Politics

As a puggy, I have no interest in this politics thing that seems to affect some humans immensely. However, as my parents have been getting numerous calls from family and friends since the nomination of our governor, Sarah Palin, I feel that I should give voice to my Daddy's concerns on my blog.

Yes, Governor Palin is immensely popular in Alaska, except for where we live -- Ketchikan. There are plenty of govenment officials and regular people here who are hopping mad at her because of this "Bridge to Nowhere" fiasco. Daddy gets mad whenever reporters or even the Governor call it the "Bridge to Nowhere" . . . technically, it is the bridge to our airport. Southeast Alaska is made of numerous small islands (even Juneau, our capital, is on an island). Ketchikan is the fourth largest city in Alaska, and the last major city from Juneau until Washington state. Ergo, we have a relatively busy airport that is located on another small island with a population of about 50. The only way to access the airport for us is via ferry that runs only twice an hour. You can imagine how much it sucks to wait 30 minutes for a ferry outside in the pouring rain or in the dead of winter.

So, the people in Ketchikan were all excited when we were earmarked money to build a bridge to our airport. And the reason it is extraordinarily expensive is because of some technicalities the engineers had to figure out: the bridge had to be high and wide enough to allow those super-huge cruise ships to pass under, or a draw-bridge could have been configured. However, there were some issues with a draw bridge and the myriad of float planes that fly on an hourly basis into and out of Ketchikan. These float planes are usually the only means of communication and sustenance for the surrounding islands, bringing mail, food, and other necessary supplies to the people (including forest rangers) that live in the islands around Ketchikan. The float planes also serve as an "ambulance" of sort, flying patients who are sick to our hospital in Ketchikan.

And that is why the humans here are quiet mad and annoyed at our Governor. As I am sure you have heard, she originally supported our bridge when she was campaigning, and then flip-flopped. Daddy had a talk with our mayor as well, and it seems that she can be vindictive when pushed.

As you can tell, Daddy is not a big fan of Governor Palin; Mommy thinks it's cool that a woman was nominated to become vice-president, but she doesn't agree with most of her views. Me? As long as I get treats and lots of loving, I don't care who wins . . .