Geez Les - you gotta get outta juneau more. The public bureaucracies funded by Alaskan money fed their lowest hanging fruit into the fire of budget cuts. The university cut student employees, the school districts cut a few non-essentials, but everyone else in the state got their time/grade step increases and a huge portion got COLAs. People understand this. 

You've been arguing for 20 years that we never throw enough money at things to get good outcomes. We did get  good outcomes for some though - state retirees in tier 1 and 2 - may soon be enjoying the redeployment of alaskan PFDs into their retirement/health insurance fund pool. 

The legislature IS/WAS the spending problem Gara - not the public. Don't expect sympathy from a populace who did not create this mess. Show the Senate some serious "personal" cuts to active workers, and give the public a chance to feel this "pain" you seem so worried about. Maybe then you can get some support.