New at Reason

December 23, 2005

Merry Christmas, taxpayers. David Boaz updates you on the Bridges to Nowhere.

Comments

Homeland Stupidity|12.23.05 @ 5:58AM|#

It's always seemed to me that it would be much cheaper to relocate the airport than to build a bridge to it. But I'm not familiar with the local geography. Perhaps the presence of large glaciers requires the airport to be off on an island?

|12.23.05 @ 7:09AM|#

I, for one, welcome our nowhere-spanning overlords.

|12.23.05 @ 9:16AM|#

Ah, yes, walls on the mexican border, levees in N'Awlins, bridges in Alaska, highways and light rail, well everywhere; these are good times for civil engineers. :)

How are the the rest of y'all gonna cash in. Ya might as well, ya know.

|12.23.05 @ 9:46AM|#

Homeland Stupidity--

It sounds like the 7 minute ferry ride currently in place is far cheaper than either option.

|12.23.05 @ 9:55AM|#

mtc,and a lot more interesting.I always love riding on ferries.

|12.23.05 @ 9:57AM|#

And yet most of our brethren will ignore this story and spend their hours watching Hard Copy and catching up on the latest doin's with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston. It is beautiful that so many Americans have their priorities in order. I don't want to bother considering the impending implosion of Social Security when I can enjoy the intricacies of Anna Nicole Smith's pill habits.

Warren|12.23.05 @ 10:22AM|#

Swillfrendo,
As one who does fret over the galactic stupidity of my overlords, I must never the less concede in earnest what you state in jest. If people can afford to worry more about Brad and Jen et al. more than the impending collapse of the currency, how bad can it really be. On the other hand, I seem to remember something about bread and circuses... Oops gotta go, Oprah

|12.23.05 @ 10:24AM|#

I am beginning to think there is only one way to stop the insanity that is government spending.

If every tax payer in this country started out the new year by filing a new withholding status. Claim 10 dependants each and make sure the government gets as small a % as possible off the top of everyones payroll. Then come April 15th of the next year we collectively give the government the finger and NO ONE files income taxes.

What could they do about it? How many people actually work in this country daily? Guessing I would think 150 million maybe. Even if I am 50 mil over or under I don't think the government has the jail space to house us all with all the hardcore drug users already locked away. Besides who is gonna pay to keep all the working people in jail all the non workers? This would put the government on notice that the spending party is indeed over. No way you can jail the only people working and how much pork fat would there be the next year if they someway could. Sure they could try to freeze accounts and garnish wages but we could cash out of all that prior to shafting them and all threaten to quite working all together and sign up for all the government give aways instead since their take is already approaching 50% of my salary anyway why bother working at all.

So this holiday season take a page from our all knowing politicians that it is truly better to give than to receive and give them the lubeless shaft before they give it to all of us again and again and again!

TERM LIMITS!!!

|12.23.05 @ 11:06AM|#

I have 2 proposals

1) I propose that no taxes should be withheld from our checks and the bill is to be paid in full on April 15th. When the taxes are withheld, as they are now, people just don't miss the money as much and act like a refund is free money. If the people have to sit down and write a check for the full amount, then it may sink in how much they are really paying.

2) Election day should be on April 16th. That will make people vote after the pain of parting with their tax money.

kgsam|12.23.05 @ 12:34PM|#

I want a bridge from my driveway to the highway.
"Sam's Bridge" we'll call it.

|12.23.05 @ 12:36PM|#

If only we could change the tax treatment of political parties to be the same as individuals or businesses we could take the wind out of their collective sails pretty damn fast. It would be nice for the RNC and DNC had to pay employment taxes, health care benefits, ad infinitum, for their employees and volunteers in addition to corporate (for party) and individual (for candidate) income taxes. While we are at it, since I have to pay sales taxes on stuff I buy I don't see any reason why there can't be a nice tax on buying airtime or adspace.

Yes, yes, I know it isn't very libertarian of me but frankly I'd like to know the pols are enjoying the sand in the vasoline just as much as I am. It's like a misery loves company thing, I just want to be selective in the company.

|12.23.05 @ 1:44PM|#

Homeland Stupidity,
You are close. Ketchikan sits at the bottom of a mountain valley and there is no place to build another house, much less an airport. The theory is, if the state opens up Gravina Island to vehicle traffic it will allow people room to expand and thereby will attract businesses. Trick is, the overwhelming majority of Gravina is state/bourough owned and will be sold off to prospective buyers (which then goes back to State coffers). There is no real industry in Ketchikan as there is no place for it, nor will there be after the bridge. The Gravina Bridge is indeed a huge pork project that has no real merit.

Ketchikan from the air showing the town and airport:
http://www.mistyfjordsair.com/images/highaltitude1.jpg

Now, the Knik Arm Bridge (Don Young's Way) would serve a legitimate purpose. Anchorage is expanding (and has been for a decade now) and has run out of room to expand. Currently the land on MacKinzie Point is accessable by a 2.5 hour commute instead of a 15 minute bridge drive. However, I feel that if the state of Alaska and the Anchorage / MatSu Buroughs want it, they should tax the residents of Alaska (myself included) to fund it. Since 2/3 of the population of the state lives in Anchorage anyway, these are the people who would be using the bridge.

|12.23.05 @ 1:46PM|#

From what I've read when this first came out, Lisa Murkowski owns land on Gravina Island she wants to develop. So her daddy and his friends pork barreled her a bridge.

|12.23.05 @ 2:48PM|#

That's going to be one nice bridge across the Tongass narrows, at $175,000 per foot. Heck the 3 yr old ferry was only $26,000 per foot.

|12.23.05 @ 4:28PM|#

how about a sales tax on congressmen? and senators...

|12.23.05 @ 10:15PM|#

cliff:

Pretty f'ing brilliant.

I've always thought paying taxes over the year is such a smoke-and-mirrors trick. Hell even if you had to write a monthly check it'd be more obvious. But as it is now you just get a wage check for XX amount and never notice that it is only 60% of what you're supposed to be paid.

I'm so fucking mad today already too. The gov't took 1/2 my x-mas bonus this year. HALF! I worked hard all year and half my fucking reward goes to building a bridge in backwater-podunk Alaska that I'll never use... and neither will 99.99% of Alaska!

But I'm supposed to be greatful when they see fit to throw back a few scraps come tax time? BAH! My Christmas spirit died a terrible death.

|12.23.05 @ 10:18PM|#

Why doesn't anybody sue over legislation anyhow? I mean where does the Constitution give Congress the power to spend money on whatever they damned well please? Even if the gov't somehow magically got a massive donation (non-tax), aren't there restrictions on what it can all be spent on?

|12.23.05 @ 11:33PM|#

The urban legend promulgated by the loonies at LewRockwell.com is that Milton Friedman is responsible for income withholdings. If true (I would have to have it from a more reliable source than the Confederate sympathizers and I.D. defenders over there), Friedman has more than made up for his error.

Wild Pegasus|12.24.05 @ 12:48AM|#

The federal budget is $2,300,000,000,000+, and you folks are upset about a $454,000,000 bridge? .02% of the budget? If you want to attack government spending, start with repealing Medicare or cutting 95% of the military.

- Josh

|12.24.05 @ 10:43AM|#

You know what they say Josh,
A few hundred million here, a few hundred million there, and pretty soon yer talkin' real money.

Even mowing grass
you must start with the cutting
of a single blade.