Updated: 4 minutes ago Published: 17 minutes ago
We come from different political parties. We disagree, sometimes fiercely, on some of the most contentious issues of our time. But we’ve come together around the city’s Proposition 14, the Care for Kids initiative, because we all agree that we need to do something about Anchorage’s lack of affordable child care in order to grow our economy.
Prop. 14 will use the current local marijuana sales tax to provide affordable child care and pre-kindergarten for children in Anchorage. It doesn’t create a new tax or increase the current tax rate on marijuana. The proceeds from Anchorage’s marijuana taxes are simply being used for what we know will pay off in the future: quality child care and early childhood education. In fact, it goes one step further and even lowers the city’s overall tax cap by $1 million — a proposal passed unanimously by the Anchorage Convention to go to voters, and we all agree we can afford it .
Here’s the reality: Childcare issues will continue to hold back Anchorage’s economy if we don’t do something about it. The US Chamber of Commerce, the Alaska Chamber, and the Anchorage Chamber have all identified access to affordable childcare and preschool as a major barrier to business growth. When employees cannot work reliably because they cannot find or afford childcare, companies suffer. The child care crisis is preventing the robust recovery that we had all hoped would come quickly after the pandemic subsided. As Anchorage seeks to reverse its economic decline and attract new investment and industry, Prop. 14 can give us a major competitive advantage.
Prop. 14 is a wise investment in our future. We know that quality childcare and early childhood education help children learn to read, thrive in their K-12 grades, graduate from high school, and make a positive contribution to our community. By giving more families access to childcare and early childhood education, we’ll save taxpayers’ money in the long run by reducing the cost of remedial education, behavior issues, and even the juvenile court system.
Not every family wants or needs childcare. But our entire community benefits from addressing one of the key issues that makes it difficult to do business in Anchorage. Proposition 14 is something we can all stand behind, and it’s a fair and novel way to solve a major community problem. To learn more, visit the support’s website at careforkidsanchorage.com.
When you vote in this election, remember: the most important vote you cast is at the bottom of the ballot. Please vote yes to proposal 14 with us.
Eric Croft is a former Alaskan Assemblyman (as a Democrat) and a member of the Anchorage Convention.
Fred Dyson is a former Alaskan Legislature (as a Republican) and a member of the Anchorage Convention.
Ivy Spohnholz is a former Alaskan Legislature (as a Democrat).
Sara Rasmussen is a former Alaska Congressman (as a Republican).
Croft, Dyson, Spohnholz and Rasmussen are steering committee members for the Yes on 14 – Care for Kids campaign.
The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a wide range of viewpoints. To submit an article for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions under 200 words to [email protected] or click here to submit from any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and comments here.
Comments are closed.