Palin's Self-Reliant Image of Alaska Is Bogus

By David Morris, AlterNet. Posted September 15, 2008.

Palin is trying to appeal to the self-reliant, anti-government voters
while her state is the most dependent on government pork.

In her latest comment on the "Bridge to Nowhere" controversy, Sarah
Palin appealed to the self-reliant, individualist, rugged,
anti-government image most Americans have of Alaska. "If we wanted a
bridge," she declared, "we would build it ourselves."

Actually, much of Alaska long ago lost the tradition of self-help.
Palin might be campaigning on an anti-government, do-it-yourself
platform, but her state is the most dependent on the federal
government of all 50 states. Washington sends Alaska more money per
capita than any other state. Alaskans receive back from the federal
government almost $2 for every $1 they send to Washington. It's a
sweet deal.

And when it comes to government pork, Alaska is king. As USA Today
noted back in March, Palin's state ranks number one -- no other state
is even close. In 2007 Alaska received some 2.5 times as much as
runner-up Hawaii and 15 times more than the national average.

Zaroc Stone wrote:

A lie.

On Sep 20, 9:37 am, zephyr null.org> wrote:

Well,not really. Many residents of rural areas feel like "rugged
individualists" and so forth -- but they're not. From the time the
government cleared the hostile Indians out of the way (at taxpayer
expense) onward, the rural areas have always been dependent on the
cities. Their propane comes on trucks from the cities, their paved
roads are paid for by the cities, their state money to pay for their
teachers comes from the cities. I'm glad they get to go out and live
their healthy, invigorating hobby farm lives and all.. but let's not
pretend they're somehow independent.

Curt