In Alaska, the oil companies have considerable sway.

Their lobbyists also sit on many city councils, and through that, they wield enormous influence in local politics.

One of the things they do is dismantle the schools.

Then you wonder... why?

Well, residents make things difficult for the oil companies. Residents complain about pollution, dangerous situations, noise, etc. But if you make it nearly impossible for them to live there, they leave, and then you have no more objectors. Residents with children, in particular, "whine" far too much, in the eyes of the oil companies. Consequently, the companies hire fewer and fewer locals.

You simply fly in your employees for month-on, month-off work, and as a company, you can just operate as usual if those employees don't live nearby. Those employees don't complain about local pollution, etc.

The city councils, under the influence of lobbyists, ensure that less and less money goes to schools and healthcare. Alaska currently ranks last among all US states in terms of school quality. Healthcare is also deteriorating.

Families are leaving because more and more schools are being forced to close. They no longer receive government funding, and student enrollment is steadily declining due to the many departures. Oil companies are no longer hiring locals. Consequently, there's little work. The companies prefer to fly their employees in every month. This allows the business community to significantly impact life in this state. In fact, large corporations control the state of Alaska.

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