The Alaskan Road to a Bistro

This is not an Alaskan road that leads to a bridge that is not going to be built. The road in question does have a purpose. It leads to a bistro:

“Just seven-tenths of a mile long, Crow Creek Road isn’t a road to nowhere. It runs straight to the Double Musky, a Cajun bistro owned by a Bob Persons, a close friend of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

It cost taxpayers $2.7 million to widen and pave that road, and Alaska had higher priorities…”

link: Sen. Stevens got $2.7 million for friend’s road

Perhaps in the grand scheme of government, a few million makes no difference. It was Senator Everett Dirksen who famously said: “A billion dollars here and a billion dollars there - pretty soon you’re talking about a lot of money”.

It may be that the road did not contravene any formal legalities. However, there is the appearance of a betrayal of public trust. And, as antiquated a notion as it may be, we the people should be able to expect fair play from the politicians who are elect to govern.

Catherine Forsythe