Cuttin' the pork in AK

[hnumpah]

U.S. REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN: (Referring to vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin) "We met a woman who, with the bravery that only the mother of five can summon, said 'thanks but no thanks' to the good ole' boy earmarks."

THE FACTS: Palin has cut back on pork-barrel project requests, but in her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. She did reject plans to build the notorious "Bridge to Nowhere" but only after Congress had cut off funding for it. The bridge was a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport. Palin did leave in place a $27 million federally funded project to build the approach road to the bridge. Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein, a Democrat, said Thursday that Palin first told Ketchikan officials during a campaign stop in 2006 that she supported it. When she became governor, and after the project became the subject of national ridicule, she pulled the state's portion of funding.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080905/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check_14

[BT]

Any idea how much of the fed spending goes towards fed lands in AK?

[Xavier_Onassis]

Alaska gets more back from the Feds per capita than any other state. They split up their oil revenue among themselves and come a-begging to the lower 48 for more.

I think the government should simply pass a resolution not to pay any attention to any lobbyists at all. Not from corporations, cities or anyone. That is why we have representatives and why they have staffs. It will never happen, but one can dream.

[Amianthus]

Any idea how much of the fed spending goes towards fed lands in AK?

Military bases, Dept of Interior funds (which supports federal park / wilderness areas), road construction funding, and Indian tribe support are the major sources of federal money to Alaska.

Defense spending is about 26% of the money spent in Alaska. Another 24% is direct payments to individuals (SS, Medicare, etc) which is the same as other Americans are entitled. 14% is various civilian operations, like road maintenance, construction, support of offices in Alaska (IRS, HUD, HHS, etc). So that's 64% of the money spent. The rest are various grants, which includes most of the pork-barrel spending, and support of Indian tribes (via treaty / BIA). The largest of the grant programs is the Indian Health Service.

[hnumpah]

BT: Any idea how much of the fed spending goes towards fed lands in AK?

Ami: Military bases, Dept of Interior funds (which supports federal park / wilderness areas), road construction funding, and Indian tribe support are the major sources of federal money to Alaska. Defense spending is about 26% of the money spent in Alaska. Another 24% is direct payments to individuals (SS, Medicare, etc) which is the same as other Americans are entitled. 14% is various civilian operations, like road maintenance, construction, support of offices in Alaska (IRS, HUD, HHS, etc). So that's 64% of the money spent. The rest are various grants, which includes most of the pork-barrel spending, and support of Indian tribes (via treaty / BIA). The largest of the grant programs is the Indian Health Service.


Would she, as governor, have to request any of that? Would that be included in 'Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending', or would the funds Ami mentioned be funds that were already set aside for federal lands, etc, and not subject to a request by the state?

[Amianthus]

Would she, as governor, have to request any of that? Would that be included in 'Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending', or would the funds Ami mentioned be funds that were already set aside for federal lands, etc, and not subject to a request by the state?

It's my understanding that the "requested" money you're talking about is the amount of the grants I mentioned. The largest amount of which is to support the Indian Health Service, which is mandated by treaty.

[Kramer]

Alaska gets more back from the Feds per capita than any other state. They split up their oil revenue among themselves and come a-begging to the lower 48 for more.

I think the government should simply pass a resolution not to pay any attention to any lobbyists at all. Not from corporations, cities or anyone. That is why we have representatives and why they have staffs. It will never happen, but one can dream.

let me spell it out for ya

E S K I M O

[kimba1]

I knew one a few years back,I thought he was some kind of wierd looking tall asian guy.
then I heard him talk.
dang I couldn`t figure out what that accent was.
cool dude,but he sure could eat alot of spam though.

[Amianthus]

cool dude,but he sure could eat alot of spam though.

Guess it's better than blubber. ;-)

[kimba1]

damn
I don`t think i ever asked him that
pretty sure he would not be offended by it.
thier`s a mess of them in  my parts also but I never met any til I came to the states.
he got a pretty sweet deal
did you know just by being eskimo he gets alittle money from alaska.
so he really don`t have to work very hard to get by.