Thanks for the information, Walt. I suspected some enrichment scheme
like that since the several scores of people who lived on the island
seemed to be functioning fine with boats and a ferry.
Winsor
Long Beach, California, USA
On Feb 12, 2006, at 12:01 PM, Walt Wayman wrote:
> Maybe I'm confusing my sleazy politicians, there seem to be so many
> of them nowadays.
>
> This is a portion of an article in the Wall Street Journal earlier
> this week:
>
> Another beneficiary of Governor Murkowski's decision to plow the
> state's share of federal transportation dollars into bridges is a
> controversial $223 million span near Anchorage that would connect
> that city with a nearly deserted port. The bridge will be called
> Don Young's Way after Alaska's lone House member, who also serves
> as chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
>
> It could be Don Young's way in more senses than that. The Anchorage
> Daily News reports that Art Nelson, Mr. Young's son-in-law, is part
> owner of 60 acres of what he described as "beautiful property" on
> land that will be opened up to development by the bridge.
>
> "A bridge would change everything," reported the Daily News. "Don
> Young's Way would . . . make the land much more valuable." Mr.
> Nelson, told the paper he did discuss his partial acquisition of
> the 60 acres with Mr. Young. One of the other owners of the land is
> fisheries lobbyist Trevor McCabe, a former legislative director for
> none other than Sen. Stevens. Until last October, Mr. McCabe was
> partners with state senator Ben Stevens, the son of Ted Stevens, in
> a consulting firm called Advance North that represents salmon
> fishermen who are regulated by the state Board of Fisheries, which
> is chaired by none other than Mr. Nelson, Rep. Young's son-in-law.
>
> If you're confused, so are Alaskans, who joke that eventually all
> the relatives of its leading politicians will get bridges for
> Christmas. Some are urging the state to cut back on pork: "Though
> enriched by $60 a barrel oil and record levels of federal highway
> aid, Alaska cannot afford to fulfill the dreams of grandiose
> politicians and connect every dot on the state map," the Daily News
> editorialized last month.
>
> Rep. Young's spokesman told me that his boss had nothing more to
> add other than what was already on the public record. But Gov.
> Murkowski has come out with all guns blazing in defense of both
> controversial bridges. "Alaska has been held up to public ridicule
> by the special-interest extremists," he said in his State of the
> State address last month. He proposed funding a two-year "long
> overdue" public relations campaign that would "accurately portray
> Alaska." While he didn't put a price tag on the proposal, odds are
> that one of Alaska's members of Congress will be standing by to
> propose a federal earmark to pay for it.
>
> End of quote.
>
> Walt
>
>
> --
> "Anything more than 500 yards from
> the car just isn't photogenic." --
> Edward Weston
>
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>>
>> Never saw that reported anywhere. :-)
>>
>>
>>
>> Winsor
>> Long Beach, California, USA
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Feb 12, 2006, at 10:44 AM, Walt Wayman wrote:
>>
>>> It's not a "bridge to nowhere." It goes to an island where a bunch
>>> of his kinfolks own property.
>>
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