The View From ‘Nowhere’

Seven of us spent two great weeks King Salmon fishing on Ketchikan. I say "on" because Ketchikan is on a island. We couldn't understand why there wasn't a bridge to Ketchikan when we landed. It"s not far, maybe 300 hundred yards!

WOw! This is an awesome story about people and the reality of the bridge which actually is to somewhere.

It appears that the big mistake was letting the Government decide to locate the airport at the wrong location. Why hasn't that been exposed and the bums run out of town on a rail? The question is; what's the best decision given where we are today? Can anybody actually justify spending this money? If "No", then Palin is right. Otherwise, then spend the money.

Does the ferry operator think the bridge is good? Once the bridge is built and the tempoorary workers are all gone, does Ketchican have he budget to maintain it? The ferry will be gone, the people who run it will be gone, the pleasant ride to the airport will be just another mile of asphalt.

With Palin bragging about the deals she made with the oil companies to give the people of Alaska big tax dollars and no state income taxes. why can't you use all that excess oil money to build your own bridge?

I live in a state with incredibly high state and local taxes. I pay over $4 grand a year in property taxes for a 1600 sq ft house on 3/4 of an acre of land. No police department, volunteer fire department, no curbside trash removal - squat! Oh yeah, while your on your little democrats will raise taxes rant, this state has had a republican governer for over 12 years and the town has had a republican stronghold in the top town officials seats for almost 20 years!
I'm just sorry Obama didn't pick a younger, less connected running mate. The good old boys need to be good old history. I think we should never vote for an incumbent for at least 10 years to clean up this mess and let governent know who pays thier wages. TAKE GOVERNMENT BACK, DON'T VOTE FOR ANY INCUMBENTS!


No McCain - He's really a good old boy - connected to everyone in Washington - on both sides of the line.
No Palin - would you really want her as one heartbeat away from being our president (who will be 73 years old his first year in office). McCain could be the best candidate ever and I would not vote for him knowing she could be our president five minutes after he has a stroke.

you whinny little brats. pass a LOCAL bond issue to build your ridiculous little bridge or to develop your waste of space community. the request for money for your LOCAL little projects should NEVER have even been made to the NATIONS congress. u idiots have no right to expect or even ask the country to pony up for your LOCAL projects. i think maybe ur minds are frostbitten, this is not an issue that we as a counrty should even be wasting our time on.

Don't have all the details of your situation but glad to know that you now consider yourself part of the US. For years, Alaska has gone it's own way. Now that the state has a political player in the game, welcome to the games that the rest of us have to play to get things done.

DON'T GIVE UP YOUR HOPE. I KNOW ALASKANS ARE STRONG. MAY BE SOMEDAY, THAT WOMAN OR THAT GOVERNOR WILL HEAR YOU.

Mayor Kieffer is certainly an articulate spokesman for his town, and, certainly, more articulate then his less then truthful governor. I hope President Obama will be more open to reason. Sharing America's national wealth has always been part of the Founding Father's vision for this country - rather then merely concentrating it in the hands of the upper 1% - such as the Bush and Chaney families

Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government ever invented... except for all the others." I don't like earmarks as a mechanism for allocating public funds, no one does, but you never hear serious discussion in media or politics about how ugly the alternative is: decisions by unelected, tenured Civil Service bureaucrats in D.C. At least we can hold legislators who abuse earmarks or have screwed-up priorities accountable at the next election.

The Problem of this town is liked with of my own region, The people go one and don´t come back and begin a desertification process.

If Ketchican is so important to Alaska and the tourism there, instead of b!tching about it, why don't the mayor and city council suggest, vote on and pass a bill or a bond issue to add a "tourism/bridge" tax and tax all those poor stupid tourists who are dumb enough to go there?!!! They could repeal it as soon as the stupid bridge is built, and leave the federal spending for more important things!!! But then again, it's a lot easier to just b!tch about how everyone else *&#ed you than it is to get off your *&^ and do something about it!!!

How about the $10 Billion dollars we spend in Iraq for this occupation that cost the taxpayers, if you need a bridge or projector in your state, well if it's a need it's a need, & we certainly didn't need a war & occupation in Iraq. As a concerned tax payer, I agree spending needs to get under control. But target your attacks where it should, and not toward those communities & cities that have a need for something that I would support as a taxpayer.

I was born in Ketchikan some 69 years ago. My father was stationed there as the Executive Officer on board the US Coast Guard Cutter Cyane. He and the family were transfered to sunny Honolulu in July of 1941, and I never returned. But over the years I have raised eyebrows and been given a modicom of special attention when filling out applications for schools, jobs, credit lines and the like by being from a remote and colorfully
named town in a state that was just a territory when I was born. Now that everyone in the country knows my home town as nowhere, and the recipient of a civil engineering project funded by some seemingly underhanded US government program, I am no less proud of by birthplace, and of the town's very articulate Mayor. I'd vote for him as my next governor, were I eligible.
Frank K. Johnson,
Boston, MA

Why don't you ask some of your "share the wealth buddies" for some money? Ask Cuba, Venezuela, or any other socialist/communist country.

I was born in Ketchikan some 69 years ago. My father was stationed there as the Executive Officer on board the US Coast Guard Cutter Cyane. He and the family were transfered to sunny Honolulu in July of 1941, and I never returned. But over the years I have raised eyebrows and been given a modicom of special attention when filling out applications for schools, jobs, credit lines and the like by being from a remote and colorfully
named town in a state that was just a territory when I was born. Now that everyone in the country knows my home town as nowhere, and the recipient of a civil engineering project funded by some seemingly underhanded US government program, I am no less proud of by birthplace, and of the town's very articulate Mayor. I'd vote for him as my next governor, were I eligible.
Frank K. Johnson,
Boston, MA

This was an excellent letter- and I know can see a more in depth view about this bridge. Thank you Mr. Mayor- lots of luck. You are a real asset to Ketchikan. I have been there and loved it!

How many people flying into Ketchikan's airport have it as their final destination? If you want to see Ketchikan, take a scenic ferry or boat, turn off your cell phone, relax and enjoy the view. What, it's going to take three hours to transit that little bit of water? Publicize the water route to the airport-- I use one from downtown Boston all the time, and it's better than the tunnel in a taxi or bus or any bridge ever made. And if you miss your flight, well, then, you just didn't leave home in time, did you? Oh, poor you.