The attacks on legislator pay and per diem are off-base.  Legislators make a huge sacrifice for public service.  They should not suffer economically too.  

As for the underlying issue, it is difficult to argue for an income tax while handing out free money in the form of the PFD.  When I say free money, I mean it was not money people worked for.  Call me old-school or stingy, but it is hard to argue that people should pay from money they worked hard to get to subsidize free money.  At the same time, I'm only talking about PFD earnings, not principle.  If the earnings are insufficient to fund government (which I totally support), then a progressive income tax is the next step.