[Spam] RE: [Vision2020] pork

[lfalen]

Chris

Sounds like we are basically in agreement

Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Chris Storhok cstorhok at co.fairbanks.ak.us
Date: Tue,  8 Nov 2005 16:37:42 -0800
To: 'lfalen' lfalen at turbonet.com
Subject: [Spam] RE: [Vision2020] pork

> Roger,
> I agree about selling some of the federal land.  Just around the Fairbanks
> area is plenty of BLM land that is not beautiful wilderness, will never be
> mined, and frankly belongs in the free marketplace.  On the other hand,
> there are certainly parcels of land around Denali National Park that should
> be in the hands of the feds...
> With federal spending, I really do not see an end to massive spending
> anytime soon, neither party can, nor is willing, to cut the power and scope
> of the federal government.  The $34 billion spent on transportation in 2005
> is just a fly speck compared to defense, entitlements, and the national
> debt.  
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lfalen [mailto:lfalen at turbonet.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 2:29 PM
> To: Chris Storhok; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] pork
> 
> 
> Chris
> 
> Good response. I still feel that there is away too much pork every where,
> Idaho is no exception. Some time in the future maybe some federal land can
> be sold.
> -----Original message-----
> From: Chris Storhok cstorhok at co.fairbanks.ak.us
> Date: Tue,  8 Nov 2005 15:45:41 -0800
> To: 'lfalen' lfalen at turbonet.com
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] pork
> 
> > Roger,
> >  I would love to bit on this one.  First I do have to explain how the
> > highway bill works.  It is really easy to point to projects in the bill
> and
> > scream pork, your two bridges below are a great example.  But..and this is
> > the big but...this money would have gone to Alaska anyway as part of the
> > state's allotment from the Federal Highway Trust Fund that receives
> revenue
> > from the federal gas tax.  What the Taxpayers From Common Sense will not
> > openly share with you and the nation is that federal highway projects are
> > one many items that has its own funding source.  Other federal budgets
> with
> > their own dedicated funding sources include the FAA of which all aviation
> > projects are based on revenues from federal aviation fuel taxes; all
> boating
> > infrastructure programs, paid out of taxes on marine fuel collected under
> > the Dingle-Johnson Act;  and you naturally know of social security,
> Medicare
> > and so forth.
> > 
> > Up until the early 1990's Congress did not dedicate highway funds to
> > specific projects, it was assumed that state governments would take care
> of
> > the mechanism to divide highway funds throughout the state.  Pork
> barreling
> > highway projects began in earnest under the Clinton Administration (and I
> am
> > not blaming either party for this) when rural communities in mid-eastern,
> > western, and southern states started to complain that highway money was
> not
> > flowing their direction.  As you may remember, IDT was just as guilty of
> > this sin, remember the completion of unneeded freeways around Idaho Falls?
> > Twin Falls?, and the famous Flying Y intersection on Boise?  Can you
> recall
> > Governor Andrus complaining to IDT and the state GOP that Highway 95 was a
> > goat trail?
> > 
> > This type of behavior within state government lead us down the road of the
> > creation of the "High Priority" list within the various highway bills.  If
> > you read the law (and I guarantee that TFCS, and other eastern
> organizations
> > that really hate spending in the west will not tell you this) the dollar
> > amount of "High Priority" projects is subtracted from the state's formula
> > allotment.  For example, in 2005 the Federal-aid highway and highway
> safety
> > programs will be funded at $34,422,200,000 and this is regardless of the
> > existence of any pork projects, or other lists.  Of that only
> $2,966,400,000
> > (8.6%) is assigned to High Priority projects in 2005.  If the High
> Priority
> > list did not exist, that $2,966,400,000 for 2005 would have been spent
> > anyway elsewhere.  
> >  
> > The real issue is how the state allotment works, large rural states like
> > Alaska, Idaho, and Montana receive far more in highway funds than we pay
> > into the trust fund; smaller urban states like New Jersey, Ohio, and the
> > like pay far more into the  Highway fund than the receive back.  But
> > remember history, at one point the U.S. Congress funded projects such as
> the
> > National Road, the Erie Canal, and so forth to open up development of the
> > former colonies and the then western territories. These developments
> > consumed a large part of the federal budget in their day (far larger as a
> > percentage than today)  Really, the question to TFCS is, why will you not
> > allow younger frontier states (that unlike their eastern partners are
> mostly
> > owned by the federal government) to construct the highways, airports, and
> > ports that our eastern brethren were allowed to construct using federal
> > money?
> > 
> > On to the two bridges:  the bridge at Ketchikan has been proposed to
> satisfy
> > a outside corporation (Princess Cruise lines) who would like to start and
> > end more of their cruises in Ketchikan.  Currently, if you cruise Alaska
> you
> > will either start in Bellingham, Wa, or up on this end.  The cruise from
> > Bellingham, by definition, has to pass through Canadian waters to get to
> > Alaska, guess what? Starting January 1, 2007 passports will be needed to
> > cross this path.  So the cruise lines are really interested in developing
> > Ketchikan has the southern base of operations.  The runway is great,
> Alaska
> > Air serves the airport well, but the airport is a ferry ride away from the
> > port.  Add in the need to construct hotels to support the cruise ships (on
> > the same island as the airport) the poor weather which lead to frequent
> > delays in the ferry and you have a need for a bridge.  Remember the whole
> > Tongess anti-logging movement?  The end of wholesale harvest from Tongess
> > has forced Ketchikan into developing an alternate economic base, tourism
> is
> > it and a southern base of operations for the cruise lines will really
> help;
> > so what do you want, a $400 million bridge and a thriving tourist based
> > economy or wholesale logging in the Tongess? 
> > 
> > On to Anchorage..some factors: 
> > 1) as you may know development of Anchorage has filled in all of the
> > non-federal land in that basin, there is nothing left;
> > 2)the Corps of Engineers spend millions each year dredging the port of
> > Anchorage to try and keep it operational; however the many species of
> whales
> > that live in Knik Arm within the shallow and fertile waters of Anchorage
> do
> > not like the operation that much;
> > 3) Pt. McKenzie is a natural deep water port that does not silt in like
> > Anchorage does - no dredging needed;
> > 4) The thousands of acres around Pt. McKenzie is permafrost free and
> > relatively dry (easy to develop);
> > 5) Pt. McKenzie is only a mile from Anchorage.
> > Thus the need for the Knik Arm Bridge.  Granted the bridge right now would
> > take you to nowhere in a hurry, within a few years of the completion of
> the
> > bridge there will be a somewhere to go. 
> > 
> > One other point Roger, all those other projects you mention (with the
> > exception of the paint job) have similar projects within the confines of
> > Idaho...who paid for the new ag building at Idaho? (the feds)  How about
> the
> > millions of $ of fed pork heading to the Lionel Hampton School of Music?
> > The 4 lane highway 95 from Moscow to Lewiston?  Agriculture research at UI
> > and WSU? WSU grizzly bears?  I know you just copied the text from the
> TFCS,
> > however I think we all should be reminded that western states really are
> > sucking tax revenues from eastern states; the TFCS wants that to stop - it
> > is a New York organization.
> > 
> > Hope all is well,
> > Chris
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
> > [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of lfalen
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 12:19 PM
> > To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> > Subject: [Vision2020] pork
> > 
> > 
> > The following is from an article by Stephen Spruiell in the November 7,
> 2005
> > issue of National Review. Any typo's are mine.
> > 
> > Rep. Don Young stuffed two bridges in to the highway bill recently passed
> > into law. Combined the bridges will cost taxpayers $454 million just
> > slightly less than the amount Alaska will give away in PFD checks this
> year.
> > Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) checks are paid to Alaskans out of state'd
> > royalties on oil and gas. This year the state will distribute roughly $510
> > million to Alaska's 600,000 residents or about $845 apiece. Alaska has no
> > stae personal income tax or sale tax.
> > 
> > On top of this payment they are getting two unneeded bridges. one is
> > designed to connect the town of Ketchikan  (population 8,000) to its
> airport
> > on nearby Gravina  Island (pop. 50), supplanting a ferry service that
> > currently makes the trip in about seven minutes for a fare of $5 t0 $6.
> The
> > other is the infamous bridge to nowhere. It is a bridge between Anchorage
> > and a small rural area called Point MacKenzie ( pop. 11). Citizens Against
> > Government Waste ranks Alaska firs in per capita pork spending. 
> > 
> > Here are just a few of the goodies Young and Stevens have steered toward
> > alaska in recent years: $1.8 million for berry research; $1.8 million for
> > sea-otter recovery; $10 million for a pyschiatric treatment facility; $48
> > millions subsidies for the timber industry; and $500,000 to paint a giant
> > salmon on an Alaska Airlines jetliner. 
> > 
> > A study by Taxpayes for Common Sence revealed that the $285.5 billion
> > highway bill contained 119 special projects for Alaska, totaling almost $1
> > million. Of the $24 billion worth of pork in the bill Alaska got 4%. Don
> > Young compared it to hunting. " i'm always looking for a bigger Head" He
> > said about Ted Stevens " i'd lkie to be a little oinker, myself. If he's
> > cheif porker i'm upset."
> > 
> > My comment: I thought Robert Byrd was bad. These guys make him look like a
> > piker. Maybe Chris would loke to comment on Alaskan politics
> > 
> > Roger
> > 
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