The 2006 legislative session began this week. The budget will no doubt dominate as our biggest challenge. More specifically, what to do with the surplus, projected to be over a billion dollars this year thanks to high oil prices.

As a conservative, limited government legislator, I believe we should reduce the size of government, and not use the surplus to add to the bureaucracy. Budget restraint should be our primary focus.

Despite the extra money at our disposal, let’s not use that as an excuse to increase spending and resist the temptation to do so. Some spending is good of course, such as essentials like roads, schools, police and fire protection. I’m always for improving roads, because they build the foundation for a strong economy. But I don’t support adding to the bureaucracy with significantly increased social spending. Alaska has enough money without having to increase its budget. What is needed is the will to spend dollars more carefully and efficiently.

Last year's state operating budget (social programs and the bureaucracy to run them) was substantially increased. In fact, there’s talk of spending as much as $700 million more this year than last. Let's instead put away a large portion of the surplus into our reserve accounts or deposit it into the Permanent Fund, so it's off limits to spending. Otherwise, it will be consumed with nothing left to show for it other than bigger government that obligates us to even greater spending in the future.

Alaska is the highest spending state in the entire country. New York State is considered very high, ranking third in the U.S. in terms of per capita spending. However, Alaska greatly outspends New York by triple. We spend over $8 billion a year on our operating budget, in a state with less than 600,000 people--a 3000% increase since the late 1960’s, before Big Oil. Alaska spends more than any other of the 50 states in the union.

I believe we can get by with a lot less yet still adequately fund the basics. It's simply a matter of having the will and courage to say "no" to every special interest group that comes along with their hand out.

My hope is that we'll show greater restraint this session, and not allow government to continue to grow unchecked. You can help by insisting that your representatives in Juneau spend less instead of more, reduce government controls in our lives, and reject new taxes and pillaging the Permanent Fund.

Representative Kohring is a sixth term Republican, and serves Wasilla and the Mat-Su area in the Alaska State Legislature

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