Obama campaign's 'Alaska mythbusters' lay bare Palin facts

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Yahoo News/AFP

On Wednesday, former Alaska governor Tony Knowles and Bob Weinstein, mayor of Ketchikan, the town at the heart of the controversial "bridge to nowhere" project, teamed up in the latest salvo fired by the Democrats at the Palin nomination: the "Alaska Mythbusters."

The two officials questioned Palin's ethics and the judgment of McCain in choosing her to run alongside him in the race for the White House.

"Our current governor is now a candidate for the vice presidency and is one heartbeat away from the presidency, if she is successful in that regard," Knowles told a telephone news conference.

"I do have some very serious concerns about her qualifications for the office and some of the issues they are running on in terms of change that don't meet the facts of the situation," Knowles said.

snip...
A myth, said Weinstein.

"Sarah Palin never told Congress, 'thanks, but no thanks'. In fact, she never told Congress anything -- the appropriations process for the bridge happened before she became governor," he said.

And although most of the earmarks for the project -- which involved more than one bridge and a road -- were removed, Alaska received "every cent of its application," he said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080910/pl_afp/usvotepalinethics

[Winterblues]

1. The only city in the USA that does not have road access to it's International Airport

The Bridge was actually a worthwhile cause....It would have linked Ketchikan to it's International Airport. Now people have to take a ferry to get to the Airport. Only city in the USA that is like this..

[DogPoundPup]

2. Alaskans gets back $1.85 for every $1.00 they pay in Federal Taxes

They are a wealthy lot PLUS Palin KEPT THE MONEY.

What? Is the ferry a little tug boat style vessel...or a pretty luxurious craft that I have had to use while in Canada and in places along the Great Lakes?

Give us the whole picture.

[Winterblues]

5. It is a small little boat that carries mostly people

Remember this is an International Airport and the dock is a ways from the actual Airport building so a ways to carry your luggage..Alaskans are tough and can deal with it but it wasn't just a bridge to nowhere. The Media loves to exaggerate things

[LeftyMom]

13. There are two- 40 footer for people and a 100 foot car ferry.

http://www.borough.ketchikan.ak.us/airport/airport_ferry.htm

[DogPoundPup]

15. Thank YOU ~ n/t

[LeftyMom]

17. No problem. I was curious myself, so I googled it- it's all on their official borough webpage.

The funny thing is, the passenger numbers appear to be declining from last year until April, and haven't been updated since.

It can't take long to crunch such small numbers, so I assume they're going unposted on purpose either because of the decline or because there's not much point now that they know they're not getting the bridge.

[George II]

21. WRONG! Have you been on it? Check this:

http://www.borough.ketchikan.ak.us/airport/documents/2008-01.pdf

It carries passengers, cars, trucks, commercial vehicles AND trucks over 35 feet! Not what one would call a "small little boat that carries mostly people".

The bridge was a $350M+ boondoggle, and Palin was 100% in favor of it until she started looking foolish being one of the last to support it.

And, as far as her being against it? If that was the case, why did she permit some of the approach roads costing more than $30M to be built? So now, thanks to Palin there are roads to nowhere, too!

[LonelyLRLiberal]

23. All it takes to be an "international" airport is a flight to Canada.

Corpus Christi, TX, has an "international" airport because of flights to Mexico. Five whole gates.

[LeftyMom]

3. There are a few islands in the PNW that are only accessible via ferry.

I think there are some on the east coast, too.

Moving to BFE and then complaining that it's not convenient to travel in and out is silly.

[Winterblues]

4. With International Airports?

:shrug:

[LeftyMom]

6. That airport serves less than 450 people on an average day.

http://www.borough.ketchikan.ak.us/airport/documents/2008-04.pdf It's only used by one airline (Alaska, natch) and only has one runway.

It's not exactly a major international hub, you know?

[Arctic Dave]

9. Thank you Lefty. I was about to post this, the

"international airport" is a total exageration. Alaska does this so it can get federal dollars for it. You might get a commuter plane from Canada landing their but I don't even think they have a customs station. Kinda like Juneau.

[LeftyMom]

12. I looked it up- Alaska Airlines does a flight to Vancouver.

Our "International" airport started out with a Mexicana flight to Mexico City, but I think now you can do Mexico AND Canada. I figured it'd be something about that impressive.

[George II]

22. It's an "International Airport" because they run commuter flights to nearby CANADA only!!

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Just 6,785 people in that 'city'

as of 2007. International airport also may be accurate, but wherever the planes go, they serve a very small resident population. I spent a week in NYC this summer, took ferries each and every day. It was a great way to get around. 6,785. That is the city that can not ride a ferry?

I'm sure they could use the bridge, I'm sure it would be great for the tourist trade as well, major money up there. So, why not build it? They took the money, and no one is stopping them. They kept the 300 Million Bucks from the rest of us, they just did not build the bridge the city needs.

[Doremus]

8. As I recall, the citizens of Ketchikan themselves didn't want the bridge. n/t

[RedEarth]

10. How many people live on that island?

[Pastiche423]

18. 50 as of 2000

"Gravina Island is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. It is 21 miles (34 km) long and about 9.5 miles (15.3 km) wide,<1>, with a land area of 245.55 square kilometres (94.81 sq mi). The island had a population of 50 persons at the 2000 census."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island

[George II]

11. It's a tiny one-runway airport on an island of 50 inhabitants!! "International"? HAH!

The only reason it's called "international" is because they have commuter flights a couple of hundred miles to destinations in Canada.

Why did they build the airport there? There's plenty of open space on the other side of the water! THAT would have "linked Ketchikan to it's International Airport"!

Why should all Americans pay more than $350 MILLION for a bridge to an airport that serves only about 300 passengers a day?

Worthwhile? :rofl:

[drm604]

14. A tiny one runway airport?

Hell, they could probably move the whole airport to the mainland, and add a few runways, for a lot less than $350 million!

[central scrutinizer]

16. what's wrong with ferries?

They are an integral part of the transportation system in Washington state and British Columbia, to name only a couple of places. You don't have to pave everything to provide reliable transportation.

[LeftyMom]

20. They provide good-paying jobs to several people for decades,

not fat checks to one construction company owner and a few short-term construction jobs, like a bridge.

In other words, one spreads the costs out and creates jobs, one front-loads the cost and allows it to be used for political influence. Guess which one a Republican would prefer?

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

19. Woohoo! But I was the first to "BUZZ" the article?

Really? Rec'd and Buzzed.