Alaskan Road Design Award

In the category of the “worst” road design, the “New” Elmore takes the cake, this year and most likely for then next hundred years. Realityreal©. Now I thought that the cheapest paint purchased by the state procurement bureaucrats was the road line paint. When applied, it lasts a few weeks then the roads turn into free-for-all Parnelli Jones’ like road rage traps. I guess I went wrong with the cheapskate paint, as somebody has found an even cheaper quality paint. In fact this stuff has no quality at all. Along the “New” Elmore, there is this art like stuff, and after one winter the steel frames and panels are returning to the natural state, rust! And what is with that Fen Shu lighting? Somebody said it was supposed to act as a “calm” control, so drivers would slow down. What a freak show. That road is dangerous! There aren’t any posted speed signs along the way, but there are “Wild Life Viewing” signs! Sure, come watch as moose get caught in the fenced in trap and compete against drivers out of control. And those moose gates, well somebody forgot to grease the squeaky wheel, and once a moose finds out how to get away to freedom, the gate doesn’t close and provides a death trap entry for the young moose. Likewise with the art deco crap, rust has invaded the springs, “spring” back. And even before the asphalt along the bike paths has been allowed to cure, the construction crews are out in full force to dig up the manholes, so the covers can be lowered a few inches. It is part of this state’s “Wimp Reform” movement. See, the road manhole covers caused a workmen’s compensation law suit a few years ago, when some idiot worker said that the ice build up coming in contact with the snow removal blade caused him to get back problems. It went to court and guess what, all the protrusions were required to be lowered. So I guess the guy that plows the sidewalks has complained, so what gives? This road was a poor design, as it is already a classic bottleneck. And the peace and tranquility of the subdivisions along this “crap” designed road has been disrupted, as one cannot safely get out into the oncoming traffic. See, without coordinated traffic lights leading into and out of the “new” Elmore, there is no coordination. I take that back. I did get too enjoy a coordinated wiz bang frolic along Northern Lights from Lake Otis to Minnesota, once. And I have lived here for 20-years. So I wonder if 1 in 20 is coordinated or pure luck. The traffic patterns are ridiculously lousy here in Anchorage. And the roads are falling apart like there is no tomorrow. That may be a realityreal© with respect to traffic, as the price of gasoline is going crazy. I bet the Treasury is fuming. See, had they realized that this nation could get by with gasoline at 3 bucks a gallon, it would have been taxed to the hilt. The government would have all kinds of surplus money coming in and out to fund new highways down in Coconut Grove, for Youngstown. Maybe with all that money coming in it could have meant more rebates to stimulate the economy. And it would have not allowed the oil companies to rape us so much. But we blew the opportunity. Hey, gas in Canada has been this high for a long time, from motor fuel taxation. But look at the roads! In fact the Alcan is in better shape then the “New” Elmore, and that road has been in service for a long, long time. Why is it we are trying to re-invent the wheel. I travel a lot. It is not like this anywhere else. You can’t blame this crap on the weather. You can’t blame it of economics, as we are an oil rich state. So what can you blame it on? Accountability! See, if we were to do things right the first go around, it may mean loss of jobs. It is a sad state of affairs when roads in Morocco are in better shape then those found here in Anchorage. But like mentioned beforehand, it all boils down to “accountability”. We are for the most part afraid that if something is done right the first time, it may mean re-work is too far down the road to keep us gainfully employed year after year, wherein are only responsibility is to keep the pork chugging monster alive. It is a fake infrastructure we have created here in the 49er. We can’t even keep a dairy running! It is a no brainer. Had this state created an import tax on things like milk, a dairy would still be employing many workers. Maybe Point McKenzie would be alive and well with farmers. And had we placed an export tax on crude oil, this state would have major refineries, all making and keeping sustainable jobs. See, instead of sending crude oil to market, it would have meant refined products. Why didn’t we do it right? Because we weren’t allowed too. As a self-sustaining infrastructure would have meant independence, and that is not what representation was about. So we suffer, especially now, as there may be no turning back. This state will remain a welfare state. And with Mrs. Vogue Mature accepting the TransCanada gas line proposal, we are setting this state up once again for failure. It is time to impose an export tax on the natural gas. That will make sure it stays in state or is taxed if it goes south in its natural state. A high enough tax will force the gas to be refined here. Two ways that can be accomplished. First, the natural gas can be converted to “White Crude”, a process already proved acceptable by the “Big Oil”. It is a German process discovered during WWII, wherein natural gas is converted to a liquid and remains a liquid at atmospheric conditions. And LNG, well that would also pass the muster, wherein it is also considered a refined product and gets away without the export taxation burden. Either way, it causes an infrastructure to be built, which creates jobs that will last for at least another 30-years. If this state can get 30-years out of the oil rush, most likely the same with the natural gas rush. Therefore I am starting a petition to impose an “export” tax on all of our natural resources. All “new” found oil will be subject to this tax, so it will mean in-state refining. All natural gas and coal, the same. Coal can be converted to gas. Hey, an “export” tax would take this state from a third world welfare state to an independent state with good jobs for the duration, wherein Ted and Don and MoanLisa can continue on with things like the Coconut Grove gig, as we won’t need their generosity any longer in a game of fool’s gold gone haywire. And maybe, with that in mind, along with good sustainable jobs, the roads will be built right the first time as better jobs will await our kids, from farms to refineries. The way it should have been done the first go around, done right without that “Corrupt Bastard” mentality infiltrating righteousness and ethics. It is realityreal© not to late. Now is the time to re-act! Sign the petition to impose an “export” tax on our natural resources and you’ll see Alaska once again become a great state instead of a state handicapped by corruption and welfare will become a thing of the 49er’s dreaded past.

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