Thursday, June 07, 2007

I said you'll have it whether you want it or not

Congressman Don Young of Alaska was head of the House Transportation Committee until the Republicans lost control in the last election. Mr. Young liked to give our money away. He was very instrumental in funding the 'bridge to nowhere' off Ketchikan. But, at least that bridge was in Mr. Young's district. While chairman, he also decided to give $10,000,000 of our money to Florida so that it could connect the Coconut Road to I-75.

It seems that our money was given to Lee County just after Mr. Young received $40,000 in campaign funds from a Florida gala in his honor. Lee County leaders, to their credit,voted twice not to accept these funds. But, Mr. Young is a persistent guy and threatened to withhold all federal funds from the county unless they took this money and used it to connect Coconut Road to the interstate. The fact that the EPA, Army Corps of Engineers and environmental groups assert that the road will damage wetlands is of no concern to Mr. Young. Heck, it's not his money and he doesn't live there. Why should he worry?

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