The Other Bridge to Nowhere

I seriously wonder why the press doesn't ask the obvious question:
Since Alaska is running such a huge surpluses due the windfall oil tax revenue why is Sarah Palin asking for ANY earmarks at all? She's asking for $200 million in federal funds this year while putting an extra $1200 cash in every Alaskan resident's pocket directly from surplus state budget funds. Is that what it takes to get popularity numbers to 80%? You tell me! Alaskans are used to this treatment - their PFD funds pay them $2069 this year just for being an Alaska resident.
To do a little math, there are 610,768 eligible Alaskans this year.
$1200 per is $733 Million dollars. The PFD payout is $1.26 Billion.
That's almost $2 Billion in direct cash payouts this week. Twice last year's payout.

Maybe if the govenor of my state hires the right lobbiest, he can arrange for a couple of hundred in every Californian's pocket for next year?

So here's another tidbit coming off the Atlantic.com (Atlantic Monthly) web blog! Thanks Andrew Sullivan for pointing out this article from the Anchorage Daily News
Read the full article here-

...[Palin] still supports spending $400 million to $600 million on "the other Bridge to Nowhere," the Knik Arm Crossing, which would provide residents in Palin's hometown of Wasilla faster access to Anchorage, [former Gov. Tony Knowles] added.