Posted on 12/21/2011 4:31:45 PM PST by skeptoid
Young abided by letter of law; spirit of law takes a beating
The House Ethics Committee has ruled that Alaska Rep. Don Young didn't violate the law in accepting 12 checks totaling $60,000 for his legal defense fund from 12 businesses owned by one family. As the committee pointed out, the companies are technically 12 separate entities in Louisiana, but they represent exactly one political interest.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
Alaska's lone Rep taking big bucks from Louisiana?!?!?!
I, too, was against this 'boondoggle' when it was in the news.
But after spending some time in AK and getting 'educated' about it, my views have changed.
It is indeed needed, and AK should receive Federal bucks to help pay for it.
Alaska needs other, more important things than the “Bridge to Nowhere”.
For example - Anchorage is out of room to grow. It is surrounded by ocean and mountains on three sides and an Army base on the 4th side. Build a bridge across Knik Arm and develop Pt. McKenzie. Now THAT would be a good idea.
Alaska is a very young state, and has not had the huge amounts of federal dollars spent on infrastructure the lower 48 has. So it makes sense that they be allowed to catch up some.
Ketchikan has NO road access to it's airport, they must depend on a ferry to get to it. Such a situation would NEVER be tolerated down south. It is Alaska's 5th largest city, has no roads connecting it to anywhere, ships take a looong time to get anywhere, so the airport is much, much more important there than elsewhere.
It is certainly reasonable to see why any city would want fast, reliable access to their only connection to the rest of the world.
I did not know that about the Ketchikan airport. Thanks for enlightening me. I always figgered that Ketchikan was mostly a northern suburb of Seattle rather than a part of Alaska (LOL!).
Of course, the fact that Frank Murkowski (Lisa’s daddy) owned property at the proposed landing of the “Bridge to Nowhere” made for a foul stench to the whole deal. Or was the property owner the late Ted Stevens? I know it wasn’t Begich but I’m sure that his family has plenty of skeletons in their closet.
What do you think about the proposed highway and/or RR to Nome? Now THAT would be something!
One more thing. The Anchorage Daily Pravda never met a Republican that they didn’t loathe.
Uhhhhh......nooooo.
I have flown over the Alaska Range at low altitude and I can assure you there has never been a more difficult route to build on in the US. That means tremendous expense both in construction and maintenance,
Alaska's largest infrastructure shortage is no railroad into state. Just think how much more expensive that makes just about everything you buy.
A RR/road to Nome from Fairbanks would not be crossing the Alaska Range. Doesn’t mean that it would be an easy project, just that the Alaska Range wouldn’t be a factor.
I agree that a railroad into the state from Canada would be very helpful but that would be a much bigger project and there your mountains really are a big barrier. As far as I know the RR comes as far north as Dawson Creek, BC. Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. 1400 miles or so to Fairbanks.
As far as “The Bridge to Nowhere”, that’s a cute moniker but it ignores the fact that many nowheres become somewheres after a bridge connects them. The question is, is there enough potential somewhere on Gravina Island to make the bridge worthwhile? I don’t know. I lived in Ketchikan many years ago. Taking the ferry to the airport was annoying but it wasn’t that big a deal.
As to Ketchikan, the residents are at the mercy of the ferry.....ferry not running means no airplanes out. Not a pleasant thought if you want to get to Granny's funeral in Chicago, or need to get airlifted to a heart clinic in Anchorage.
Sure, they have done without it to now, but look at Western AK.....EVERY indian village has a Federal airport, paid by us. Easier for them to get access to air than for the residents of AK's 5th largest city.
Shoulda been built, but sleazy politics got in the way. A pox on them.
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