There's no acceptable control tower at the Pago Pago airport. Also, the federal government has been paying for air traffic control services here. The FAA gave the government tons of notice that they are going to stop paying for air traffic control after September 30, 2007 http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=35429. But, the feds also said they would give $2M for a new air control tower. One of the conditions of the $2M is that American Samoa agrees to staff the air control tower and use it to provide air control services. So what's the problem?
The governor objected to this plan because he wants the federal government to keep paying for the air traffic control here. He also objected because he wants more than $2M to construct the tower. When it was pointed out that Western Samoa recently built one for less than half that cost (and their airport has far more traffic), the governor was insulted that someone would insinuate that the W.S. tower would be good enough for here. Afterall, A.S. has far superior services than W.S.. One just has to look at the roads here (massive potholes), the public transportation provided by the government (none), tourist facilities (almost none), fine dining (McDonalds), and superior industry (stinky canneries paying $3/per hour) to recognize that just because something is good enough for Western Samoa:
(beaches)
does not make it good enough for American Samoa.
(beaches with trash, ha! we got you Western Samoa!)
Also, since the tower was going to cost around $1M and the federal government offered to provide $2M, that left only $1M to be syphoned off to corruption. This alone is unaccptable, but the condition that the tower actually be completed and used is an insult to the government of American Samoa, and its way of doing things.
The deadline came and went and the governor did not take the deal. Incredible huh? So now there is no plan for the tower. It also has come out that the governor has no plan to pay for air traffic services. The newspaper today has him saying that we don't need air traffic control.
Another thing I wonder if the governor has thought about. Will Hawaiian Airlines fly here without any air traffic control? Is that even legal? For someone who takes so many trips off island, you'd think the governor might have thought this through.
Oh, yeah he has his own plane, nevermind. So the next Hawaiian flight is scheduled to arrive this Thursday. We'll see what happens.
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13 comments:
You are one bitter dude. Oh, yeah, so was I when I was there.
Your news is so much more exciting than ours. We need a funny governor like yours. Too bad for us we elected some lawyer type...
But we do have a few stinky jobs around here. Just check out Tacoma and Camas (and probably Longview, I've never hung out there long enough to notice). I guess old tuna might smell worse than pulp...
Our governor IS a lawyer too. It is just that since nobody follows real laws here, it doesn't matter. It is all about making money for the people who are in charge. Kind of like the current US president, but even more obvious corruption and possibly less thought put into things.
The tuna cannery smell is 1000 times worse than Tacoma or Longview. Maybe it is 20 times worse than Camas/Washougal.
I'm not bitter yet, but I am continually amazed at things here. The more I know, the faster ridiculous things seem to happen.
Time to start building your raft. That will make for some interesting blog entries!!!
WTF
Another post warning me of potential life threatening occurances and you post it, once again, after I bought my tickets !
Luckily airline pilots are the most professional people in the world and are never inebriated. They can land those planes by feel. I feel much safer.
Hoz- You have nothing to worry about...should your plane come up short, it'll only hit a reef and some water. If it goes a little long, you'll have some nice soft mountains to catch you. Winner, winner.
Well if we somehow get on the same flight, will you hold my hand as we die a watery death or crash into the mountains and erupt in a ball of flame?
Thanks
Just adding fuel to the fire...
It's even more ridiculous that this is a fight over a "temporary" tower. The permanent tower is estimated at $13 million.
Plus, in '74, when there wasn't a tower, there was a pretty serious plane accident that resulted in almost 100 deaths.
Plus, the last 'temporary tower' was destroyed by a hurricane. (probably because it was made of toothpicks and bubblegum.)
I vote we send a kid out with some colored lava lavas who can be our Honorary Control Tower and wave his lava lavas and shout "da plane, da plane" every time an airplane circles our runway.
Adrian and Shane, you are screwed. Aaron that is just insane. You should get elected governor and fly us all around in your private plane. Sounds like a pretty nice job.
Ha! Governor Masser! He clearly has the track record of building things and keeping garbage cleaned up!
YES - The Toyota SR5 and the Chev S-10 are fine examples of waste management at its best, also know as:
The Masser Mobile Municipal Landfill ( MMML )
And by the way, the pencils he used to support his stereo in his car were rated as load bearing for those who mock.
Okay. It's official. American Samoa has gone to hell in a handbasket and I now fully understand why my parents bypass AS and head to Samoa instead when they visit. Typical ASers thinking they're better than Samoa.
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