What If They Left?

This article has been deleted, as it appears that Ms. Griego did not write it. In fact, no one knows who did. Therefore, all its claims are suspect.

I have deleted the post, with my apologies. Thank you to John in Philly for doing what I should have done.

Our Tax Dollars at Work

From the Anchorage Daily News website:

By DAN JOLING — Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A $2.5-million federal research vessel that sank while docked in Kodiak likely will not be repaired because of the high expense, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.

Yeah, and $2.5 million isn't expensive?

The 63-foot Arlluk, used by two Alaska Peninsula national wildlife refuges, sank last week while tied up in St. Herman's Harbor. The vessel was floated after less than 24 hours and towed to a boat yard, but damage from the saltwater and the cost to fix it likely means the boat will be scrapped or sold after it's cleaned up, said Larry Bell, a spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

~ snip ~

The vessel was built in 1979 and named the Caroline. The Drug Enforcement Agency seized the boat in the late 1990s. The DEA used the boat for about a decade as an undercover vessel.

The DEA in 2009 reclassified the vessel as government surplus. The refuges took ownership that year from the General Services Administration and spent $100,000 refurbishing the motors and foredeck.

The boat had a range of 600 to 700 miles. It is 16 feet wide and drafts 6 feet.

I'm so glad to see that "our" property is being so well-managed. (/snark)

Okay, let's take a fair and balanced approach: if they recovered it as part of a drug bust, then We the People didn't pay for its purchase, so perhaps this decision isn't as wasteful as it first appears.

It's still a shame. You can read the whole story by clicking on the link at the top.

This Is My Surprised Face

Okay, not really.

WASHINGTON –  General Motors will halt production of the Chevy Volt electric car for five weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a spokesman. Around 1,300 workers at GM's Hamtramck, Mich. factory where the Volt is built will be out of work between March 19 and April 23, the report said, citing the spokesman. GM sold about 7,700 Volts last year, below its target of 10,000.

Copyright © 2012 MarketWatch, Inc.

Chevy Volt: the Solyndra of hybrid cars.

Saturday Wrap-Up

Well, it got up to 41 degrees for awhile, with the inevitable melting & dripping from the eaves. The forecast, courtesy of our friends at AccuHunch, was for 30 degrees. I can understand missing by a few, but 11 degrees? Sheesh.

I've just heard that HR 45, the national firearms registration bill, was inserted into the House version of the spending package at one point. I don't know if it survived the compromise process, but if it did ... if it did, there are going to be millions of very angry Americans out there. That could get ugly in a hurry.

The Daily Noise had a story today that Anchorage's budget shortfall has now grown to as much as $26 million. Only yesterday, it was $17 million. I haven't seen the long version of the article, so I don't know exactly where the shortfall was. The Sunday paper should have more info.

My trip to the range with the 13yo daughter has been postponed until tomorrow. I think she may be getting cold feet about actually firing the pistol, but if she just wants to watch, that's okay. The important thing is that she learns about firearm safety & utility. Besides, I suspect she'll want to shoot, after watching for a bit. It is contagious...

That's about it for now. I intend to do a range report on the young'un's first shot fired, tomorrow. Stay tuned for that one!

This Could Be Bad

I said it before, and I'll say it again: I wish Gov. Palin would reject the idea of accepting any of the bailout money. I know state budgets are stretched. I know some of the states are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. But nothing comes from the Federal government without strings attached.

One of the worst things that will happen, if or when the economic house of cards comes crashing down, is that the GOP governors who accepted money will be tainted by accusations (lobbed by the main-stream media, no doubt) of greed, duplicity, and "Aren't the Republicans the ones who opposed this hand-out? Didn't they agree it wouldn't work? Why then did you accept the money? Aren't you part of the problem you said needed to be fixed? How can you blame the Democrats if you participated in it?"

Alaska is reportedly in better fiscal shape than many of the other states. Maybe - just maybe - we could do without the hand-out.

And one more thing: IF Governor Palin has designs on the national election in four years, this could really come back to bite her in a BIG way.

Just my opinion, folks.