^^What Judy said^^
The money has been earmarked for years. The same as with Bodie's restoration needs. It kept getting bumped out of any funding, while it (Bodie) continues to deteriorate.
It's a drop in the bucket monetarily, and all lighthouse enthusiasts, preservationists and members of lighthousing.net ought to be supportive of this earmark.
I am on
Twitter, and when McCain was announcing his "pork projects," I went immediately to monitor the responses. There is a lot of support out there for lighthouses, even among non-members of this group. Some of them:
@SenJohnMcCain SIR I have experience with sailing the coastal waters of Maine. Without a lighthouse, you can actually run into the coastline
#4 on McCain's Porkiest Projects list: RT @SenJohnMcCain: $380,000 for lighthouses in Maine; whats wrong with lighthouses in Maine?
Shoutout to @SenJohnMcCain and his informative Tweets. I ADORE lighthouses and are all for their restoration.
RT @SenJohnMcCain: 4. $380,000 for lighthouses in Maine whats wrong with lighthouses in Maine?
Relentless whining from @SenJohnMcCain about good American things: research, museums, lighthouses, playgrounds.
@SenJohnMcCain Lighthouses in Maine? Not "pork." Pork would be lighthouses along...the Turquoise Trail or Salt River (the earmarks u LIKED)!
@SenJohnMcCain Again with all due respect Sir the purpose of the Lighthouses is to keep fishing boats from crashing into rocks.
@SenJohnMcCain Either building or repairing, lighthouses save lifes and cargo.
@shoq Wow! Keeping ships from hitting shoals. What were we thinking? RT @SenJohnMcCain: 4. $380,000 lighthouses Maine
@SenJohnMcCain so who do you expect is going to pay for the lighthouses then?? #publicgood
I'm sorry Babs--I had to yell at John McCain. Anyone who has sailed off the coast of Maine KNOWS how important lighthouses are. Harumph!
@SenJohnMcCain What's wrong with wanting to preserve American lighthouses? We should preserve historical American sites.
@SenJohnMcCain I like lighthouses.
@SenJohnMcCain don't lighthouses save lives? create jobs to make them?
And these are only a few. It behooves us all to support the restoration and preservation of these beacons, especially considering that it was the federal government that allowed them to get to this state. The $380,000 will not be enough to bring them up to par.