Ted Stevens’ $84 million ‘ferry to nowhere.’
By on Sep 28th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Ted Stevens’ $84 million ‘ferry to nowhere.’
“Following on the heels of Senator Ted Stevens’ failed ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ project is an $84 million ferry to allow 40 people to save a 2-hour plus drive.” The USA Today writes that Stevens is pushing for a high-speed ferry that will connect Anchorage to Port MacKenzie, following “the same route as one of the two ‘bridges to nowhere.’”
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Stevens must think we're all as Batsh*t crazy as he is.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:55 pmBuy Stevens a rowboat.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:56 pmBut no oars.
wait a minute...
September 28th, 2007 at 9:57 pmwhy doesn't some enterprising person get a loan,
buy a ferry and start a business?
eh?
let the market dictate? ... or whatever...
...
It seems like The Simpson´s episode.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:57 pmTake a good hard look, folks. This is the sorry state of conservativism in America today.
Stevens, under investigation and facing criminal charges, wants to waste $82MM on this obscene joke, while Bush threatens to veto health care for children while asking for another $190BB for his personal bloody wet dream in Iraq. And we're unpatriotic for daring to question this idiocy.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:16 pm40 people?
No, sorry. It's not worth the cost. Like katy said, one of those people should buy a ferry and make some bucks.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:25 pmone of those people should buy a ferry and make some bucks.
Comment by Zooey — September 28, 2007 @ 10:25 pm
Ya mean, like a dingy? Oh wait, they already have Stevens...
September 28th, 2007 at 10:26 pmLet the good ol corporations fill the need, because of how much they help society and stuff.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:26 pmLet the good ol corporations fill the need, because of how much they help society and stuff.
Comment by ForTruth — September 28, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
Careful, they'll go to the SBA and get a $BB loan...
September 28th, 2007 at 10:28 pmTo bad they can't toe the old one we had here in Seattle up to him..Every one and their brother was trying to fix it up for a museum or something.....Several people paid dock fee's and kept selling it or loosing it...Think it was the kalakala or maybe caca or something..LOL. My bad, been a very long day,Night all....Blessings
September 28th, 2007 at 10:54 pmHas Stevens or any of his cronies bought property on that island yet?
A bridge plus a high speed ferry indicates that some land somewhere is going to increase dramatically in value, and it is almost certainly owned by a person or corporation or developer who is inside Stevens' circle of wealthy supporters. Just like putting an airport next to land owned by a supporter is a "reward" for past and future contributions, routing a freeway or bridge or ferry enriches contributors in a sneaky quid pro quo.
:pfffft:
September 28th, 2007 at 10:57 pmIf you read the original post it's clear who gets "enriched";
September 28th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
They must think no one can see them up there in Alaska.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:33 pmJust like putting an airport next to land owned by a supporter is a “reward†for past and future contributions, routing a freeway or bridge or ferry enriches contributors in a sneaky quid pro quo.
:pfffft:
Comment by hauksdottir — September 28, 2007 @ 10:57 pm
Kind of impressive, isn't it? Stevens is under investigation, and he's STILL tryin' ta run his crooked deals thru Congress.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:35 pmThey must think no one can see them up there in Alaska.
Comment by ForTruth — September 28, 2007 @ 11:33 pm
Where?
September 28th, 2007 at 11:51 pmBaked Alaska.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:03 amHalf-baked Alaska...
September 29th, 2007 at 12:06 amI guess its still a legit question to ask if he might still get it. The pork still flows anyway.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:12 amTalk about having a brass face:Stephens is on his way to being indicted and he is still pulling this crap.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:14 amIt's amazing how the mind can convince itself of anything. I'm sure Steven's honeslty believes he is doing a service.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:17 amThe pork still flows anyway.
Comment by ForTruth — September 29, 2007 @ 12:12 am
Ask not for whom the pork flows... the pork flows for thee?
I understand yer point, but "flowing pork"... yuck... that's kinda gross, but then, that makes it all the more "appropriate", no? Gravy???
There's an episode of "The Simpsons" where Marge gits mad and smacks Homer across the jaw, breaking it. So Homer has to have his mouth wired shut. At one point, he asks Marge to make him a prime-rib smoothie...
September 29th, 2007 at 12:17 amI’m sure Steven’s honeslty believes he is doing a service.
Comment by ForTruth — September 29, 2007 @ 12:17 am
Oh yeah... Stevens is "servicing" the country all right...
September 29th, 2007 at 12:18 amNo on the ferry, eh...
Y'know a Congressman with money is a little like a mule with a spinning wheel! No one knows how he got it and danged if he knows how to use it!
Well, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six car monorail!
What I'd say?
MONORAIL
What's it called?
That's right monorail!
September 29th, 2007 at 12:24 amThat’s right monorail!
Comment by anonymousryan — September 29, 2007 @ 12:24 am
"Excellent..." - M Burns
September 29th, 2007 at 12:40 amPrime rib smoothie, nice.
September 29th, 2007 at 1:04 amWhat is exactly the motivation behind Stevens' support for a bridge then, and a ferry now?
What is on that island?
Does he own land there? Is he related to people who do? Associated?
Is he courting the people who can contribute serious money to his reelection campaign?
And if the excuse is the need for transportation and/or government support for local economic growth, I thought conservatives were all about letting the "free markets" take care of that...
September 29th, 2007 at 2:20 amNext will be a series of tubes to nowhere...
September 29th, 2007 at 4:30 amThis Stevens fella is a pugnacious guy ey. The bridge to no where is no where now he's trying to steal taxpayer money to have his little ferry that could. I must say, the people of Alaska have to be embarassed by this twit or...maybe not. NO!! Remember that little scene in the Senate. NO! You can't cut my earmark. NO! Jeez, I hope an indictment comes down pretty soon because frankly, he's a little over the top and I don't think he's interested in fixin' anybody's cabin but his own.
September 29th, 2007 at 5:17 amHere are photos of your Federal money at work.
http://www.rolandandcompany.com/2006_projects/PortMcKenzie/index.html
September 29th, 2007 at 6:30 amSomething is up, because the Congress went crazy last week and gave Bush access to 70 billion dollars allocated for bridge repairs. I believe an attack on Iran is imminent > possibly this weekend. Bush is on the verge of starting world war three.
September 29th, 2007 at 6:33 amI think Bush has figured out by now that if he goes to war in Iran without specific Congressional authority (not a toothless resolution with ambiguous language in it) then Democrats will most assuredly start impeachmnet proceedings against him.
I doubt a war will occur; this is simply saber rattling to achieve a better result in negotiations. Much as was done prior to talks with North Korea.
September 29th, 2007 at 7:23 amHow did this get publicized? I thought the GOP always tried to keep its ferries in the closet.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:16 amSpeaking of high speed ferry's, anybody know if Haggard has fallen off the "gay-wagon"? Is he still straight? Maybe he needs to get in a 12 step program with Craig. Oh, and speaking of prostitutes, I love this gem:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10307
Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, said illegal aliens would use "glaring loopholes" in the legislation to enroll in it.....Vitter went on to say "should any of these illegal aliens also be prostitutes, I'd just like them to know that I will gladly help them with any finacial burdens they may have, out of my own pocket"
September 29th, 2007 at 9:40 amI have no objection to a ferry for those people.
I object to an $84 MILLION DOLLAR ferry. Is this a "ferry" or a "cruise ship"???
September 29th, 2007 at 10:05 amPerhaps he has a boyfriend on the other side and the 2 hour drive is inconvenient for him - not that all republicons are closeted gays or anything.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:28 amSomething is up, because the Congress went crazy last week and gave Bush access to 70 billion dollars allocated for bridge repairs. I believe an attack on Iran is imminent > possibly this weekend. Bush is on the verge of starting world war three.
Comment by Jay Randal — September 29, 2007 @ 6:33 am
Jay, slight correction. The $70 billion are "bridge funds" (continuation allocations) while Congress is working on DOD appropriation bills..not funds originally allocated for bridge repairs. I do, however, agree with you that those funds are likely to be used for preparing for an attack on Iran. As we know, the Bush administration sent troops and materials over to the Middle East in preparation for the invasion of Iraq, even as they lied about diplomatic means and working with the U.N. to avoid war.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:32 amCan't we just put Stevens on a boat to nowhere?
September 29th, 2007 at 10:41 amMuch as was done prior to talks with North Korea.
Comment by makuyk00 — September 29, 2007 @ 7:23 am
North Korea isn't run by Moslems w/ oil...
September 29th, 2007 at 11:19 amwhy doesn’t some enterprising person get a loan,
buy a ferry and start a business?
eh?
let the market dictate? … or whatever…
Comment by katy
Hear...hear...isn't that what capitalism is all about? Why does Ted Stevens hate capitalism?
September 29th, 2007 at 12:03 pmStevens knows that he is toast and will never be re-elected. The Alaskans like their pork, but I doubt that they like corruption along with their port. Stevens is just trying to get as much pork in for Alaska as he can before he "retires". In the meantime my bet is that he has some "rewards" coming his way if Congress approves this money.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:08 pmWhy use federal tax dollars for such a self-serving project (don't his family members still own property that would appreciate significantly if this went through)?
Since Stevens and his buddies are such fans of privatization, why doesn't he just gather them all together and pass the hat, and the consortium could finance and develop the ferry system themselves, and then use tolls to pay for it? Isn't that exactly how privatization is supposed to work?
If for some reason Stevens decides that this is not an option, and he has to hold his nose, asking for governmental (i.e., tax dollar) assistance, then he can sell it to the idiots in Alaska who voted him into office in the first place.
If he can convince them to elect him as their U. S. Senator, then asking them to pay money out of their own pockets for this ferry system should be an exceedingly simple matter.
September 29th, 2007 at 12:17 pmTo the aptly-named "The Republic of Stupidity"; firstly, it's Muslim, not Moslem. Getting two out of six letters wrong in one of the most tossed-around words lately is quite a feat.
Secondly, what is your point? North Korea is run by a far-more menacing dictator, definitely batshit insane, with the fourth largest military in the world and nuclear weapons in-hand. Does the fact that one is religious and one is not make any difference at all?
September 29th, 2007 at 12:48 pmGetting two out of six letters wrong in one of the most tossed-around words lately is quite a feat.
Comment by makuyk00 — September 29, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
When you type "Moslem" into Google, you only get... well you can read, can't you?
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,780,000 for moslem [definition]
Here are TWO of those hits...
American Moslem Foundation
Non-profit religious and educational institution. Provides background and membership information.
http://www.oz.net/~msarram/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages
Moslem - definition of Moslem by the Free Online Dictionary ...
Definition of Moslem in the Online Dictionary. Meaning of Moslem. What does Moslem mean? Moslem synonyms, Moslem antonyms. Information about Moslem in the ...
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Moslem - 34k - Cached - Similar pages
It would appear the American MOSLEM Association is spelling its own name wrong. Damn... you better contact them FAST and let them know.
As far as what I meant, if you're so F-in' self important yet cain't unnerstaind the word "Moslem"... I'm not sure ta tell ya...
You make this waaaay toooo easy, ya j*rkoff...
Aptly named? Welcome home!!!! Ya jes' proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you were born ta be a citizen of tha Republic!
September 29th, 2007 at 2:51 pmA Muslim in Arabic means "one who gives himself to God," and is by definition, someone who adheres to Islam. By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means "one who is evil and unjust" when the word is pronounced, as it is in English, Mozlem with a z.
Moslem is an outdated term, but much as the NAACP still uses the outdated "colored people" the AMF uses "moslem" because it was established before a major push by English/Arab speakers to change the accepted pronunciation/spelling.
At least, that's what found when I search "muslim moslem" in google.
September 29th, 2007 at 3:22 pmStupidity;
Again I ask; what was your point? I said that the saber-rattling about Iran is similar to the war games the U.S. started near North Korea prior to making a breakthrough in negotiations (meaning, reversing course and following the Clinton game plan, of course.)
You said these two situations were different because Iran is MOSLEM (correction noted, as was the logically fallacious argument- thanks to Ryan for the further clarification) and has oil.
This statement does not make any sense, that's why I asked for you to qualify your comments.
Feel like doing that or just pouring out more of your moronic snark? Do you know how to use that pulsating wad of flesh behind your eyes, or would you rather continue to sound foolish and uninformed, so the rest of us can laugh at you?
By the way, if you wish to trade insults I'm great at that. If you wish to back up your inane, supposedly contradictory but completely illogical statements, maybe then we can have some rational discourse.
Your choice... what was the expression you used? Jerk off.
September 29th, 2007 at 3:42 pmour choice… what was the expression you used? Jerk off.
Comment by makuyk00 — September 29, 2007 @ 3:42 pm
And I can see you're busy at it. Jesus, yer a vile little twit.
Again, I urge you to contact the American Moslem Association immediately and thell them they're spelling their own name wrong.
Here's the rest of the text Ryan selectively quoted.
According to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, "Moslem and Muslim are basically two different spellings for the same word." But the seemingly arbitrary choice of spellings is a sensitive subject for many followers of Islam. Whereas for most English speakers, the two words are synonymous in meaning, the Arabic roots of the two words are very different. A Muslim in Arabic means "one who gives himself to God," and is by definition, someone who adheres to Islam. By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means "one who is evil and unjust" when the word is pronounced, as it is in English, Mozlem with a z.
For others, this spelling differentiation is merely a linguistic matter, with the two spellings a result of variation in transliteration methods. Both Moslem and Muslim are used as nouns. But some writers use Moslem when the word is employed as an adjective.
Journalists switched to Muslim from Moslem in recent years under pressure from Islamic groups. But the use of the word Moslem has not entirely ceased. Established institutions which used the older form of the name have been reluctant to change. The American Moslem Foundation is still the American Moslem Foundation (much as the NAACP is still the NAACP--the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). The journal The Moslem World--published by the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut--is still The Moslem World.
http://www.nysun.com/article/4040?page_no=3
Personally, I could care less. I have no more use for Moslems than I do Christians at this point in my life.
As for what I meant, if you hadn't delivered your own load of "Moronic snark", I'd explain, but at this point, I'm jes' gonna tell ya ta keep on doin' what yer doin' - j*rkin' off, 'cause clearly yer so good at it.
Enjoy yerself... hey, mebbe yer buddy "Ryan" will want ta "play" w/ ya!
September 29th, 2007 at 3:56 pmAt least, that’s what found when I search “muslim moslem†in google.
Comment by anonymousryan — September 29, 2007 @ 3:22 pm
Next time you do that, Ryan, make sure to copy and paste the whole doc, and not just the part that selectively makes your point.
September 29th, 2007 at 4:02 pmHey Stupid- mebbe you like to push da buttons, and have no real value in any discussion whatsoever.
Twit.
Anyhow, ignoring the explosively logical fallacies presented above, I do think there will be no war in Iran, and that the Bushies are simply using the threat of force to leverage a settlement of some kind. After all, Iran does have the largest army in the world- even with air power it would be 100 times harder than Iraq has been, and would surely engulf the entire Middle East into a regional war.
That was the point above, and I was determined to ram it through Republic's tediousness at all cost, even though the conversation is lost now.
September 29th, 2007 at 7:13 pmThat was the point above, and I was determined to ram it through Republic’s tediousness at all cost, even though the conversation is lost now.
Comment by makuyk00 — September 29, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
Good Lord, you're a pathetic, obnoxious fool.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:54 pmBoy, I am so glad you glommed onto me on my first Think Progress post comments, Republic. Your insightful, Tales-from-the-Crypt-esque pigeon English, your amazing way of getting to the core of an issue- it's clear you are a political powerhouse, not some trolling wiener who's pencil neck would be quite vulnerable if he pried himself away from flitting about screwing up everyone's day online.
Any more profound thoughts? Entertain us with your zany abbreviated words and wacky hilarity! More insults! Come on, you can do it!
Dance, monkey. Dance!
September 29th, 2007 at 9:20 pmDance, monkey. Dance!
Comment by makuyk00 — September 29, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
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Hmmm... ya seem to have had an 'accident". Time ta go home 'n have yer "mommie" change ya...
September 29th, 2007 at 9:37 pmBoy, I didn't think I'd get to see that charming overdone brogue of yours again.
Astound us some more with a heapin' helpin' o' dat humor o' yurz! You're so qwazy!
September 29th, 2007 at 11:42 pmMan, I thought sumpin' smelled bad in here. Mommie tellya she"s thru changin' ya?
September 30th, 2007 at 12:01 amSeriously, now, you might want to lay off the inappropriate punctuation. I heard it can be bad for your help...
What are you, some 16 year old somewhere? Because if you're not, you must be channeling some deep-seated need to disparage others from your childhood or something.
Some kind of daddy issues, methinks?
Keep it coming, chump. I can do this alllll night. Toro!
September 30th, 2007 at 12:05 amWhat's that high-pitched chattering noise in here? Sounds like... mebbe a small rodent... a hamster? Must have got its balls caught in a wringer, and it can't get loose...
September 30th, 2007 at 12:13 amYou bore me, Gus. Take it easy.
September 30th, 2007 at 12:22 amGeez, you still here? All by yer lonesome?
Ya need ta git a life, Li'l Feller... ya been stompin' around here, makin' silly squeaking noises, all by yerself fer hrs now.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA... what... a... chump... ;-D!!!
September 30th, 2007 at 12:50 amI've heard prison can be especially tough on a man Stevens' age.
September 30th, 2007 at 1:42 amHe'll never go to prison- Ted's been around long enough to get dirt on everybody. Mark my words. I mean, have you seen any mainstream media stories about his inappropriate relationship with VECO, or that a guy charged with bribery admitted to paying him off? Nope.
Being the longest serving Republican Senator in history has it's perks, I guess.
September 30th, 2007 at 8:47 amBeing the longest serving Republican Senator in history has it’s perks, I guess.
Comment by makuyk00 — September 30, 2007 @ 8:47 am
Right, he'll get a corner cell w/ a view...
September 30th, 2007 at 11:45 am