Mother's support has remained steady

Spectrum, by Earl Almdale

It is my opinion that any time a government entity controls a for-profit project it will fail, because a government project is a collection of ideas put forth by a group that does not work on the principle of creating a profit. By the time they put forth all the restrictions that each one wants it will fail. We have at least three failures already, a meat processing plant, fish processing plant and the Point MacKenzie farm project, all of which they are still trying to find a way to come out ahead on by pouring more money into them.

In the Mat-Su we have the Port MacKenzie project and Hatcher Pass ski slope. They say that they haven't spent that much money on them. In an article I read the other day we have only spent about a million and a half on the ski slope. But that's OK -- over half was matching funds.

When are they going to learn that all funds, federal, state and borough, comes from our pocket? It comes from my pocket and yours every time we pay property taxes, Income tax, sales tax and now the not-so-permanent fund.

If ever industry thinks they can make a profit with a port they will build it.

If ever some one thinks they can make a profit on a ski slope they will build it.

The surest way to repel both is to have the government tied up in the middle. Because they never can own it and they are at the whim of the politicians to change the rules whenever they feel like it.

When are the highly educated and intelligent people that are elected, appointed and employed by us going to learn that when the well is running dry it is time to conserve what we have. I don't mind giving someone a drink who needs it, but not when they use it to water their lawn. We need to keep funding education and vital services, but not the pet projects. When I get short of funds I pay my mortgage, electric, gas and food. What's left over, if any, I save for my dreams. I don't spend money I don't have for landscaping and flowers. It is nice to have dreams, but essentials come first and foremost. When you spend money you don't have, the essentials suffer.

I was once told that you can read any set of figures positive or negative to come up with your point of view.

The borough says they only spent a certain amount of funds on a project, but does that include the money that was and is being spent on time and labor for our borough employees to do studies, proposals and surveys? How about the maintenance costs after the projects are completed? What about Trunk Road or Wasilla-Fishhook Road? There is always someone getting hurt on them but we have a nice new wide road to a non-developed ski slope, and there is the long straight road to a port that's barely used.

Also, isn't it kind of strange when they start cutting funding for education and vital services then ask for money for one of those pet projects by a vote and we say "no," but they find some long-lost and forgotten account to pay for it? Someone should do an audit to find these accounts to pay for education and vital services -- maybe we are rich and don't know it.

We won the lottery once with oil and spent it like it was never going to run out. We bought every little sparkle that caught our eye. Now it's gone. Now we just may have another chance with gas. Let's create a permanent fund for education and vital services. If there is a little left over let the politicians build a bridge to nowhere. We will even let one of them put their name on it so they feel good.

Earl Almdale is a Palmer resident.