“B” Word Infrastructure
It was Saturday night and I was looking for a place to relax and write. I had sampled more then enough St. Louis micro-brew the past few weeks while on the road, such that a cup of Earl Grey sounded comforting. So I headed to downtown Anchorage. See, the other day I had a very interesting flight over Alaska. It was almost like a guided tour - call it the “Tour of the Be Damned”. I’ll get to that later on in this broadcast. Now as usual, parking is a “Nightmare on Elm Street” like affair here in Alaska’s “Big City”. But not to worry, as there is a brand spanking new “paved paradise put up a parking lot” just down the road from the two coffee shops I frequent when in this part of town. Damn, there was a line at the ticket booth. It’s one of those computerized gizmos, wherein you get no feedback and lucky to get your credit card back. The weather was nice, so conversation allowed “citizens” to voice just how bad the parking was in this town. I think “Begich” is a new curse word! So I had my permit and headed to the coffee shop. It was pretty crowded, as people were starting to show for the “Big Show” at the PAC. What, you’re not taking any more orders? It is only 7:00pm! So I followed an angry crowd over to the only other coffee shop within walking distance. Wow, a crowd here also. I found a table and booted up my computer, allowing enough time for the line to calm down. What, no more orders? This place was also closing down. People complained about this to the same degree of dissatisfaction as with the parking authority madness. And my computer takes at least 20-minutes to shutdown! This is serious business, as there was no place downtown to enlighten oneself intellectually. Now when the tourists are in town, the shops remain open. But when the locals want a little peace and quiet, it is more of the same sorry we’re closed crap! So I high tailed it over to another shop in mid-town, one that was at least open for another hour. This was Saturday night my friends! Anyway, back to my travels. Upon arriving back into Alaska airspace the other day, the weather was such that the pilot set a low altitude course of attack, wherein the contrast from light and a little snow allowed landmarks to stick out like a sore thumb. Wish I had a map, as there were many things that went unrecognized. But it wasn’t hard to figure out some of the famous places along the way. There’s the failed Kodiak Launch Facility. What’s that I hear from an in-flight eavesdrop upon conversation? There is a bid out to construct an X-Band radar on the island. This is by far another hidden waste thy money agenda. It is all part of the dancing with the stars “war” initiative. It doesn’t work, but it had to be mobilized, so Ted could claim something of fame. I would rather see the dairy enjoy the money. At least we would get milk. Spending money on the AADC – Alaska Aerospace & Development Corporation – means nothing short of getting milked by some guy who thinks he is Oliver North. But the best of the rest in waste came into view upon descent into Anchorage, as the glide path followed the Knik River, right past the Don Young failed wood chip export facility. Looks like this place continues to receive “pork”, as the lights were still on. And there seemed to be some most recent building activity. Couldn’t be a maintenance shop, as nothing is used anymore so nothing breaks down. Oh, that in-flight eavesdropping is right again. It is the new ferry terminal, as this state is soon to claim ownership to another piece of crap we didn’t ask for. We didn’t ask for those ridiculous bridges to nowhere, outsiders should be made aware of that. Anyway, soon to be ours is this one-of-a-kind new hi-tech amphibious assault vessel. It was built by the NAVY, as it was the only way Don could get it into a budget. And it is supposedly going to be used as a high-speed ferry, from Anchorage over to Pt. McKenzie, at least until the first bridge to nowhere gets built. The problem, nobody will use the bridge. So the ferry may as well be put on E-bay. Sell it down the lower 48 way, where it is getting built, so shipping charges can be ignored. This state has a history of failed boondogglism sickness. I lived in Valdez when John Barley Corn called for spending millions of dollars in efforts to build a “grow and ship” infrastructure for the much needed “barley” grain. Money was spent on widening and straightening the roads, as it was envisioned that truckloads of barley from Delta would be sailing into Valdez and Seward each and every day all year long. Now when the silos were complete in Valdez, barley had to be imported just to test out the grain elevators. That was the only stuff that site ever would turn on the elevators for. And in Seward, the silo project came to an abrupt halt. What is really sad, is the fact that after all these years, after all this pork, after all the money wasted by the Denali Commission, we have “NOTHING” to show for it. When I travel around, it is refreshing to see that other states have not had the same outcome, as righteous decision making made for a sustainable infrastructure. I see trains loaded up to the gill traveling in all directions, unlike the Alaska Railroad that must be subsidized by Ted and Don, so empty coal cars travel back and forth between Anchorage and Seward. It is a waste of energy. I guess it is this state’s contribution to global warming! And what about the Bill “NoseBleed” Sheffield train depot? Outside I see highways and byways that indeed allow some semblance of traffic control. When I was on my way to this coffee shop from downtown, the light at Romig stopped the main thoroughfare traffic, and it is the weekend, so school is out! There must be something wrong with this type of mentality. But it is rampart in Alaska. And answer me this. Why is the municipality terrorizing HUD in the tune of 4-million dollars for soccer fields to be built out at Kincaid Park? Isn’t HUD supposed to be for housing? It was set-up that way, to manipulate the taxpayers! The way in which Ted and Don have been guilty at rewriting the way in which appropriations are hidden away for personal gains, it is criminal. Talk about waste, this state is the best of the best. And we can’t even keep a coffee shop open past 7:00pm on a Saturday night. So, just how many “pork” launched veneer plants have failed over the years? And remember the “HARP” radio? What about the Kenai Astronaut & Training Facility? Then there is the Seward Sea Life Center that had taxpayer money reserved to buy Ted’s buddy’s asbestos filled Arcade. Should be called the Sea “Lift” Center, as it is nothing short of a “wallet” lifter. The list goes on and on. And just how many rockets have blasted off from the Kodiak site? And just how much wood chip has been exported from the eye sore that sits across the Port of Anchorage? And how many times has the Federal government purchased that guy's fishing vessel then sold it for pennies on the dollar only to have to buy it back over and over again? Yet this state refrains from establishing a sustainable infrastructure wherein we would not have to rely on crooks like Ted and Don. They stole away the taxpayers’ nest egg. That is un-Constitutional in my book. If it is not in yours, then you are indeed an “American Left Behind”. Take a good whiff, as the smell of corruption is everywhere. It has tainted the Constitution. And the only self-sustainability this state can lay claim too, is pity! Alaska, once the “Last Frontier”, now though, the “Corrupt Bastard Welfare” state, in denial! Oh and poor boy John Harris feels let down because “Big Oil” lobbyist don’t visit him any more! Hey John, read the news and find out what is happening around you. Bill Allen Stevens was just that, a lobbyist. Look what he is doing today! Like I said before, take a good whiff and take a good look around you, as somebody may be watching your every move! Oh, forgot inclusion of the funniest case wherein money was tasted here in the 49er. When Ted found money to study the penis size of the male Musk Ox! Never heard any flap over that did you? Hey, I am hearing more then just the “B” word from my constituents.
It was Saturday night and I was looking for a place to relax and write. I had sampled more then enough St. Louis micro-brew the past few weeks while on the road, such that a cup of Earl Grey sounded comforting. So I headed to downtown Anchorage. See, the other day I had a very interesting flight over Alaska. It was almost like a guided tour - call it the “Tour of the Be Damned”. I’ll get to that later on in this broadcast. Now as usual, parking is a “Nightmare on Elm Street” like affair here in Alaska’s “Big City”. But not to worry, as there is a brand spanking new “paved paradise put up a parking lot” just down the road from the two coffee shops I frequent when in this part of town. Damn, there was a line at the ticket booth. It’s one of those computerized gizmos, wherein you get no feedback and lucky to get your credit card back. The weather was nice, so conversation allowed “citizens” to voice just how bad the parking was in this town. I think “Begich” is a new curse word! So I had my permit and headed to the coffee shop. It was pretty crowded, as people were starting to show for the “Big Show” at the PAC. What, you’re not taking any more orders? It is only 7:00pm! So I followed an angry crowd over to the only other coffee shop within walking distance. Wow, a crowd here also. I found a table and booted up my computer, allowing enough time for the line to calm down. What, no more orders? This place was also closing down. People complained about this to the same degree of dissatisfaction as with the parking authority madness. And my computer takes at least 20-minutes to shutdown! This is serious business, as there was no place downtown to enlighten oneself intellectually. Now when the tourists are in town, the shops remain open. But when the locals want a little peace and quiet, it is more of the same sorry we’re closed crap! So I high tailed it over to another shop in mid-town, one that was at least open for another hour. This was Saturday night my friends! Anyway, back to my travels. Upon arriving back into Alaska airspace the other day, the weather was such that the pilot set a low altitude course of attack, wherein the contrast from light and a little snow allowed landmarks to stick out like a sore thumb. Wish I had a map, as there were many things that went unrecognized. But it wasn’t hard to figure out some of the famous places along the way. There’s the failed Kodiak Launch Facility. What’s that I hear from an in-flight eavesdrop upon conversation? There is a bid out to construct an X-Band radar on the island. This is by far another hidden waste thy money agenda. It is all part of the dancing with the stars “war” initiative. It doesn’t work, but it had to be mobilized, so Ted could claim something of fame. I would rather see the dairy enjoy the money. At least we would get milk. Spending money on the AADC – Alaska Aerospace & Development Corporation – means nothing short of getting milked by some guy who thinks he is Oliver North. But the best of the rest in waste came into view upon descent into Anchorage, as the glide path followed the Knik River, right past the Don Young failed wood chip export facility. Looks like this place continues to receive “pork”, as the lights were still on. And there seemed to be some most recent building activity. Couldn’t be a maintenance shop, as nothing is used anymore so nothing breaks down. Oh, that in-flight eavesdropping is right again. It is the new ferry terminal, as this state is soon to claim ownership to another piece of crap we didn’t ask for. We didn’t ask for those ridiculous bridges to nowhere, outsiders should be made aware of that. Anyway, soon to be ours is this one-of-a-kind new hi-tech amphibious assault vessel. It was built by the NAVY, as it was the only way Don could get it into a budget. And it is supposedly going to be used as a high-speed ferry, from Anchorage over to Pt. McKenzie, at least until the first bridge to nowhere gets built. The problem, nobody will use the bridge. So the ferry may as well be put on E-bay. Sell it down the lower 48 way, where it is getting built, so shipping charges can be ignored. This state has a history of failed boondogglism sickness. I lived in Valdez when John Barley Corn called for spending millions of dollars in efforts to build a “grow and ship” infrastructure for the much needed “barley” grain. Money was spent on widening and straightening the roads, as it was envisioned that truckloads of barley from Delta would be sailing into Valdez and Seward each and every day all year long. Now when the silos were complete in Valdez, barley had to be imported just to test out the grain elevators. That was the only stuff that site ever would turn on the elevators for. And in Seward, the silo project came to an abrupt halt. What is really sad, is the fact that after all these years, after all this pork, after all the money wasted by the Denali Commission, we have “NOTHING” to show for it. When I travel around, it is refreshing to see that other states have not had the same outcome, as righteous decision making made for a sustainable infrastructure. I see trains loaded up to the gill traveling in all directions, unlike the Alaska Railroad that must be subsidized by Ted and Don, so empty coal cars travel back and forth between Anchorage and Seward. It is a waste of energy. I guess it is this state’s contribution to global warming! And what about the Bill “NoseBleed” Sheffield train depot? Outside I see highways and byways that indeed allow some semblance of traffic control. When I was on my way to this coffee shop from downtown, the light at Romig stopped the main thoroughfare traffic, and it is the weekend, so school is out! There must be something wrong with this type of mentality. But it is rampart in Alaska. And answer me this. Why is the municipality terrorizing HUD in the tune of 4-million dollars for soccer fields to be built out at Kincaid Park? Isn’t HUD supposed to be for housing? It was set-up that way, to manipulate the taxpayers! The way in which Ted and Don have been guilty at rewriting the way in which appropriations are hidden away for personal gains, it is criminal. Talk about waste, this state is the best of the best. And we can’t even keep a coffee shop open past 7:00pm on a Saturday night. So, just how many “pork” launched veneer plants have failed over the years? And remember the “HARP” radio? What about the Kenai Astronaut & Training Facility? Then there is the Seward Sea Life Center that had taxpayer money reserved to buy Ted’s buddy’s asbestos filled Arcade. Should be called the Sea “Lift” Center, as it is nothing short of a “wallet” lifter. The list goes on and on. And just how many rockets have blasted off from the Kodiak site? And just how much wood chip has been exported from the eye sore that sits across the Port of Anchorage? And how many times has the Federal government purchased that guy's fishing vessel then sold it for pennies on the dollar only to have to buy it back over and over again? Yet this state refrains from establishing a sustainable infrastructure wherein we would not have to rely on crooks like Ted and Don. They stole away the taxpayers’ nest egg. That is un-Constitutional in my book. If it is not in yours, then you are indeed an “American Left Behind”. Take a good whiff, as the smell of corruption is everywhere. It has tainted the Constitution. And the only self-sustainability this state can lay claim too, is pity! Alaska, once the “Last Frontier”, now though, the “Corrupt Bastard Welfare” state, in denial! Oh and poor boy John Harris feels let down because “Big Oil” lobbyist don’t visit him any more! Hey John, read the news and find out what is happening around you. Bill Allen Stevens was just that, a lobbyist. Look what he is doing today! Like I said before, take a good whiff and take a good look around you, as somebody may be watching your every move! Oh, forgot inclusion of the funniest case wherein money was tasted here in the 49er. When Ted found money to study the penis size of the male Musk Ox! Never heard any flap over that did you? Hey, I am hearing more then just the “B” word from my constituents.
CopyRight 2007 – Dixie Productions/MSK Media/Eagle Rock Press
5 comments:
Do you know how hard it is to read a 1,400 word piece when there are no paragraph breaks? At least you use punctuation.
You might have something interesting to say, but most readers will never know because they'll all give up before they find out.
"b" is for bored is right.
The one thing that caught my eye: the Alaska Railroad is not subsidized. It makes a healthy profit, thank you very much. The ARR does receive some federal funds for capital expansion, but operationally, it is a profitable machine.
And the hoppers go south from Healy to Seward full of coal, where it's loaded onto ships to go to Korea. Even with them empty on the northbound trip, railroading is still much more fuel efficient than trucking or any other land-based mode of transport...
Dear Progressive Alaskan,
Hi. I’ve started a blog, called Progressive Alaska, at blogspot.com. I’ve linked to your blog, as a “progressive blog.” I’m interested in making that listing – and others at the spot – as comprehensive as possible. Additionally, I hope to be able to keep adding any new progressive blogs to the list as they are created.
The topics of links I initially hope to create are:
Progressive blogs
Progressive media
Mainstream media
Progressive political organizations
Progressive statewide organizations
Progressive local organizations
Progressive national organizations with an Alaska presence
More topics will be added, as they are suggested, or I think of them.
I welcome guest posts in the essay category, and hope to be able to update myself, or with submitted essays on a daily basis.
Here’s the blog url:
http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/
Regards,
Phil Munger
You are absolutely correct about "Space Pork Kodiak", the Kodiak Launch Complex - it is a giant waste of taxpayer money.
Did you know that no missile has actually struck the target missile? If they come within 20 miles of each other, MDA calls it a "successful" test.
@Voyage,
You're wrong. They've hit four out of the last five. The one that didn't go was when the second stage of the target drone didn't fire and it splashed down somewhere in the ocean.
You can find video of the latest test, complete with two views of the impact.
I'm not a huge supporter of the operation, but it's only fair to be accurate about it.
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