Defending the ALF "earmark"

[Grover1]

From Fox News

In an article titled Lawmakers Defend Earmarks in Spending Bill ...

Sen Susan Collins, R-Maine, says the American Lighthouse Foundation needs money to keep Maine lighthouses, federal properties, operating.

"These lighthouses perform a vital function for Maine's lobster and fishing industries, as well as for commercial shipping and recreational boaters," Collins said.

"They are critical, active navigation aids," she continued. "I would also note that the American Lighthouse appropriation is a direct investment in federal property, a responsibility that dates to 1789 when the first Congress extended federal funding to lighthouses. This isn't new. This isn't something that the senators from Maine dreamt up when...we were trying to come up with worthy projects. This goes back to the beginning days of our republic."

The entire article ... fascinating reading ... http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03 ... -spending/

[island]

Unless perhaps I missed the announcement that ALF is taking over from the U. S. Coast Guard the aid-to-navigation functional responsibility to operate and maintain lights and fog signals of the ALF lights, acceptance of this statement by Sen. Collins, to quote a former lady colleague of hers, reguires the "‘Willing Suspension of Disbelief".

[epona]

More government spending and waste SOS when it comes to the Senate. Basic human service needs and projects are going without funding and yet money is being thrown in the air for pigs and certain groups. Wait a moment pigs are not wasteful humans are.

[vacastle]

We are a group of lighthouse enthusiasts, historians and lighthouse preservationists who have gathered together on a site called Lighthousing,net. That means we as a group understand the value of maintaining & preserving our remaining lighthouses for future generations. It means we understand that many private groups, such as the American Lighthouse Foundation have been awarded the huge responsibility of maintaining towers and related buildings in conjunction with the Coast Guard still maintaining the existing active lights. These active aids are still in valuable use, and require money to keep them active.

So, I am having difficulty understanding why Federal money towards these efforts would be considered unnecessary by lighthouse enthusiasts, historians and preservationists.

While I am not in agreement on some things regarding the senators of Maine, I do applaud them for having the understanding of the value of lighthouses.

I also am hoping that this is the year that the NPS receives the needed money to restore the stairs & tower at Bodie Island in NC. The money is already in place to restore the lens, and the tower restorations really need to be done at the same time. Bodie is also still an active (private) aid with the 1st Fresnel still maintained by the Coast Guard.

Judy

[LighthouseNews]

^^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.

[Terry_Pepper]

After the prior post, the topic immediately evolved into a spirited discussion of the Federal Stimulus Package. In order to keep the original topic clean, I moved the subsequent comments to the "Non Lighthouse" forum under the topic "thoughts on Federal Stimulus Package."

[Grover1]

From WCSH6

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.a ... 18&catid=2

[epona]

I have an idea, what if Maine became (I need to check my facts here) the first state to turn down all federal monies for projects like this. With any type of acceptance of government comes some sort of catch. Someone is paying for these projects, it is not a free ride.
I will stand by my statement that the monies needed can be raised from private sources.

Carole

[Ross]

I think it's a good thing for ALF, of course. But I agree with some of what Hersh was saying in the other topic.

I think that the lighthouses (Maine or elsewhere) have been bumped off for a while now, and when it's finally got the support it needs, it comes at the most inopportune time. The economy sucks, morale sucks, and the poor guy or gal that is jobless right now will look at this and say, "Why are we giving money to lighthouses when I don't have a job and can't pay my mortgage"

Believe it or not, there are lot of people I've talked to in the lighthouse community that are on the fence with a lot of this. I don't think it's a case of people not thinking of the future or thinking forward, they're just thinking a different distance into the future, it's a matter of degree.

Bad timing is definitely tagging along with this.

[island]

It is noted that Sen. Collins, although she sponsored the ALF funding and a number of more heavily funded earmarks, voted "No" on the spending bill during the roll call vote, the Senate vote to bring the spending bill to final vote that then was passed by voice vote.

Bad timing is definitely tagging along with this.

This is no understatement for sure! When the ship is leaking badly it is not the time to be concerned about funding new deck chairs.

[vacastle]

I think you hit the "nail on the head", Ross. Really bad timing!

Judy

[epona]

I just had a good laugh with Island lastest posting. You all understand that without a the proper foundation, a building will soon fall in on it's self and be in the cellar.