DSK wrote:
Florida Keyz wrote:

unbelivably, there is now NO funding for the Atlantic ICW.

Actually, this isn't quite true. A small amount of money (a paltry few
million) was allocated to Florida.

.... If this continures
there will soon be no ICW, it shall be impassable.

Oh, I dunno, it will be there for a long time to come, it just will be
"impassable" to boats over 3' draft.

But the issue is a fairly serious one. The economic impact of the ICW
includes a few billion doallars for commercial traffic, probably ten
times that for recreational boaters. Think of all the marinas and gas
docks and visitors centers along the ICW.

Also, if there is little or no money for maintenance along the ICW,
think what would be allocated for rescue of boaters trying to go outside
around Cape Hattaras.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King


Major budgetary cutbacks are planned for all infrastructure, and I would
include the ICW, along with bridges, roads, airports, subways, et
cetera. This is all so we can "better sustain" more funds going to the
Department of Defense for Bush's endless, mindless war, a war that will
result in a more dangerous world than we live in now.

Reuters had an interesting article on the problem recently:

Bush Reaches Out to Conservatives to Quell Revolt

Fri Feb 20, 3:45 PM ET

By Adam Entous

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has been reaching out to
conservative groups to quell a rebellion over government spending and
budget deficits, hoping to shore up President Bush's political base in
an election year.

Conservative leaders who have taken part in *private* White House
meetings in recent weeks said on Friday officials have *promised to all
but freeze non-defense spending,* and assured them Bush will follow
through on his threat to veto major highway legislation if Congress
refuses to scale it back.

The price tag on a six-year highway and transportation bill stalled in
the House of Representatives is $375 billion while a Senate highway bill
calls for spending $318 billion. The White House has proposed a $256
billion measure.

"Bush has been very attentive to the critique from the right," said
Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, a politically powerful
conservative group -- offering tentative praise where once he talked
openly of a brewing rebellion.

But if the White House does not follow through, said Heritage Foundation
vice president for government relations, Michael Franc, "all bets are off."