Alaska Governor Reinstates 'Bridge to Nowhere'

Newsmax.com ^ | 16 Dec 2005 | NEWSMAX

[AmericanDave]

Alaska's governor outlined a plan Thursday to spend almost $200 million on two bridge projects, including one dubbed the "Bridge to Nowhere" that triggered sharp criticism across the nation.

Congress recently dropped its funding provisos for the bridges in Ketchikan and Anchorage, but let the state keep the money and left it up to state officials to figure out how to spend it.

Gov. Frank Murkowski in a budget proposal Thursday said he wants to use $91 million for the Ketchikan project in the fiscal year beginning in July.

The two-bridge project would connect the town's airport to Revillagigedo Island, where most of the 13,000 residents of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough live.

[thackney]

Is this the area you mean?

[thackney]

Lots of houses around there

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=61.202457,-149.938488&spn=0.016379,0.053816&t=h&hl=en

[Clara Lou]

Yes, the land that runs right along the inlet. We lived on Telequana Dr. [on the map] across Northern Lights and up a little from Earthquake Park. Right before we left Alaska, the people who still owned the lots along the inlet were not allowed to build on them. They were trying to get the city to allow them to do so at their own risk. I thought that they were insane. I just wondered how that came out.

[Chena]

Thanks for this, oldfart! Some FReepers love to flame Alaska. Too bad those flames can't heat our homes. LOL

[RightWhale]

Snow slid off the roof yesterday. This happens usually at least once in the dead of winter and means the temperature has risen above freezing for a few hours. Heat wave!

[thackney]

We've been above freezing for a few days. The yard has little snow left and the drive is a sheet of ice.

[thackney]

Yes, the land that runs right along the inlet. We lived on Telequana Dr. [on the map] across Northern Lights and up a little from Earthquake Park. Right before we left Alaska, the people who still owned the lots along the inlet were not allowed to build on them. They were trying to get the city to allow them to do so at their own risk. I thought that they were insane. I just wondered how that came out.

There is so little land left to build on. Far too many people are living in Wasilla driving nearly an hour one-way just to find a place to live.

[Czar]

"This looks like the Modus Operandii of RINOS, Corrupt pols, and DemonRATs..."

SOP for our Mickey Mouse Congress for at least the past 40 years.

Business as usual.

[Chena]

We've had above zero temps during the day too and we're LOVIN' it! Still have snow on the roof and about 18 inches on the ground. Probably have gotten about 2'+ this winter so far. Had a couple of cold spells so far and I think the coldest was -45.

Sure feels like spring right now. :)

[Chena]

Our son drove up from Anchorage on Thursday and said there was about 6 inches of new snow from Eureka to Glennallen and then freezing rain. Said the ice was hitting the windshield and freezing on impact, and like you said, the drive is a sheet of ice. Got much better closer to Gakona.

Caribou are moving too. My husband drove through 10 miles of caribou on the road in the Mentasta area. We had caribou in the yard 3 days ago.

[Brad C.]

My guess is that you don't know a whole lot about how the PFD program was set up, how the distributions get made, and what happens to the other moneys collected by the State of Alaska.

After living in Alaska for 30 years, I get really bothered by people saying that it "free" money, or that it should be spent in such a such manner. While the program is in no way perfect, and the local government takes advantage of every possible means to spend every dollar it can; there is no state in the union that has a better method of redistributing the wealth generated by the resources of the state back to its residents which by law are the owners of those resources.

Picture if you will a similar setup in Iraq today. A percentage of the money from the sale of oil gets deposited into an investment account. As the investment appreciates, a percentage of that revenue is then paid out to every citizen (man, woman and child) in the country. Using figures from Alaska, lets say that would be around $1,000 US each and every year. For most of the people/families in Iraq, this would be a dramatic raise in annual income and become a major source of disposal income to them.

The reason I mention this is that with a direct interest in the revenue, the people have a much higher interest in protecting what is theirs. The pipelines didn't matter before because Saddam got all the money, but if it meant 6-10 thousand dollars a year to each family there might be a little less terrorism in country.

I have no idea what state you live in, but just imagine the benefit you would be receiving if your government had set up a similar program for the sale of state owned resources and invested the money for your benefit.

[goodnesswins]

YES, YOU are correct.....my bad.....I live in the Socialist State of Washington.....and I worked on the Pipeline in the 70's.....(typed most of the invoices for the heavy equipment sold for the project). I need to quit being so flippant.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Got me on that one. Seems to me the residents of Ketchikan might simply prefer a check made out to the amount of $15,000+ to each and every one of them than to build the bridge, just a hunch. ;-)

[Aunt Polgara]

We were in Ketchikan last summer, and even they make fun of it. To cross the bridge, you will have to drive quite a ways out of the way. In fact, taking the ferry will be FASTER than using the new bridge!

[steve-b]

The more I learn about Murkowski (nepotistism, fancy jets, bridge to his own property), the more I think he is a thoroughly corrupt, conceited man who believes he can do whatever he damn well pleases as long as it benefits him or his family. Too bad that he's also a Republican.
Of course, he's had an experienced tutor: Ted Stevens.

Always two there are: one master, one apprentice.