Airport to nowhere. We're paying 60M of the 77M cost. Only 100 people in the town, the 1000 workers they talk of that may use it are only there during the summer, also it's almost impossible to get to the airport, it's on a remote island 6 miles away from the town across the water.
#565474 - 10/08/1112:39 AMRe: Your tax dollars at work
[Re: DLC]
six_of_one
Pool Bar
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 4474
Loc: Alexandria, VA
Okay, I'm guessing I'm missing the point here -- seems to me the question isn't the airport, which is needed and is on the nearest practicable acreage -- the question is how to get to and from the airport. It's the same situation as in the infamous "bridge to nowhere" but without the already existing ferry service to the airport that in part made the bridge such a boondoggle ...
I guess the outrage is that the proposed solution -- hovercraft service -- isn't as capable as first thought, which leaves helicopter or some other ferry service as pricey alternatives. I gather the airport will be used regardless -- there doesn't appear to be any other way in our out* after the amphibious air service ends. The only question is how to spend the least amount of money to safely get people to and from the community it serves.
Looks to me like there's a lot more going on here than just hicks fleecing Uncle Sam for a fancy new airport. I'd guess the *real* question is why Trident Seafoods doesn't foot more of whatever the bill will be since they'd be the major beneficiary ...
*aside from passenger boat service? None of the articles is very clear on that, or what kind of journey it entails. I gather that the community being out in the Aleutians, the journey would be fairly rough and arduous?
I thought the issue was that it was really built for the private company and not for the town. i.e. Corporate welfare !!
and don't worry about getting there... after the airport is built more pork will follow and they'll build a huge Port at our expense. how else are you going to get the fish out so they can be delivered to the airport ??
it's done stepwise, otherwise not gets too obvious.
#565485 - 10/08/1102:09 AMRe: Your tax dollars at work
[Re: DLC]
six_of_one
Pool Bar
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 4474
Loc: Alexandria, VA
Quote:
I thought the issue was that it was really built for the private company and not for the town. i.e. Corporate welfare !!
Well, it is a company town, obviously. But it does have a small year-round population and the company does employ a thousand or so people in season. The question then becomes if it's the responsibility of the company to pay for transportation or the government. And the larger question: if the airport isn't built, does the company leave/go out of business, taking along with it the jobs and probably the town itself -- and is that worth $17M?