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Transcript:
REPORTER: Isn’t there a bunch of stuff in that highway bill, at least 24 billion dollars, that could be taken out and used for the people in New Orleans and Mississippi and the places that were affected?
REP. YOUNG: No! That money is not there! That money is for transportation! That is not added pork. See, that’s why the whole media — Wall Street Journal, yourself, respectfully, you know, Sam Donaldson — don’t know what the hell you are talking about. This is grandstanding by individuals that don’t know what they’re talking about. I’ll go back to that. It’s ignorance and stupidity.
Don’t touch our pork.
I hate to bad mouth my own state, but we are just about as close to a welfare state as you will find.
We get tons of oil money, and federal dollars flow into this state at a rate of 2 federal dollars for every 1 dollar of taxpayer money. And we are just about as republican a state as you can find.
And the sad part is, that in a competitive, capitalistic environment… more is better, regardless. If I have the choice of the federal money being spent poorly here in Alaska, or poorly down there in Louisiana… I’ll pick Alaska. If I had confidence that the money would be spent wisely I might have different feelings.
So the GOP brings home the bacon, and Alaska remains ‘in the bag’ as result?
Have you ever read ‘Into the Wild’ by John Krauker? A must for any resident of Alaska. You’re the first Alaskan for deadissue.com that I’m aware of. Welcome!
No I haven’t read that book.
Guys like McCandless (young drifters) are fairly common up here, especially during the summer time. Alaska is one of those places where you can easily start all over again. And it’s also easy to die in the wilderness if that is your intent.
Thanks for the welcome.
A real MUST read for Alaskans is a book called “The Strangest Story Ever Told”. It’s about a miner and his buddies right around 1900. They pull their money together to buy some prospecting gear and a couple of them head out to Thomas Bay (near Petersburg in Southeast Alaska). The two fellows come back with an incredible supernatural story. Definitely makes the hairs on your arms and neck stand up. It was written by a guy name Harry Colp, and it was written as a non-fiction. I’ve only ever seen it in the local bookstores in Southeast Alaska.
A forum posting about the book.
When I was younger I took some boat building courses down in Juneau, and the instructor had been to Thomas Bay. He said that indeed there was a weird vibe there. The attorneys my mother worked for had said that they were cruising down the passage, and saw a sail boat burning in Thomas Bay.
Supposedly there was an earthquake which caused a major landslide that wiped out a native village that existed in Thomas Bay.
Nature can be pretty creepy sometimes.
I’m amazed by the enormity of Alaska. The story of the highway being built during WW2 is a piece of history I wasn’t exposed to until I was 24. That’s sad!
McCandless was a fascinating character…
I’ll look up that book online…I love Alaska stories.