"I think it's not the conversation that is most important right now," Parish said. "We need to be focusing on the billion-dollar questions, not on the $10,000 questions."

Fixing the deficit will ultimately cost the average Alaskan about 4 - 5 thousand dollars per year in some way shape of form. Cuts will amount to a few thousand dollars here and a few thousand dollars there. And there will be a cost to the average Alaskan - a few hundred here and a couple thousand there. 
The problem IS a focus of $10,000 questions. So this statement by this freshman legislator is rather shocking. 
Cuts ought to start with the legislature budget. Surely this $72 million could be trimmed. 
Maybe Alaska should be more like Vermont where the legislator pay is(from what I understand).....nothing.