Palin pushes for road to Nome(3 to 4 Million a Mile-500 Miles)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Anchorage Daily News

JUNEAU -- Boomers talked for decades about building a road to Nome, an epic 500-mile plus project that would run through some of the most remote wilderness of forest, tundra, rivers and valleys in the world. Now Gov. Sarah Palin, to the dismay of some state legislators, is making a push for what could be a $2 billion project.

Palin highlighted the project in her State of the State speech 10 days ago, declaring that she's pursuing a road to Nome, while in the same speech acknowledging a potential budget shortfall of more than a billion dollars. Some lawmakers are scratching their heads.

"I would say that with the limited amount of funds we have for projects I don't know how high that would rank," said Bethel Democratic Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a budget leader in the state Senate. "And if we did construct the road, what are the benefits Alaska would get for such a large-ticket item?"

Palin's transportation commissioner, Leo Von Scheben, gets a gleam in his eye when that question is posed.

"Look at the map of Alaska, and what do you see in terms of roads? North and south, north and south," he said. "We've got nothing going west. And look at what we've got out there. All kinds of resources."

He said the cost of the road would be about $3 million or $4 million a mile.



Read more: http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/story/675137.html

[Aviation Pro]

1. Forever Sarah Dumbass....n/t

[Aqaba]

2. Piddling as if Nome yearns

[acmavm]

11. while Rome burns?

That was a good one I thought.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. The ghost of Balto..

...howls somewhere.

[bluestateguy]

4. And I wish her luck in finding a way for Alaska to pay for that

I don't want the federal government chipping in one cent, especially for a state that voted the wrong way last November.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

42. Democrats in Alaska don't deserve jobs?

[FLAprogressive]

5. So much for "reigning in spending"......

[Tansy_Gold]

29. "reining"

Although with Sarah's lofty dreams/delusions, it may in fact be "reigning."


tg

[noiretextatique]

38. i think she actually meant "raining" in spending eom

[itsrobert]

6. It might be a nice scenic drive

But not worth it in money and destroying the landscape. That's what snow machine racers are for.

[donco6]

7. How often could you even use it?

Roads here in Colorado get closed several times a year, including I-70, 285, I-25, 24. I can't imagine how they'd keep 500-mile stretch open during an Alaska winter?

[JayMusgrove]

35. Who wants to go there?

And, if you want to go, who wants to drive 500 miles when you can already fly there in 2 hours?

500 miles, even if you drive it in October or May, you would encounter snowstorms, slow conditions, you'd be lucky to make the drive in 12 hours. And gas stations along the way, a place to sleep and eat?

This sounds like a few dozen bridges to nowhere.

[donco6]

36. True, true.

This is just stupid on its face.

[Mojorabbit]

8. Have they money in the budget

for if the volcano Redoubt blows? That might be an expensive cleanup.

[skepticscott]

9. Tell you what, Sarah

We'll give you what you want...independence for Alaska...then you can drill the ANWR, sell the oil off to the Japanese, and pay for the damn road out of your state budget.

[hlthe2b]

10. Every time I hear her name I get a visceral reaction....

more so than with any other female REPUG---maybe even more than Ann Coulter. Maybe it is precisely because I am female and she is female that she causes this reaction...

In all honesty, she does bring back memories of the scene from those old AIRPLANE movies---where the passengers all line up to try to "dope slap" some common sense into one of the characters.... Not advocating, of course... No, not at all....:eyes:

[Submariner]

12. The roads in Alaska are subject to huge frost heaves

The annual road maintenance budget on that long road would be enormous.

[hlthe2b]

13. Of course... it would not merely be "paved in gold..."

Good God...

[Davis_X_Machina]

23. The roadbed of I-95...

...north of Augusta, and this is Maine, not Alaska, is six feet in depth from asphalt to the bottom of the foundation. That's what you need to prevent frost-heaving.

[closeupready]

14. The Republicans' ability to completely squander taxpayer money for pork purposes is boundless.

:mad:

[Ian David]

15. The road would make it easier for Russian tanks once they landed in Alaska.

See also:

On Sarah Palin's watch, 400 German tourists landed undetected and unannounced in Barrow, Alaska
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6817793
http://TinyUrl.com/GermanInvasionGate

[prolesunited]

16. Read between the lines

"And look at what we've got out there. All kinds of resources."

Have taxpayers foot the bill for a $2 billion project to open up the wilderness to private companies so that they can rape and pillage the environment. More corporate welfare.

[superconnected]

34. good one!

[Andy823]

17. So let's see

With all the problems in Alaska, the poverty, drug use, etc., her top priority is a road that would cost around 2 "BILLION" dollars? I think she needs to get her priorities straight. If she wants that road, then get he buddies in the oil industry to pay for it, but don't use money that could be used to help out the needy citizens of Alaska!

[Ediacara]

18. Does that cost include gas stations manned 24/7 every 100 miles?

Who can go 500 miles on a single tank?

[Juneboarder]

32. A Prius can get pretty darned close!!

:hi:

[fortyfeetunder]

19. OK from a Bridge to Nowhere, to a Road to Nome.

I get it Sarah. Just say you need money...

[Ellipsis]

37. Sounds like an old Bob Hope Movie. n/t

[uppityperson]

20. Clips about resource potential, what Nomeites think, and a funny Palin story(hiring freeze)

It is not clear exactly how much resource potential exists along a route from the Interior to Nome, said Jeanine Schmidt, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. She said there are some small sedimentary basins that might have oil and gas potential, as well as many gold, copper and uranium prospects.

(clip) People in Nome aren't ready to start gassing up for the long drive to Fairbanks. Nome Mayor Denise Michaels said she was surprised to hear the governor bring it up in her State of the State speech.

But Michaels said she appreciates the governor's focus on the road. It would open up access to Western Alaska, helping the economy of the area, she said. She said it's a huge investment and she's not sure it's going to happen anytime soon, but figured maybe construction could start on both ends and go in phases.

Michaels said some people in Western Alaska villages are concerned about what such a road would mean for their communities, worrying about bootlegging and an interruption of subsistence activities.

What with the weather and high permafrost in that part of AK, maintaining such a road would be very very very costly. I'd rather see the money spent on schools, health care, and on infrastructure and training of workers than a road to Nome. How about sending the money to

http://www.topix.com/state/ak/2009/01/palin-institutes-hiring-freeze-for-alaska

Palin institutes hiring freeze for Alaska

Gov. Sarah Palin froze state hiring and pledged to work with state lawmakers to rein in spending as Alaska faces the possibility of a more than billion dollar deficit this year.

[uppityperson]

21. Palin institutes hiring freeze for Alaska

http://ap.alaskajournal.com/stories/state/ak/20090123/380534805.shtml

JUNEAU, Alaska — Gov. Sarah Palin froze state hiring and pledged to work with state lawmakers to rein in spending as Alaska faces the possibility of a more than billion dollar deficit this year. She told lawmakers Thursday night in her annual State of the State address that she also has restricted nonessential spending as oil prices remain low.

"At a time when other state legislatures are staring at multibillion-dollar deficits, and when our federal government proposes a deficit in excess of a trillion dollars this year alone, we have all the cautionary examples we need in the virtues of living within our means. With less revenue, we have an obligation to spend less money," Palin said.

The freeze will not cover public safety positions, she said. Palin also is proposing an overall 7 percent reduction in spending from last year. Palin told a joint session of the Alaska Legislature that while Alaska is well positioned because of savings from high oil prices, the state has a duty to spend less money.

Alaska's treasury is 90-percent reliant upon oil revenues. Last year, when oil prices were high, lawmakers stashed away billions. Palin said because of that, Alaska is well-prepared to face the challenges of a downturn in the national economy now that oil prices have plummeted.

"With the budget, the aim is to keep our economy on a steady, confident course. The aim is — with discipline — we protect our reserves and promote economic growth," she said. Palin said the challenge for those in state government is to be consistent despite inconsistent prices....(more)

[Piewhacket]

22. If anyone but Palin asked...

4 million/mile * 500 miles = 2000 million = 2 billion.

hmmm.... expensive. then you have to maintain it.
but what a ride!

This idea is interesting.

I wouldn't let Sarah or the 'Dude' get hold of any of this money, though.
Not a chance. So no sale.

[FarCenter]

24. $2 billion for a road to Nome, population 3,505?

$570K per person? Completely ridiculous!

[THUNDER HANDS]

25. if only man had invented some way to travel above roads

or on the water, around them.

[liberal renegade]

27. boats, planes?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

26. Did Leo Von Scheben take speaking lessons from Palin?

"Look at the map of Alaska, and what do you see in terms of roads? North and south, north and south," he said. "We've got nothing going west. And look at what we've got out there. All kinds of resources."

Aside from the lack of crimes against grammar, this could be a quote directly from her.

[paparush]

28. Palin - NomeNomeNome govt funding NomeNomeNome

[ima_sinnic]

30. what happened to "thanks, but no thanks"?

I detest that stinking, calculating poseur with every fiber of my being. she is sooo transparently phony, so unethical, so without conscience, so fake and conniving and self-absorbed and imbecilic and uncurious and superficial. There is NOTHING sincere about her. she is a true grifter, a prototypical con artist, a quintessential slimeball. why anyone, even the most braindead fweeptards, can't see through her in an instant is beyond me. PLEASE let some big scandal involving adultery and corruption sink the little dumbass SOON.

[KamaAina]

31. And where might the $2B be coming from?

The stimulus package, perhaps? The one that received not a single repuke vote? Or some other source of that ee-vull Fed'ral funding? :eyes:

[superconnected]

33. Not to mention where's it really going - which no bid contract for which firm providing her kickback

And believe me, there is one.

[Giant Robot]

39. We're on the road to no where... nt

[jmowreader]

40. It would probably be cheaper to build a new Nome south of Norton Bay

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

41. How many jobs would it create?

[BlueIdaho]

43. "No Thanks..." My Ass nt.