I Know That Wasn't Interesting

The weather forecast, that is. I had little time this morning, and didn't even comment on what I posted. Sorry; I know it's not nearly as interesting to someone in Cazador, Alabama as it is to us.

But the good/bad/sad news is ... there's no news to report. The local snowflakes and crybabies (but I repeat myself) are wetting themselves as they bemoan the evil fortune which brought them to an alternate reality where Donald J. Trump could get elected.

The 2017 State Legislature has convened, or is about to ... I lose track ... and faces the same budget battles as its immediate predecessor.

The Muni Assembly in Anchorage continues to threaten to resurrect a proposal to place a sales tax on the ballot in April. It would exempt groceries, prescription drugs, and so on, but everyone is losing their minds.

Personal note: I have to admit to a certain satisfaction when shopping. It's nice to know that the price sticker on an item at a store will cost you that much, and no more, when you check out. On the other, most places elsewhere in the country have sales taxes, and it's a part of life.

I think my major caveat is that I've never seen a sales tax that remained static. It always increases, because legislators always think of something else that they could use the money on. Always. 

But the area has recovered from the snow on Friday, as we prepare for the one beginning in a few hours. It's not supposed to be quite as much, this time 'round, but the forecasters are famous principally for being wrong much of the time.

Like I said, that's not news. :)

The Weekend, Part 1

Back into the routine (sigh) of Saturday morning shopping, as there's not much fresh food in the house. We froze some freshly-cooked meats so that there would be lunches & dinners upon our return from vacation, but the fridge still looks bare.

That's an easy fix, of course.

I also need to restring both guitars, as the current crop is old and dull-sounding. It's a labor of love, and there's something so satisfying to making a well-loved instrument sound fresh and new again. :)

The run-off election for the mayoral race in Anchorage will be on Tuesday, and the Left smear machine is in full swing against the conservative candidate. This morning, they're even hinting strongly that she once lied under oath in a court case to dissolve her first marriage.

But boy, you oughta see the ongoing anointing of the Dem candidate: apparently he can do no wrong, and never has.

Sheesh.

Anchorage 2nd Amendment Task Force Presents:

 

Anchorage 2nd Amendment Task Force Newsletter

NOTICE TO ALL The Alaska Libertarian Party in conjunction with United for Liberty will be sponsoring two excellent educational seminars. Friday evening, January 3, 2014 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Marston Theater in the Loussac Library  3600 Denali Street NULLIFICATION:  6:00pm  - 7:20pm Presenter: Bob Bird Intermission: 7:20pm - 7:40pm STATEHOOD COMPACT: 7:40pm - 9:00pm Presenter: Ric Davidge  Open to general public. ADMISSION FREE Donations accepted

Here is the sign up page for the Anchorage 2ATF Newsletter. Tell your friends to sign up and stay informed.

2ATF Website

Check out the 2ATF Trading Post Classifieds Here

The Ferry Susitna, All Dressed Up & No Place to Go

For the Mat-Su's mothballed ice-breaking ferry, it's decision time.

The borough got the $80 million M/V Susitna -- federally funded as a U.S. Navy prototype -- for free with a pledge to use it for regular ferry runs between Anchorage and Port MacKenzie. Work on an Anchorage landing fizzled even after the Mat-Su built a $4.5 million terminal on the Port Mac side.

This undated photo provided by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough shows the 200-foot ferry Susitna, in Alaska.

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/08/12/3020904/mat-su-borough-determined-to-do.html#storylink=cpy

The 195-foot, catamaran-style vessel capable of transporting 129 people and 20 cars has yet to get a dip in the waters of Cook Inlet.

Instead, every month since April 2012, the borough has spent $69,550 on insurance, taxes, security, docking and "boat exercise" to keep the ferry in good running order at Ward Cove near the Ketchikan shipyard where it was built.

This long, sad story involves local politicians, political wrangling, and bureaucracies for which too much red tape is never enough.

So the Mat-Su Borough (20,000 square miles, just north of Anchorage) got the ferry for free, plus a federal grant of $6 million to put it in operation, but the powers that be can't agree on where to build the pier on the Anchorage side, so it could dock. Did I mention politics are involved?

If all this leaves a bad taste in your mouth, imagine how we feel as this sweetheart deal evaporates without the ferry ever making it here.