I am sure many of you have heard of the “Bridge to Nowhere”, but I bet you haven’t heard of the “Ferry to Nowhere”.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) managed to slip an earmark into the 2008 Defense spending bill for what he cleverly called an “expeditionary craft”. Despite the fact that the U.S. Navy has repeatedly said there is no reason to build this craft, the earmark would direct your tax dollars to the U.S. Navy for the purpose of building this boat. Guess where this “expeditionary craft” will be used? Its sole destination is a remote area of Alaska and its only duty will be that of a ferry service.
Not surprisingly, several family members, and current/former staff own land at the ferry’s destination.
The worst part is that this isn’t the first time tax dollars have paid for this ferry service. Even after the Navy rejected his boat as “impractical”, the undaunted Sen. Stevens continued to solicit funding to build it; earmarking nearly $50 million from 2002-2006.
After his infamous bridge idea, I guess we should at least be grateful this ferry service has a destination.
Editors Note: The "Ferry to Nowhere" runs between Anchorage and the Knik Arm.
