A very irate aide to Gov. Sarah Palin contacted ABC News today to explain why his boss's 31 requests for earmarks in the fiscal year 2009 budget, totaling $197 million, represent a victory for fiscally conservative values. (Yes, the irate aide is Bill McAllister).
Next year she intends to apply for federal money for "an upgrade at the Kodiak Missile Defense Facility, which is relevant to national security, and a bridge replacement critical to construction of the pending Alaska natural gas pipeline, also in the national interest."
What is known about these two projects, so vital to the Governor?
Sarah Palin included the upgrade of the Kodiak Launch Complex, run by Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation, in her requests from the stimulus package, but they're getting zero in stimulus money. The original idea when the facility was built was that it would be self-funding through commercial contracts.
In a series of public meetings in Kodiak in the mid ’90s, the project was pitched as a cutting-edge venture that would bring the burgeoning commercial space industry to Alaska.
Funding for construction was to come from bonds issued by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, to be repaid by profits from commercial activity.
But the customers never turned up and the project failed to meet AIDEA’s funding criteria. The project appeared dead in the water. So they turned to the military. Since 1998, the Kodiak Launch Complex has completed 13 launches. Aside from one launch contracted by Lockheed and NASA, all have been military. Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation (AADC) lobbies for a lot of money nearly every year.
There are big question marks regarding the pipeline. Building has not started, funding for the construction and customers for the pipeline have not been secured. Now two Republican lawmakers want a review of the $500 million contract with TransCanada, "We need to ask the questions. Is this license still in the state's best interests? Will it maximize the benefits to the people and State? Do we need to re-think the terms and conditions, especially with treble damages clauses pushing the State's outlay to potentially $1.5 billion?" one of them said.
Yet, Sarah Palin wants money to replace a bridge to... nowhere.
As for the claims that Sarah Palin is a fiscal conservative, let's turn to Wasilla once more.
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$27 million: Amount that a lobbying firm, which Sarah Palin employed, secured for the town of Wasilla, Alaska, when she was the mayor.
14: The minimum number of earmarks that the lobbyist secured for Wasilla between 2000-2003.
6,700: Population of Wasilla.
$4,000: Amount per person the lobbying firm secured for the residents of Wasilla.
$300: Amount per person that Alaska requested in 2008. The amount is more than any other state received, per person, from Congress.
This year Alaska will pocket $209.71 for each state resident.
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Things are a bit tougher now: new president and no Ted Stevens to bring juicy pork to Alaska...
But that still doesn't make Sarah Palin the fiscal conservative she likes to state in every speech and tell every interviewer, whether the question is asked or not.
Just like "small government", the expression "fiscal conservative" is yet another meaningless soundbite coming from Sarah Palin's lipsticked mouth.
Links
Irate Bill McAllister: here.
Kodiak Missile Launch Facilty: earmarks and lobbying.More information about AADC and launch facility.
Pipeline: lawmakers questions and more pipeline pipe dreams.
Earmarks hypocrisy: Mother Jones.
Wasilla facts and figures: usnews.
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