User:RadioKAOS/Sandbox/Misc

Also, Doncram went and recreated Cooper Landing Post Office. I'm guessing you feel much the same way as I do about these NRHP articles. Doncram's user page contains the following: "Has created over 5,000 Wikipedia articles." There is no real challenge in creating articles strictly from a template and PD material lying about on the web, as opposed to many important Alaskan subjects which are currently missing from the encyclopedia that would require writing and sourcing from scratch. There is also the issue of someone going for that user page glory, while in one case after the other, these articles are minimal to the point of uselessness, basically being dumped off on here with the expectation that it's someone else's responsibility to do the real work. The vast majority of the NRHP articles themselves contain no appreciable information, yet contain links (either as sources or ELs) to other sites which do contain real information on the subject. The obvious coatracking concerns aside, looking at articles such as that again begs the question I've asked repeatedly for years, which no one seems willing to answer: what do I need Wikipedia for if the real information is found somewhere else? I've been using the Internet since before many active editors were born. I think I can find my way around to information just fine without the help.

I've already made mention of my current financial situation, which has largely gotten in the way of doing any real work on here. The only reason I have the time to write this is due to having a rare day off at work.

The economy of Alaska is diverse, though heavily weighted towards governmental expenditures and the various industries which take advantage of the state's abundant natural resources. It also has deficiencies in such important sectors as agriculture and manufacturing compared with more mature economies found in older U.S. states. The state's economy has been described by University of Alaska Anchorage economist Scott Goldsmith as a "three-legged stool" – with one leg being the petroleum and gas industry, the second leg being the federal government and the third leg being all other industries and services.

Alaska's congressional delegation went unchanged from 1981 to 2002. A combination of the members' seniority and committee assignments made Alaska the beneficiary of substantial amounts of federal monies over many years, leading to national attention given to scrutiny over a number of appropriations. The U.S. military's presence in Alaska, particularly in Anchorage and Fairbanks (the state's two largest cities) but also throughout other Alaskan communities, has been a significant contributor to the Alaskan economy since the early 1940s.

subsidies are also an important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low.

Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.

Agriculture represents only a fraction of the Alaskan economy. Agricultural production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere.

The 2007 gross state product was $44.9 billion, 45th in the nation. Its per capita personal income for 2007 was $40,042, ranking 15th in the nation. Alaska's main export product after oil and natural gas is seafood, primarily salmon, cod, Pollock and crab.

Employment
Employment is primarily in government and in industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. There is a growing service sector, particularly in the fields of health care and support for air cargo carriers. The tourism sector provides a large number of jobs,

. Between 2004 and 2006, the federal government was responsible for 135,000 Alaska jobs, the petroleum sector provided 110,000 jobs and all other industries and services combined for 122,000 jobs.

Largest employers
According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the following were the state's largest private sector employers in 2010:

Energy
Alaska has vast energy resources. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins. According to the Energy Information Administration, Alaska ranks second in the nation in crude oil production. Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope is the highest yielding oil field in the United States and on North America, typically producing about 400000 oilbbl/d.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline can pump up to 2.1 Moilbbl of crude oil per day, more than any other crude oil pipeline in the United States. Additionally, substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska's bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. The United States Geological Survey estimates that there are 85.4 Tcuft of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas from natural gas hydrates on the Alaskan North Slope. Alaska also offers some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country from its numerous rivers. Large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential as well.

Alaska's economy depends heavily on increasingly expensive diesel fuel for heating, transportation, electric power and light. Though wind and hydroelectric power are abundant and underdeveloped, proposals for state-wide energy systems (e.g. with special low-cost electric interties) were judged uneconomical (at the time of the report, 2001) due to low (<$0.50/Gal) fuel prices, long distances and low population. The cost of a US gallon of gas in urban Alaska today is usually $0.30–$0.60 higher than the national average; prices in rural areas are generally significantly higher but vary widely depending on transportation costs, seasonal usage peaks, nearby petroleum development infrastructure and many other factors.

Alaska accounts for one-fifth (20 percent) of domestically produced United States oil production. Prudhoe Bay (North America's largest oil field) alone accounts for 8% of the U.S. domestic oil production.

Permanent Fund
The Alaska Permanent Fund is a legislatively controlled appropriation established in 1976 to manage a surplus in state petroleum revenues from the recently constructed Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. From its initial principal of $734,000, the fund has grown to $40 billion as a result of oil royalties and capital investment programs.

Starting in 1982, dividends from the fund's annual growth have been paid out each year to eligible Alaskans, ranging from $331.29 in 1984 to $3,269.00 in 2008 (which included a one-time $1200 "Resource Rebate"). Every year, the state legislature takes out 8 percent from the earnings, puts 3 percent back into the principal for inflation proofing, and the remaining 5 percent is distributed to all qualifying Alaskans. To qualify for the Alaska State Permanent Fund one must have lived in the state for a minimum of 12 months, and maintain constant residency.

Cost of living
The cost of goods in Alaska has long been higher than in the contiguous 48 states. This has changed for the most part in Anchorage and to a lesser extent in Fairbanks, where the cost of living has dropped somewhat in the past five years. Federal government employees, particularly United States Postal Service (USPS) workers and active-duty military members, receive a Cost of Living Allowance usually set at 25% of base pay because, while the cost of living has gone down, it is still one of the highest in the country.

The introduction of big-box stores in Anchorage, Fairbanks (Wal-Mart in March 2004), and Juneau also did much to lower prices. However, rural Alaska suffers from extremely high prices for food and consumer goods, compared to the rest of the country due to the relatively limited transportation infrastructure. Many rural residents come into these cities and purchase food and goods in bulk from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. Some have embraced the free shipping offers of some online retailers to purchase items much more cheaply than they could in their own communities, if they are available at all.

Agriculture
Due to the northern climate and steep terrain, relatively little farming occurs in Alaska. Most farms are in either the Matanuska Valley, about 40 mi northeast of Anchorage, or on the Kenai Peninsula, about 60 mi southwest of Anchorage. The short 100-day growing season limits the crops that can be grown, but the long sunny summer days make for productive growing seasons. The primary crops are potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and cabbage. Farmers exhibit produce at the Alaska State Fair. "Alaska Grown" is used as an agricultural slogan.

Alaska has an abundance of seafood, with the primary fisheries in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific, and seafood is one of the few food items that is often cheaper within the state than outside it. Many Alaskans fish the rivers during salmon season to gather significant quantities of their household diet while fishing for subsistence, sport, or both.

Hunting for subsistence, primarily caribou, moose, and Dall sheep is still common in the state, particularly in remote Bush communities. An example of a traditional native food is Akutaq, the Eskimo ice cream, which can consist of reindeer fat, seal oil, dried fish meat and local berries.

Alaska's reindeer herding is concentrated on the Seward Peninsula where wild caribou can be prevented from mingling and migrating with the domesticated reindeer.

Most food in Alaska is transported into the state from "Outside", and shipping costs make food in the cities relatively expensive. In rural areas, subsistence hunting and gathering is an essential activity because imported food is prohibitively expensive. The cost of importing food to villages begins at 7¢ per pound (15¢/kg) and rises rapidly to 50¢ per pound ($1.10/kg) or more. The cost of delivering a 1 USgal of milk is about $3.50 in many villages where per capita income can be $20,000 or less. Fuel cost can exceed $8.00 per gallon.