[Grovenet] Palin supports $600 million 'other' bridge project

[Katie Allnutt]

Isn't it amazing that John McCain gave the public less than 60 days  
to learn about Sarah Palin's record, how she governs and her  
philosophies to determine whether she would be a good fit as 2nd in  
command of the greatest country in the free world?

John may like to make snap decisions as his reputation suggests so I  
guess he wants us to just do the same.

The difference that I see between Obama and McCain is that McCain  
wants top down control. Just do what he says and don't look too close  
at his decisions. Obama on the other hand has been consistent in  
talking about people taking responsibility of their own government.  
He talks about the principles embodied in the concept known as 'by  
the people'. When you have actually studied the constitution it gives  
you some insight into our history and how to get back to the basics  
that make this country unique in the world. When Obama says 'this  
election is not about me - it is about you', then we know that he is  
asking us to step up to the plate and get on the right track.

I hope people will take a deep breath and pay attention because we  
don't have much time. It is up to us to do the 'by the people' work.

Katie


On Sep 16, 2008, at 2:51 PM, Bob Browning wrote:

> As Paul Harvey says, "And that's the rest of the story" ----
>
>
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> Palin supports $600 million 'other' bridge project
>
> By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press WriterTue Sep 16, 6:58 AM ET
>
> Gov. Sarah Palin may eventually have said "no thanks" to a  
> federally funded Bridge to Nowhere.
>
> But a bridge to her hometown of Wasilla, that's a different story.
>
> A $600 million bridge and highway project to link Alaska's largest  
> city to Palin's town of 7,000 residents is moving full speed ahead,  
> despite concerns the bridge could worsen some commuting and  
> threaten a population of beluga whales.
>
> Local officials already have spent $42 million on plans to route  
> traffic across the Knik Arm inlet, a narrow finger of water  
> extending roughly 25 miles northeast of Anchorage toward Wasilla.  
> The proposal exists thanks to an earmark request by Republican Rep.  
> Don Young, whose son-in-law has a small stake in property near the  
> bridge's proposed western span.
>
> A Democratic council member in Anchorage will try Tuesday to spike  
> the city's sponsorship of the project, which Palin supports with  
> some reservations.
>
> "This is basically an incredibly expensive project that doesn't  
> help commuters, doesn't help create jobs and may drive whales to  
> extinction," said Justin Massey, an attorney advising  
> environmentalists opposed to the proposal. "It is also a project  
> that serves the area where the governor is from, which is near and  
> dear to her heart."
>
> The Knik Arm was one of two bridge proposals in Alaska awarded more  
> than $450 million from lawmakers who requested money for special  
> projects in 2005, when Young chaired the House Transportation  
> Committee. Young, Alaska's 18-term congressman, has said Alaska  
> still lacks basic roads, railroads and bridges that were developed  
> long ago in older and less spacious states.
>
> At the time, Palin's running mate for the Republican ticket,  
> Arizona Sen. John McCain, derided both projects as wasteful. He  
> called Young's highway bill a "monstrosity" that was "terrifying in  
> its fiscal consequences."
>
> "I want no part of this," McCain said in a July 2005 statement.  
> "This legislation is not — I emphasize not — my way of legislating."
>
> The governor initially championed the first so-called Bridge to  
> Nowhere, which would have connected the southeastern Alaska town of  
> Ketchikan to its airport on nearby Gravina Island. She later pulled  
> the plug on the project after it became a national symbol of  
> extravagant federal spending.
>
> Palin's record on the Bridge to Nowhere has emerged as a central  
> point of controversy in the campaign over her recent public claims  
> that she had opposed it, aligning herself with McCain's anti- 
> earmarks philosophy.
>
> Palin still supports the second bridge, officially named Don  
> Young's Way in honor of the congressman. She called for a review of  
> the bridge's financing plans and raised concerns about its  
> financial risks for the state. Still, the planning process is  
> marching forward.
>
> "Governor Palin's demand for accountability and transparency around  
> this project is exactly what she has called for across the board to  
> ensure taxpayers' dollars are being used wisely," spokeswoman Maria  
> Comella said.
>
> Dianne Keller, who succeeded Palin as mayor in Wasilla, has said  
> the new $600 million crossing could lower traffic congestion in the  
> fast-growing community. A Federal Highway Administration study  
> shows the project would cut down some area commutes, but could add  
> to others as more people move to the suburbs.
>
> The average commuter trip to work for Wasilla residents is 34  
> minutes, compared to an average of 25 minutes for the rest of the  
> United States, according to 2000 Census figures, the most recent  
> available.
>
> The bridge is popular with property developers — including a group  
> comprised of Young's son-in-law, the former legislative director  
> for indicted Republican Sen. Ted Stevens and three others — who own  
> land across from Anchorage on the inlet's western side.
>
> The National Marine Fisheries Service is evaluating whether the  
> isolated beluga whales that breed and feed in the waterway's strong  
> tides should be listed as endangered under the federal Endangered  
> Species Act. Palin has publicly urged the government not to list  
> Cook Inlet beluga whales as endangered.
>
> Anchorage Assembly members Patrick Flynn and Matt Claman, both  
> Democrats, plan to introduce a proposal to kill the bridge on  
> Tuesday. They argue the money would be better used to set up  
> commuter van pools and fix Alaska's existing highways, some of  
> which are so rutted that cars go skidding off the road.
>
> "She clearly hasn't said 'no thanks' to this particular bridge,"  
> Claman said. "If money were not an issue and we had no limits,  
> maybe we'd build a bridge. But this is not a pragmatic or efficient  
> way to spend scarce resources."
>
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