Posted on 08/20/2005 4:25:48 PM PDT by neverdem
YOU have probably already heard about the pile of cash going to Alaska from the federal transportation bill. There's about a quarter of a billion dollars for a bridge to connect the airport on Gravina Island to Ketchikan (population 14,000). The bridge will rival the Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridges in length and height.
Then there's $230 million or so for "Don Young's Way," a bridge between Anchorage and a swampy, undeveloped port, which is named for the man who got us the money, Alaska's lone congressman.
But it's the $15 million designated for a road between Juneau and Skagway that is dearest to me. Haines, the small town I live in, is close to Skagway - separated from it only by the waters of the upper Lynn Canal, which is not a canal at all, but the longest fjord in North America. The transportation money will go toward the first road ever to be built along the canal. Actually, the project will cost about $300 million to complete, but Gov. Frank Murkowski assures Alaskans that he'll get whatever he needs from the federal government.
The communities directly affected - Haines (population 2,400), Skagway (population 870) and Juneau (population 31,000) - have voiced opposition to the road for a host of good reasons: it is a waste of money; with at least two dozen avalanche chutes, it will be too dangerous to drive in winter, which is most of the year; we already have a fine ferry system that gets us just about everywhere we need to go in all kinds of weather; some places are too nice to be paved over.
Oh, and did I mention that the road won't fulfill its ostensible mission? The whole purpose of the new road was to connect Juneau to the Klondike Highway...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
So you believe people should never get anything back in the taxes they pay...
Here leach... Suck, suck, suck...
For both bridges, Alaska is paying for the majority of the projects.
Oh yeah, we should ALL get back 60K per family in benefits, cause WE DESERVE IT. I think you have the wrong site, try DU. It's where the Taxeaters are King.
"The journalist is an Alaskan." So?
"Then there's $230 million or so for "Don Young's Way,"
This would make a good downpayment on an oil refinery for our nation. We actually need a new oil refinery.
Oh well.....
She is therefore more qualified to discuss pork in Alaska than in West Virginia.
Oh, I see, you are one of those people who think all resources belong to the STATE.
Thats sort of Marxist viewpoint for a freeper, are you sure you're not a DU troll?
Alaska's constitution says the resources of the state belong to the PEOPLE, and the Permanant Fund Dividend is the People's share of those resources.
If you have a problem with that, you have a problem with Democracy.
I've never understood why there hasn't been a road to Juneau up to now.
I hate to break it to you, but Oil refineries are not built by the government. Public infrastructure (such as roads) are.
I can't believe any freeper would put oil refineries into the hands of the government!
From my visits to Alaska, I've found the majority of Alaskans want their elected officials to get every penny they can get from Washington D.C. to compensate for Washington D.C. owning most of the state. If you don't like paying through the nose, maybe you should think about giving the people of Alaska the same right to self government as Kosovo Albanians enjoy. They'd have no problem paying for whatever they want or need if the federal government didn't own most of Alaska and rule over the people of Alaska with an iron fist.
Its simple cost/benefit analysis. Here are a couple clues.
These mountains rise directly out of the water. Every mile of road would have to be blasted out of solid rock. Its just not needed. There is daily ferry and air service down to Juneau.
I'll trust you to take care of Pennsylvania I'f you'll trust Alaskans to take care of Alaska.
Damn Straight Yoswif!. Thank you for recognizing that. The feds have 95% of Alaskan lands tied up, contrary to the Statehood act.
yeah , but do yer bike tour when the bugs are at an ebb [pre-bugs or post-bugs ,LOL!!]
That's all they get for their taxes -- just a bridge? The DoD doesn't provide for their defense? No federal funding for NASA? Or Homeland Security? Or the State Department? Where can I select what my money goes for and not have to pay for all the other things I don't want?
In 2025, Alaska is the State with the highest proportion of its population under 20 years of age (34 percent), followed by California (33 percent). States projected to have the smallest proportion of population under age 20 are West Virginia and Florida (both with 21 percent).
Hmmm, let's see now, 2025 minus 20 equals 2005 and the report was written in 1996.
I wonder how one projects the demographics for a population whose parents have not even conceived, nor possibly even met, not to mention a possible mass exodus of late teenagers to get the hell out of the frozen zone. I guess those census forms must've been accurately handed out to all the 8-18 year olds in primary and secondary schools during the Clinton years to yield these astounding results.
DNC statistics, ain't it great!
I've got a problem with the people of Alaska reaching into my back pocket for pork. How about if the rest of us vote to grab all that lovely oil money eh? That would be Democracy in action too wouldn't it?
The Alaska Railroad should be connected to Canada with a sidetrack running all the way to Nome. I did not realize how important railroads were until I moved from AK to SE Idaho in 2002 - they built this country!
NYT idiots think that Point Mackenzie across Knik Arm from Anchorage is swampland. I've hunted that land and its a lot drier and more stable than the mud and silt that Anchorage sits on. Heck, I even found oil seeps on a trail while bird hunting there one October. Oh but wait, that would be an oil spill wouldn't it? Maybe not because there was no oil company in sight...
Because President Polk wimped out of his campaign promise of "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!" Had he gotten us 54° 40' as the northern border of Washington as promised, British Columbia would be ours and we would have continuous U.S. territory all the way to Alaska (the southern border of Alaska is 54° 40'). They would have probably built a road through there in WWII.
We built a road from Burma to China in similar terrain in WWII.
Look at your own state first. I'll bet you have way more stupid wastefull pork projects than Alaska.
Compared to the resourses Alaska supplies to our country we get damn little pork in return.
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