"Alaska is one of the most conservative states" + "none of us trust the Government to spend this money for us, better than we could spend it ourselves" = not ironic at all.
It is usually admitted that there are huge overlaps between conservative and libertarian philosophies. Thus if one equates conservatives with libertarians, one can (falsely?) conclude that there is an incoherence with the idea of libertarians receiving handouts (see Atlas Shrugged, and Ayn Rand's 'propaganda' for more details)
I don't get a check for the usage of the natural resources of Illinois. If I did, it would be a handout, because I didn't put them there, and I don't own the land. One would assume that conservatives would be against people getting money just for living somewhere, without having to work for it.
The money is given to the government, and the government didn't put it there either. However, the job of the government is to serve you. So I disagree that it would be a handout.
The money exists and is given to the government, the difference is just whether the government should decide to give it to those who need it most, or whether it should be distributed equally.
The money is given to the government because the government levies taxes. The government could also choose to reduce the levies so that there's no surplus to distribute, and avoid choosing how to distribute the surplus.
There is a natural rights argument for Georgism, a political philosophy which would suggest that land (as a natural resource) being originally unowned, everyone has the right to an equal share of it.
