang of it.  With each assignment I felt like I was improving and have since worked primarily with watercolor paint.  It wasn't until the past year that I thought to combine my love of both ballpoint pen and watercolor.  Since the ink in the ballpoint pen I use is oil-based, the water based paint does not smear it."

Most, if not all, of the paintings were for sale from around $200 to $1400.  You can see this exhibit until (see poster below) right next to the entrance to the UAA Consortium Library through the end of August.  You can see more works and even enquire about purchasing something at:

https://daniellemorganart.carbonmade.com  or
https://www.etsy.com/shop/obscurascope    

Four Years Later, Becky's Back From Mexico

Anchorage Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) had a BBQ Thursday evening.  I vaguely knew that the Anchorage Assembly now has TWO RPCVs on it, but I hadn't really thought about it, but there they both were.  (I'll let Anchorage readers guess who they are.)

Had a good time sharing thoughts with volunteers from places like Nepal and the Philippines.

And then there was Becky, who is technically still a volunteer, into her fourth year in Mexico.  Yes, that is a long time.  The normal assignment is two years.  Well, she's finishing up, maybe this month.

What makes Becky particularly relevant to this blog is that I met her four years ago here in Anchorage just as she was about to first leave for her assignment.  It was send off dinner for new volunteers.   Here's the link to that post.   And a picture of her in May 2012 before she left for Mexico.

And this was Thursday evening.  I should have checked the picture after I took it.  It's the only one I have.  We were talking quickly at the end of the BBQ and someone suggested she get in front of the Peace Corps emblem for the picture.

Four years ago she only knew the general area she was going into - Environmental Education.

Her town was just outside El Chico National Park and some of her recent projects were connected with the park.  Like developing an activity book for primary school kids that helps to introduce them to the National Park.  She helped set up an environmental book section in the local library.  She's also been doing community based workshops on a variety of topics including organic pesticides and bio-fertilizers.  There was also the book published by the kids in the community using their drawings and photos showing a kids' eye view of the community and the environment.   You can see the whole book here.

This was just a quickie overview of things she was working on recently.  But it seemed like a good idea to do a follow up of the four year old post.

The Emperor's New Clothes: The Power Of Fairy Tales And Of Expectations

From The Classic Reader's version of Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's New Clothes:

"Many years ago, there was an Emperor, who was so excessively fond of new clothes, that he spent all his money in dress. He did not trouble himself in the least about his soldiers; nor did he care to go either to the theatre or the chase, except for the opportunities then afforded him for displaying his new clothes. He had a different suit for each hour of the day; and as of any other king or emperor, one is accustomed to say, 'he is sitting in council,' it was always said of him, 'The Emperor is sitting in his wardrobe.'"

Then two scam artists arrive in the capital and declare that they weave clothes out of an exquisitely beautiful material.  But more importantly, only the good and honest can see its beauty.  Those unfit for the offices they hold are unable to see it.

"'These must, indeed, be splendid clothes!' thought the Emperor. 'Had I such a suit, I might at once find out what men in my realms are unfit for their office, and also be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish! This stuff must be woven for me immediately.' And he caused large sums of money to be given to both the weavers in order that they might begin their work directly."

The weavers set up their looms and work late into the night.  The emperor gets curious about how things are going.  While he doesn't doubt himself at all, it seems more appropriate to send one of his ministers to check on the weavers.  The minister goes into the room and is startled to see no cloth on the looms at all.  He begins to question himself.  Am I not really wise?

"The impostors requested him very courteously to be so good as to come nearer their looms; and then asked him whether the design pleased him, and whether the colors were not very beautiful; at the same time pointing to the empty frames. The poor old minister looked and looked, he could not discover anything on the looms, for a very good reason, viz: there was nothing there. "What!" thought he again. 'Is it possible that I am a simpleton? I have never thought so myself; and no one must know it now if I am so. Can it be, that I am unfit for my office? No, that must not be said either. I will never confess that I could not see the stuff.'"

The weavers describe to the minister the intricate and beautiful patterns and colors and he listens closely so he can describe it accurately to the emperor.  They also ask for more gold and silk so they can finish the project, which they get.

The minister returns to the king and describes the magnificent new clothes.  Not much later a second minister is sent to check on the progress.  He too sees nothing and questions his own fitness for the office that pays him so well when he sees nothing and goes back to describe the amazing new clothes.

Word gets out in the city about the emperor's new clothes and everyone is excited, particularly about the fact that only the competent and honest can actually see the material.

When the emperor himself finally is presented the new clothes he is shocked.  What is this?  Am I unfit to be emperor?  When asked by the weavers what he thought, he smiled and said it was charming.  The rest of the courtiers smiled and competed in their praise of the new suit.

A city wide procession was held.  The streets were crowded.  Everyone buzzed and murmured when they saw the emperor.  Then there were shouts of how magnificent the new suit was.  But then the procession passes a child.

"But the Emperor has nothing at all on!" said a little child. "Listen to the voice of innocence!" exclaimed his father; and what the child had said was whispered from one to another. "But he has nothing at all on!" at last cried out all the people. The Emperor was vexed, for he knew that the people were right; but he thought the procession must go on now! And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains than ever, to appear holding up a train, although, in reality, there was no train to hold. [emphasis added]

The Role of Fairy Tales

Fairy tales serve a significant function in the development of children and the passing on of cultural norms.  A number of articles, such as this one, talk about how they help children resolve inherent emotional conflicts.  One article I found, that gathers together many of the benefits, was a chapter subheading called,  "The Value of Fairy Tales In Education."  It listed:

• Fairy tales bring joy into child life.
• Fairy tales satisfy the play spirit of childhood.
• Fairy tales are play forms.
• Fairy tales give the child a power of accurate observation.
• Fairy tales strengthen the power of emotion, develop the power of imagination, train the memory, and exercise the reason.
• Fairy tales extend and intensify the child's social relations.

Fairy tales pose moral dilemmas for us along with an array of human qualities to overcome these dilemmas.  Fairy tales pass on cultural wisdom that we can apply to our daily lives as adults.

I'm assuming that some of you have thought about the Republican nominee and his supporters as you reread the Emperor's New Clothes.   And the various stories that are coming out that suggest that he is all hype and fiction.  Such as this Newsweek story that details the fictions of his fortune.  I would caution those looking for proof of Trump's duplicity to remember their own expectations when accepting the facts in the Newsweek story.  But also take note of the auther Kurt Eichenwald who has done groundbreaking financial reporting including the book Conspiracy of Fools on Enron.  

As more and more 'children' are saying out loud that the Donald has no clothes, more and more people are starting to question their beliefs.

The Role Of Expectations

But I want to share an incident that occurred the other day that demonstrates the power of mental expectations. (Or maybe just the declining quality of my mind.)

I drove to the market. I was taking an air mattress bed, something too big to carry on my bike, over to a friend, and getting some food on the way.  When I came out of the market, I walked over to where I had parked my car.  I was looking for my wife's car and couldn't find it.  Instead, there was a car exactly like my own car.  I was so committed to the idea that I came in my wife's Subaru that I thought, "Wow, there's a car like mine."  Then I looked at the license plate.  It was my car.  Yet my mind was tightly bound to the idea that I'd driven over in the Subaru.  (It uses less gas and so, if I need to drive, and my wife isn't using her car, that's the one I take.) And if I had the Subaru, then my wife must have had to use my car.  But why wouldn't she just call me, since she knew I was going to the market.  And as I was listening to the rings on the phone to ask my wife why she'd driven to the market, I suddenly realized - I had driven my car and not hers.  

As I say, this might just be an indicator that my mind is rapidly deteriorating, but even if that is the case, it still shows how powerfully an expectation can prevent us from seeing the obvious.  Whether it's racial stereotypes, political ideology, ego, desires, one's personal interests, or simple habit, we usually see what we want or expect to see.  

[I'd note one of the more literate discussions of fairy tales, by Meg Moseley, who, importantly, notes that often such tales carry forward cultural biases, like the idea that young maidens must wait to be rescued by handsome princes.]

Loussac Update And Vote

Went by Loussac library while doing errands. It keeps changing.  Here's are some shots at other stages.

If it isn't obvious, I photoshopped the sign into the main picture (which was through the chainlink fence.)  The sign says it's scheduled to be finished by October 24 this year.

I also voted on this ride.  We're headed out of town the day before the primary, so I decided to do my duty today since it was on my roundabout path to get things done.

You can vote early various places.  Voting on Gamble meant I didn't have to fill out all the forms I've had to fill out when I voted at the library.  It was pretty empty and there was no wait at all.  And I joked as I showed my ID about how often I was going to vote.  The lady said a number of folks had mentioned it.  But, she said, in Alaska, if you don't use a picture id or your voter registration card, then your ballot goes into a special envelope and doesn't get counted until after the election when they can check if you voted more than once.  So, there is an easy way to deal with that sort of voter fraud.   Even remote provinces like Alaska can figure it out.

Then I rode the bike trail around Goose Lake to drop off some books at the UAA library and check out the new books shelf.  I'll post some of the new books in the next post or two.

The Trump Shooter Network

[Note:  In a USA Today interview, Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau, when asked if Trump was easy to satirize, responded:

"Quite the opposite. As has been widely observed, Trump is beyond traditional parody. His demeanor, speech and behavior are so over the top, there's no point in trying to exaggerate it"

This post is a response to that challenge.]

The Trump Shooter Network 

Confidential sources high in the Trump business empire have leaked to us news about a new cable channel that will begin airing in early October called "The Trump Shooter Network."

The network will feature the latest shootings from around the world, but with a focus on the USA.  Aside from "Breaking Shooting News,"  the network will have daily programs on mass shootings, terrorist shootings, robbery shootings, gang shootings, accidental shootings (particularly those involving children),  suicide shootings, and shooting games.
There will also be a program of  best home video of shootings.
Mass shooting anniversaries will be celebrated.
There will also be features on the lives of shooters and their victims.  And detailed reports on the specific types of guns used in shootings.

The network will have a mass shooting calendar so that mass shooters can plan their activities on days that don't have other mass shootings.

Subscribers to the Shooter Network will automatically be enrolled in the NRA and will be eligible for  steep discounts at gun shops and gun shows.

They can also sign up for gun buyers' pre-check so they can always use the fast line when purchasing weapons.

When asked about whether the timing of the debut of this network was aimed at affecting the election, our source said, "Actually, Trump's presidential run was timed to support the rollout of the network."

A spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence said they were hopeful the channel would make it easier to track gun violence data.  An NRA rep told us the channel would help Americans understand the danger all around them and the need to arm themselves.  And a staffer at Negative Population Growth, lamented that this was the natural outgrowth of too many people fighting for finite resources.  

Media reporter Brooke Gladstone didn't think the channel would be a big deal, "After all, the mainstream media are close to doing this already."

Muxe - Are Matriarchal Societies More Tolerant of More Fluid Gender Roles?

A friend posted this picture of a poster he saw in Oakland.


The picture required a second look.  Zapotec Muxe?  There's a bit of description on the poster (which you can focus better by clicking on it).

Perhaps the concept of muxe will help us 21st century Americans in our  reexamination of how we think about gender and sexuality.

The military has decided that gay and now transgender troops are ok.  But some legislators in some states have made bathroom use by transgender folk an issue.  And same sex marriage is still a problem for many people.

Getting past the strict dichotomy of male or female or straight or gay is tricky.  We all know there are women who have more than average typically male characteristics and males who have more than average typical female characteristics.  I think most people can get that far conceptually, because you can still put people into one of those two categories:  male or female.

Since genitals in our culture are usually covered up in public, we haven't had much opportunity to examine and get to know the variety they come in.  While we might recognize a picture of a friend's mouth or nose or eyes, most of us wouldn't recognize a picture of a friend's penis or vagina.  And when people are born with ambiguous genitalia, the parents, traditionally, haven't talked about it or the decisions they had to make about what to put on the either/or male/female space on the birth certificate.  But there have been clues in our language - terms like hermaphrodite - that have acknowledged gender ambiguity.

Nowadays these topics are well discussed, at least in many circles.  Enough, at least, that laws have been passed to allow same sex marriage and to protect transgender folks from discrimination.

But this is still an uncomfortable issue for many.  An issue often informed by ignorance.

So when I saw this poster it made me think of the Samoan tradition of Fa 'afafine,  male Samoan children who are early identified as Fa 'afafine and raised as girls to have a unique place in their cultural life, crossing between gender roles.  I learned about at a presentation of Diverse Voices at UAA back in 2007.

Muxes, in their communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, are accepted as somewhere between straight and gay.  A New York Times article tells us a little about muxes:

“Muxe” is a Zapotec word derived from the Spanish “mujer,” or woman; it is reserved for males who, from boyhood, have felt themselves drawn to living as a woman, anticipating roles set out for them by the community.
Anthropologists trace the acceptance of people of mixed gender to pre-Colombian Mexico, pointing to accounts of cross-dressing Aztec priests and Mayan gods who were male and female at the same time. Spanish colonizers wiped out most of those attitudes in the 1500s by forcing conversion to Catholicism. But mixed-gender identities managed to survive in the area around Juchitán, a place so traditional that many people speak ancient Zapotec instead of Spanish.
Not all muxes express their identities the same way. Some dress as women and take hormones to change their bodies. Others favor male clothes. What they share is that the community accepts them; many in it believe that muxes have special intellectual and artistic gifts.

As I read the Wikipedia article on Muxe, I noticed that the district and town of Tehuantapec showed up.  Long ago, my wife and I drove through Mexico, including Tejuantapec.  And that mysterious brain nestled in my skull retrieved a long-ago absorbed and forgotten tidbit: the Zapotecan culture in Tehuantapec is matriarchal.

So I looked up Tehuantapec.  And there it was:

"The city is still the center of Zapotec culture in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and is the second largest in the region. The city is known for its women and their traditional dress, which was adopted by Frida Kahlo. Tehuantepec has a reputation for being a “matriarchal society.” Women do dominate the local markets and are known to taunt* men. However, political power is still the domain of men."

So this got me to thinking.  From somewhere else deep in my brain, I remembered something about power and gender and sexuality.  The idea of some that going from the stronger gender (as male is often described) to the weaker makes no sense, or is even a betrayal of one's gender.  I wasn't able to figure out the right search terms to find something online voicing that specifically.  (Though this is an interesting look at three men who were involved in gay-bashing and their reasoning which gets near this idea.)   The concept was related to power and a disdain for someone who would go from the gender with power to the one with less power.

But the idea that this community that is tolerant of a third gender/sexuality option is a matriarchal community is intriguing and ought to be explored further.  Now, I did leave in the quote about men being dominant in political power in Tejuantapec because it would be disingenuous to hide it.  Even the power divide in Tehuantapec is not clean and unambiguous. Nor is it anywhere.   It would be interesting to explore other cultures that are matriarchal and see whether the gender divide is les either/or in those cultures as well.


*In my ideal world, no one would taunt anyone, except in a playful way for the taunted.

Poppies And Other Anchorage Garden Tour Shots And Thoughts

This morning started with an airport run and a goodbye to our daughter and granddaughter who were here for a few days.  My three and a half year old sweetie helped me out in the garden while she was here.  Such a joy.

Then we realized, oh yeah, today's the garden tour, something that always stirs the gardening juices and gives me at least a few new ideas.

This year's tour was different from past tours.

First, there were four gardens in Eagle River (about 15 miles out of town) and three in east Anchorage.

Second, there was an institutional garden unlike any I've seen in Anchorage.

We decided to shoot out to Eagle River and then hit the ones along Muldoon.

Our first stop had a bad start.  There was a big red political sign for a representative who was too conservative for the Republican Party's taste.  (They kicked her out of the majority.)  But I think any political statement like that, no matter the party or candidate, is out of place.  Yes people have the right to put up signs, but the garden club has a right not to use their home if there is a sign.  The homeowner can take the sign down for five hours or choose not to participate.

The Eagle River gardens had some interesting features - a big rock covered hill in one, a formal set of
landscaped walls that the garden club rep said was build to keep the driveway from collapsing, some windows place here and there in the garden, and the POPPIES.  The poppies were in our last ER garden.  The individual flowers were so light and graceful and delicate and the colors were wonderful.  But you can see for yourself.

 They were perfect.  The shapes, the colors, the folds, and curves.  Looking at them was like a meditation.

The poppy yard - these were actually only a small portion of the garden - was my favorite of the Eagle River gardens.  This wasn't a show garden, but a garden of love.  We talked to the gardner and it was clear that she just liked making all this stuff flourish.  She wasn't spending lots of money, but she was rescuing and rehabilitating.  My kind of garden.

And then we headed back to town.  The first stop was just off of Muldoon - the inner courtyard at St. Patrick's Church.

Or, as the brochure says, "The Cloister at St. Patrick's."

This is a place you would never bump into.  You almost have to already know where you are going.

That brochure also says:

"The Cloister is intended to be a place of pilgrimage for all Christians - and for anyone who is seeking a place of prayer and inspiration, a place of peace in the midst of life's struggles, or a place where they can more deeply encounter the living God - who is love."

The Cloisters, as you can see, are angular and the gardens confined within this elegant concrete and glass space.  There are several water features. The brochure calls them  'fountains' which conflicts with my notion of water shooting up.  Here it moves horizontally and down.  Being able to say "The Holy Spirit has called the people of St. Patrick's  to undertake a major building project . . ." surely must have helped when raising the money to build this space.

You can also spend eternity here.















I'm glad we save the Cloister and the two houses east of Muldoon for last.  They were both unique gardens that looked like everything had been there a while.  They combined local plants and settings with more traditional garden varieties.  One had recycled mirrors all around the backyard which gave guests extra views of the plants.   And other stray items, like bowling balls.


The last house we visited, a few doors past the mirrors, was a quiet and lovely garden that backs onto the military base forest.  I was taken by the leaves on the false sunflower - which turned out to be Sunburst Heliopsis.

A thought that's been bubbling to the surface these last couple of years is for the garden club to change the date of the tour in the future.  By always being at the end of July/beginning of August, the tour highlights the same flowers and neglects those flowers that bloom earlier in the summer.  But I also realize that more things are likely to be blooming now.  Perhaps and end of June preview for the big tour.

Blueberry Picking Near Powerline Pass

My daughter, granddaughter, and a friend went blueberry picking near the bottom of Flattop.  Here are a few pictures.  My family prefers not to be pictured on the blog, so you only get one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

These are crowberries.  They aren't as tasty, but they're sometimes used as filler with the blueberries.

Some interesting lichen I found on a rock.

Down below we could see the contrails of the jets at the air show at JBER (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson).  There are four or five jets flying in formation there.  Note:  I'm not promoting military air shows like these.  I've posted on the cost of air shows and I have questions about these as promotional events for military might.  Fortunately, we didn't really hear the terrible, obliterating roar of the jets from where we were.

I found a couple of king boletes, which will make a wonderful mushroom soup.

Lots of gentian blooming.

Some of the hemlock had lots of new cones.













And then we wandered down to Powerline Pass.

My First Sweet Pea Is Pink

Back on May 2 this year, I posted a picture of my first sweet pea shoots popping out of the soil.  Or so I thought.  It soon became apparent that I'd mixed up the sweet pea and nasturtium seeds.  The nasturtiums have been blooming a while.  I planted more sweet peas right away, and apparently there were some sweet pea seeds planted around the time I planted the nasturtiums.  Anyway, I'm glad the sweet pea is blooming while my granddaughter is visiting for a quick trip with her mom.

I'd like to note how spectacularly beautiful and pleasant the weather has been, but non-Alaskans read this too and I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong impression and think about moving up here.  Though I suspect with global warming and summers south of here getting seriously hot, there are people who will figure out that we're getting the best weather they used have to have.  And while we may be running out of oil, we're going to have the best weather on the planet before long.  So maybe the folks who came here to get rich will go home, and the rest of us can enjoy Alaska for what it is.

"Leave My Damn Dividend Fund Alone" Ignorance, Greed, and The PFD

I've passed this sign a few times and it seems to beg for comment.

This is a big sign.  Someone really wanted to make a statement about how he felt.

But if I were doing this, I'd try to get my facts straight.

There is no 'dividend fund.'

There's an Alaska Permanent Fund, from which Alaska residents get dividends.  The governor and others have outlined why the current budget shortfalls cannot be solved by simply cutting the budget. There have to be additional revenue sources.  One source the governor has identified, and the only source the legislature has followed up on, was the money set aside for Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks.  He also asked to radically change the subsidies to the oil companies, and for an income tax and sales tax.


It's NOT 'your' fund

It belongs, according to the Permanent Fund Board website, to the State of Alaska.  And

"The Alaska Constitution says that the principal may not be spent. The earnings in the earnings reserve may be spent by the Legislature for any public purpose, including the Permanent Fund Dividend distribution."

It was NOT set up to give everyone a dividend check each year.  That was added later.  

It's a collective pool of money for the benefit of people who live in Alaska, now and those who will live in Alaska in the future.  So, for Alaska residents, 'our' might be acceptable, but not 'my' fund.  


What does this sign tell us and what doesn't it tell us?

1.  This person (let's call him Sam) is imprecise, since he's gotten the name of the fund he's so exercised about wrong.  We don't know if it's

• ignorance (he doesn't know there is an Alaska Permanent Fund, he just thinks there's a dividend fund), 
• carelessness (he knows, but wrote this quickly and didn't check), or 
• greed (he just wants free money and doesn't care what it's called.)

2.  Sam  doesn't seem to grasp the perilous state of the Alaska budget as described in the link above.  And probably doesn't have a clue about all the ways he benefits from state spending - on roads, parks, schools, law and order, etc.  And how, if we don't find a way to fund the state budget, he'll probably lose more than he would get from the part of his dividend the governor has vetoed.

3.  Sam has a short-term horizon, not a long-term view.  Actually, I don't have enough info to know this for sure.  There are questions that could move us along to finding out.

• Sam has heard that come October, he'd get about $1000 less this year than he would have, if the governor prevails on this, and doesn't like that.  
• Sam doesn't understand that the Alaska Permanent Fund was set up originally to preserve the oil earnings for future generations on the grounds that the oil is a non-renewable resource and no single generation should use the wealth it generates and leave nothing to future generations.  The dividends were an afterthought, a way to keep Alaskans interested in the fund's performance.  They were not the purpose of the fund.  The intent . . . well, there were many intents mentioned as it was being debated and it seems each Alaskan picks the intent that fits their interest best.  For me, the intent was a fund that could provide future Alaskans an annual annuity toward the state budget, supplemented by other income as needed, like an income tax.  By investing the extra oil money into a permanent fund, Alaskans, like wealthy families, would be able to take a portion of the annual earnings and spend it on government when the oil was gone.   If you can have enough self control, the fund will keep earning money into perpetuity.  But that means not killing the goose that lays the golden egg.   That way the oil wealth wouldn't disappear when the oil disappeared and future generations would benefit.  That could happen.  As I write, the fund is worth $54.608 billion.  
•  Sam understands all this, but just doesn't trust any government, now or in the future, to use the money wisely and thinks he's better off using the money himself than letting the legislature spend it.  Given the current legislature, he may well be right.  But that's why the Constitution prohibits the legislature from using the principal of the fund.  The most they can waste is the annual earnings.
• Sam has no idea of all the ways he benefits from government spending, he just takes these things all for granted, without realizing that government provides them.  So he doesn't know how his life would take a turn for the worse if it got cut even more.  Or how much more it would cost him than the $1000 he stands to lose now. 

Sam displays a sense of entitlement to his PFD check that other Alaskans also seem to have.  They deserve it for some reason.  Technically, yes, as Alaskans we are all eligible for the check, but I feel like we're pretty much getting something for nothing.  People in other states don't get checks like these.  And the amount we get is a lot more than most people would get if the formula hadn't been changed.

Originally, the dividends was set to be $50 per year of Alaskan residence back to the beginning of statehood.

Under that formula, only people who have lived in Alaska continuously for 25 years would have gotten the full $1281 last year.  Which would mean that for someone who came to Alaska five years ago, the dividend check would be $250.  Those who have lived here longer would have gotten more.

It got changed to the current formally due to a lawsuit that successfully challenged the formula on the grounds that it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

The state would be paying much less in dividends today had the original formula held.  How much less is tricky to calculate without knowing how long every Alaskan has been in the state,  and I couldn't find that kind of information quickly online.

I did find a Report on Alaska mobility that shows from IRS data that between 2000 and 2010, 25,000-30,000 people moved to the state per year.  So in 2010, there were about 250,000 people who had come to the state in the last ten years and since the annual change was evenly distributed over those ten years, we can say that there were about 250,000 who'd been in the state about five years on average.

Based on the original dividend payout plan ($50 per year of residence) those folks would only have been eligible for (on average) Based on the original dividend payout plan ($50 per year of residence) those folks would only have been eligible for (on average) $250 instead of the $1281 payout everyone got.  So instead of those 250,000 people getting $1281 last year for a total of $320 million, they would have gotten $62 million and the state would have saved about $250 million, just on the people who came to Alaska in the last ten years.  That doesn't count all the people who were in the state less than 30 years.  The number of folks who have been here since statehood is rapidly declining, so while they would be earning quite a bit more, there aren't too many of them.


So, I really don't know who Sam is or why he's put up this sign.  I don't know if he's been here five years or fifty.  I don't know if he uses his dividend to pay off accumulated bills or on a Hawaiian vacation, if he supports Clinton or Trump.  Nor do I know the folks who have written letters to the editor voicing the same sentiment.  It would be interesting to actually meet these people and find out what their actual motivation is.  Until then, I'll resist the temptation to make assumptions about them.