The View From ‘Nowhere’

Well if what you say is true, then we really don't need Sara for VP. If she cannot stand up for 14,000 people the how will she stand up for the nation?

Can you spell POLITICAL? That is just what this article. This guy (or should I say "That Guy"?) is pictured standing there in his flannel shirt and bib overalls, unshaven, wearing an old ball cap putting out what is called the truth. Supposedly he wrote this article to defend his hometown. The flow and wording of the article though, clearly screams "professional writer". Something doesn???t match. This is a pig wearing a tuxedo. Notice how ???earmarks??? are so eloquently defended. Observe how Gov. Palin is backhanded and accused of lying. Clearly these words and presentation are those of a politically minded professional writer. I???m a retired cop and I can smell a con a mile away. How about some truth? It seems that the term 1% of the total budget is dismissed as being nothing to worry about. When your budget is over a trillion dollars, 1% is quite a lot of money. That money comes out of your pocket and mine. If the money is insignificant, why not put it through congress through legal bills that are ???titled??? for what they really are and have them voted upon by our representatives? That???s because they could never be justified and never passed and the general public would be aware of them. Instead, they are quietly tucked inside of defense spending bills and other bills that are assured of passing and never discussed. Fraud is what that is called. If earmarks were referred to by their true names they would be called ???vote buyers???. Members of Congress are allowed to circumvent the legal process in order to buy votes with billions of expenditures that could not survive in the light of day. Not to mention the fact that when the money is actually sent to the various local politicians, there is no follow-up to verify what the money was actually spent on or by whom. The little town in question may have actually wanted a bridge, but just how many people will really actually be using it to get to the airport? Is it the duty of the tax payers of the remaining 49 states to make it possible for the 14000 residents of a little town to drive over a bridge to get to the airport instead of taking the ferry? Put that to a vote of the people and see how far it gets when it cannot even survive a vote in Congress. Deceptive Politics is the goal of this story. Plain and clear.

All I knew about this lovely town was what I saw as a cruise ship passenger last year. What a pretty place! While I had no idea as to local politics or infrastructure then, I see now a bit more, Governor Sarah seems quite the politician in addition to being the self-described hockey mom. Thanks for the tip.

M. Pinsker
Bangkok Thailand

I have two real good ideas to solve the problem that Ketchikan and all of Alaska has regarding their bridges, roads, and other infrastructure. Pay a state income tax like many of the rest of us Americans do for the purposes of building and maintaining infrastructure within your state.. Take some of the money that the oil companies pay each resident of the state of Alaska each year and build and maintain your infrastructure. I, for one, am tired of subsidizing Alaska's less than 1 million people with federal dollars when they have the ability to take care of their own problems using their money, not mine. Until then they should quit complaining about other Americans' complaints about the "Bridge to Nowhere.". Alaska still got the money that the "Bridge to Nowhere" would have cost from the federal governmentt. That cash still went to their infrastructure. I wish they would send me some of that money and fix the road in front of my house.

Thank you for sharing another side to the story. So many people hear about the "Bridge to Nowhere" and make their opinion based only on that tag line. I agree that anyone with half a brain should know better than to accept news reports or articles as fact. Whether I support Governor Palin or not, it was wrong of her to throw that into the pot as a positive in her campaign with the citizens of the United States not knowing anything about the issue. As for the comment regarding the guy in the overalls with the baseball cap on, etc., that person has obviously never lived in Alaska or knows the way of life up there. People are generally down to earth and there isn't such a front portrayed as there is elsewhere. Those from the Lower 48 also do not understand what the Mayor is talking about regarding expansion of development and housing. Look on your maps, do some research, and quit judging that which you know little about.

This clown does not speak for me or anyone I know that lives here in Ketchikan. The bridge may have been a viable option 30 years ago, but that ship has sailed and the crybabies really need to get over it. There is NO GOOD REASON to build a bridge. I use the airport ferry several times a year and it works just fine. However, we could use a decent shelter for the folks that walk on, and possibly a conveyor belt to help with luggage.

"What also went unstated was our town's need for development." Oh, that's rich. It's also ridiculous considering the multitude of properties for sale on this side of the channel. We also have the property at Ward Cove, site of the former pulp mill. It's also at Ward Cove where a derelict fishing boat lies half submerged at the opening of a spawning creek. This boat slowly sank for weeks and nothing was done to stop it. Our local government does a lousy job. They want hundreds of millions of dollars for a little convenience while folks in the borough still use catchment systems for water... all the while paying too-high property taxes and traveling on broken down, DANGEROUS roads and street bridges.

"The media reports never seemed to mention that Ketchikan has a year-round population of 14,000???making it the fourth-largest community in the state." I'm going to have to call BS on this as well. Ketchikan has been dwindling since the pulp mill closed. I have lived here 15 years and I've never seen as many for-sale signs as I do now. What a joke, too bad I'm not laughing.

FYI: We have 2 mayors, one for the city and one for the borough.

The drive-by media caused this misunderstanding, just as they have caused Americans to misunderstand both the candidates for President. Rather than approach this situation as a serious issue, involving trust and a promise made by out Federal Government (the same government that now wants us to trust them with billions of dollars in "bailout" money, as well as their usual socialistic redistribution of wealth and takeover of our very thoughts), the media treated this as an opportunity for sensationalism. It just goes to show that no THINKING person should get their information from ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN.

Again, I ask, how many of you folks that comment have ever lived in Alaska or even visted the state?? Do you know what The Permanent Fund is? Alaska is the best governed and managed state in the Union. The lower 48 and Congress should take note.

SO........ Why not charge each and every visitor a Sur-Charge to help pay for the bridge. What about all that windfall from oil that your governor has garnered?

Whenever I want to make life a little more convienent for my family I don't ask my neighbors that live 3 or 4000 miles away to finance it!