Palin has repeatedly stumped that she told Congress 'thanks but no thanks' on funds for the Bridge to Nowhere. Odd that she could do that. The earmark specifically for the bridge was removed from those funds in November, 2005, and the funds were re-designated for general transportation. That was a full year before she became Governor.
She campaigned for Governor as being in favor of building the bridge anyway, and the general transportation funds could have been used for it. By 2007, the cost would have been far more than the $400 million Alaska received. Palin knew there was no chance of going back to Congress for additional money to fully fund construction because of the original negative public opinion surrounding it. That is when she finally abandoned the idea and put those monies to other uses.
So, no matter what Palin proclaims in her speeches, "Thanks But No Thanks" never happened.
Why did the DNC AK web site credit her for it if it didn't happen? It was posted there for a long time until a few days ago and then it was taken down?
__________________
John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
Yes, Palin Did Stop That Bridge
By JIM DEMINT September 10, 2008;PageA15
[/align]"But, you know, when you've been taking all these earmarks when it's convenient, and then suddenly you're the champion anti-earmark person, that's not change. Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up." -- Barack Obama, Sept. 6, 2008
In politics, words are cheap. What really counts are actions. Democrats and Republicans have talked about fiscal responsibility for years. In reality, both parties have a shameful record of wasting hundreds of billions of tax dollars on pork-barrel projects.
My Senate colleague Barack Obama is now attacking Gov. Sarah Palin over earmarks. Having worked with both John McCain and Mr. Obama on earmarks, and as a recovering earmarker myself, I can tell you that Mrs. Palin's leadership and record of reform stands well above that of Mr. Obama.
Let's compare.
Mrs. Palin used her veto pen to slash more local projects than any other governor in the state's history. She cut nearly 10% of Alaska's budget this year, saving state residents $268 million. This included vetoing a $30,000 van for Campfire USA and $200,000 for a tennis court irrigation system. She succinctly justified these cuts by saying they were "not a state responsibility."
Meanwhile in Washington, Mr. Obama voted for numerous wasteful earmarks last year, including: $12 million for bicycle paths, $450,000 for the International Peace Museum, $500,000 for a baseball stadium and $392,000 for a visitor's center in Louisiana.
Mrs. Palin cut Alaska's federal earmark requests in half last year, one of the strongest moves against earmarks by any governor. It took real leadership to buck Alaska's decades-long earmark addiction.
Mr. Obama delivered over $100 million in earmarks to Illinois last year and has requested nearly a billion dollars in pet projects since 2005. His running mate, Joe Biden, is still indulging in earmarks, securing over $90 million worth this year.
Mrs. Palin also killed the infamous Bridge to Nowhere in her own state. Yes, she once supported the project: But after witnessing the problems created by earmarks for her state and for the nation's budget, she did what others like me have done: She changed her position and saved taxpayers millions. Even the Alaska Democratic Party credits her with killing the bridge.
When the Senate had its chance to stop the Bridge to Nowhere and transfer the money to Katrina rebuilding, Messrs. Obama and Biden voted for the $223 million earmark, siding with the old boys' club in the Senate. And to date, they still have not publicly renounced their support for the infamous earmark.
Mrs. Palin has proven courageous by taking on big spenders in her own party. In March of this year, the Anchorage Daily News reported that, "Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is aggravated about what he sees as Gov. Sarah Palin's antagonism toward the earmarks he uses to steer federal money to the state."
Mr. Obama had a chance to take on his party when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offered a sham ethics bill, which was widely criticized by watchdog groups such as Citizens Against Government Waste for shielding earmarks from public scrutiny. But instead of standing with taxpayers, Mr. Obama voted for the bill. Today, he claims he helped write the bill that failed to clean up Washington.
Mr. Obama has shown little restraint on earmarks until this year, when he decided to co-sponsor an earmark moratorium authored by Mr. McCain and myself. Mr. Obama is vulnerable on this issue, and he knows it. That is why he is lashing out at Mrs. Palin and trying to hide his own record.
Mrs. Palin is one of the strongest antiearmark governors in America. If more governors around the country would do what she has done, we would be much closer to fixing our nation's fiscal problems than we are.
Mrs. Palin's record here is solid and inspiring. She will help Mr. McCain shut down the congressional favor factory, and she has a record to prove it. Actions mean something. You can't just make stuff up. Mr. DeMint, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from South Carolina.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
It's more like the bridge died of it's own weight, FM, but I guess you could say she killed the bridge. It comes down to being a matter of opinion and how you see it. Just follow the time line. Thanks But No Thanks couldn't have happened, and certainly in the way it's being represented by the campaign.
[/align]By Tom Blumer (Bio | Archive)
September 9, 2008 - 15:48 ET [/align]
Quote:
The indefatigable Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs has the news:
[blockquote] Alaska Democratic Party Deletes Page Crediting Sarah Palin with Killing 'Bridge to Nowhere'
A web site paid for by the Alaska Democratic Party says unequivocally that the state of Alaska officially abandoned the Bridge to Nowhere project, and credits Governor Sarah Palin.
Or ... it used to say that, before the page mysteriously vanished some time during the past few days
[/blockquote]
Indeed, the link goes to a now-empty page.
But Johnson notes that it has since been revived at another URL.
I should also note that it's conceivable that the story was merely moved, or that the remainder of the original URL ("/ted-earmarked-funds-for-bridge-that-goes-nowhere/") was simply dropped.
Nonetheless, enjoy what Alaska Dems are saying about the Bridge (oddly titled), especially Palin's role in it, because you won't see it acknowledged at traditional media outlets:
[blockquote] Ted Earmarked Funds for Bridge that Goes Nowhere
The proposed Gravina Island Bridge, also known as the "śBridge to Nowhere,"ť became a national symbol of wasteful congressional spending and driver of earmark reform. On Sept. 21, 2007, the State of Alaska officially abandoned the controversial project.
The Gravina Island Bridge initially received $223 million in 2005 via earmarks by Alaska Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski. The bridge would have connected Ketchikan, Alaska with its local airport on nearby Gravina Island (population 50). Congress stripped the earmark after a national uproar about it but appropriated the money anyway for unspecified transportation uses. Former Gov. Frank Murkowski"™s administration set aside about $113 million of the appropriation for the Ketchikan bridge. However, Gov. Sarah Palin said the $398 million bridge was $329 million short of full funding, and only $36 million in federal funds were set aside for it. She said it was clear Congress had little interest in spending any more money for it and that the state had higher priorities.
[/blockquote]
We can quibble about specifics. But the fact is that Palin was governor when the project was abandoned, and no amount of spinning can change that. Crossposted at BizzyBlog.com. "”Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
[/align][/align]To save you time going to the link. According to the above comment, this is what the DNC had on their web site until it was ordered pulled by the Obama and/or national DNC
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Gravina Island Bridge", url: "http://www.retireted.com/real-estate/gravina-bridge/gravina-island-bridge/" }); ShareThis[/align]Ted Earmarked Funds for Bridge that Goes Nowhere
[ul][*]Stevens championed proposed bridge near Ketchikan that became national symbol of wasteful spending[*]Sen. Murkowski"™s family would benefit personally from the bridge[*]State of Alaska killed bridge [/ul]
The proposed Gravina Island Bridge, also known as the "śBridge to Nowhere,"ť became a national symbol of wasteful congressional spending and driver of earmark reform. On Sept. 21, 2007, the State of Alaska officially abandoned the controversial project.
The Gravina Island Bridge initially received $223 million in 2005 via earmarks by Alaska Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski. The bridge would have connected Ketchikan, Alaska with its local airport on nearby Gravina Island (population 50). Congress stripped the earmark after a national uproar about it but appropriated the money anyway for unspecified transportation uses. Former Gov. Frank Murkowski"™s administration set aside about $113 million of the appropriation for the Ketchikan bridge. However, Gov. Sarah Palin said the $398 million bridge was $329 million short of full funding, and only $36 million in federal funds were set aside for it. She said it was clear Congress had little interest in spending any more money for it and that the state had higher priorities.
On Oct. 20, 2005, Ted threatened to resign from the Senate if lawmakers took away money allocated for the Gravina Island Bridge and the Knik Arm Bridge and redirected it to Hurricane Katrina repairs in Louisiana. The attempt to redirect the bridge money was defeated, but Congress later removed the earmarks after intense public criticism.
If the bridge were built, the family of Sen. Lisa Murkowski would benefit. Murkowski"™s mother Nancy, wife of former Gov. Frank Murkowski, is co-owner with her three siblings of a 35-acre parcel of land on Gravina Island. The plot is valued at $245,000 and is within a mile of the bridge"™s western end. While critics charge that the bridge would increase the value of their property, the Murkowski family has taken umbrage at any suggestion of impropriety. Murkowski called her family"™s undeveloped Gravina parcel "śa worthless piece of property."ť
[/align][/align]
__________________
John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
Palin Fact Check
She also put some of that money to pet projects
