40-year Senator Ted Stevens was killed in a plane crash in Alaska this morning. Will he be missed?
I’ll quote one of my responses in the MPSIMS thread:
I really have mixed feelings about the guy. He was well-respected by both sides of the political spectrum in Alaska, bringing in tons of money, creating jobs with legislation that favored the oil pipeline and offshore drilling, and other legislation that supported Alaska Natives in their efforts to incorporate and maintain small business status. He was also an aggressive supporter of air safety, which, in Alaska, has saved countless lives. On the other hand, he acquired the arrogance and self-entitlement mentality of so many of our elected officials, who seem to forget who it is that hired them. It’s something that I find unforgiveable in any politician. For Alaskans, however, the positives over a 40-year career far outweigh the negatives at the end, which were minor in the grand scheme of government corruption.
To respond to this OP: He would have been sorely missed ten or twenty years ago. At his present age, his usefulness to the state is arguable. He will be mourned by nearly all; but there will also be somewhat of a sigh of relief from the Begich camp, as Ted could probably have successfully challenged Sen. Begich in the upcoming election, had he chosen to run.
Mmmmfffff . . .
De mortuis nil nisi bonum nilnisibonum nilnisibonum . . .
Cryptic. Please clarify.
“Speak no ill of the dead.”
I believe that BrainGlutton was going to make a comment to the effect that the tons of money flowing into Alaska was not as appreciated by the citizens of the 49 states which it was flowing out of, possibly with specific reference to federal funding for a particular bridge.
Why yes, that was quite an articulate Mmmmfffff.
Okay, but that’s not the debate point, now is it?
I thought he was talking about the tons of money which allegedly flowed into Stevens’ home decorating budget.
Well, if the question is “will he be missed”, and he served as a series of tubes for money to flow through, then whether he will be missed will surely depend on which end of the tube you’re on.
True enough, although any politician who doesn’t bring home the bacon is shortly going to be out of a job. He didn’t invent the system; he just used it well.
Probably not the right word to describe the situation. However, after he survives all he’s been through medically and with the previous crash killing his wife, here at 86 he dies on a fishing trip. Had he been able to get reelected, he probably would not have been on this trip. So in this regard, his accusers killed him! If Palin had been on the plane too, that would have been news.
That.
I see what you did there.
But I thought the political system was more like, you have a big truck full of money, and you take it somewhere? Am I wrong?
Somebody had to say it and link it
How crappy does your luck have to be to be in two plane crashes ? Lucky enough to survive the first one that killed his wife but ultimately to die in a second plane crash.
I realize that in Alaska many parts are only accessible by plane and personal plane ownership is quite high but still…
Is this what passes for debates in this forum now? There’s a better discussion going on in MPSIMS.
He finally crossed that big bridge to nowhere …
I will observe his passing by not just dumping something on the internet tonight.
He was a total douchebag who inserted rules into the Defense appropriation bills requiring (in some cases, just suggesting) that services be provided by ANCs. All the eskimos do is tack 3 points on top of whoever is actually providing the services, add zero value, and cost the taxpayers and Defense dept money that they don’t have.
I sure won’t miss him.