The ironic part of this is that we are seeing all sorts of cutbacks in
government services, including maintenance of vital infrastructure, at
the same time the majority in congress
(supposedly fiscally conservative) and the President have managed to
spend (and approve spending) far more money, far faster, than ever
before.

Bet your sweet bippy that if that inlet were in Iraq it would be
dredged out, and right now, by Cheney's buddies at Haliburton under a
no-bid contract and at the rate of about $1mm a scoop. :-(

Sadly, once things are allowed to silt up or slide into disrepair that
eventually seems "normal", and maritime interests will have hell to pay
in the future trying to get waterways, etc restored. The next round of
"fiscal conservatives" will then bitch that boaters are a special
interest group asking for something "extra."