Please note: Those who agree with Romney's 47%er theory (for those who have already repressed that memory: Essentially - 47% of Americans are lazy, good for nothing, sponges who pay no (federal income) taxes) - You are not eligible for this entirely taxpayer funded giveaway. Because there is no reliable way to determine whether you agree with Romney, you are required by whatever bit of good conscience dwells within your being to examine whether accepting the taxpayer dredging of your private boat slip (and the lagoon - private or not) makes you a sponge too. If you conclude that it does, then please either find a way to pay the taxpayers back the costs or revise your world view to trully, deeply, and outright reject the false and cruel and destructive Romney doctrine.

And just what does this comment have to do with the above story? Election is over and life goes on.....

CTA sounds like he's got some soul searching to do...

Right - The comment has everything to do with the artilcle.

Actually Romney was wrong. The real number is a little over 50%.

first, thank you Doug and the staff at the patch for updating the masses who use the back bays, pay city and state taxes, generate revenue for the local economies, buy purchasing boats and boating equipment, food and beverages, fuel, insurance for their boats, and waterfront homes, people who come to use the local boat ramps, bring their families for good wholesome family activities outdoors, enjoy the natural local resources such as fishing, hunting, nature exploring, crabbing etc. Secondly, holding those accountable for the agreements in place and informing the general public what was agreed to as well, how the project came in, complete? not complete? on budget? results? etc.

Thanks also, also Patch, from the vast majority of the 47%ers who pay no fed income tax but pay payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes and are retired on SSI, Medicare, Veterans' Disability, etc., who Duffer and nearly half of the other Americans who voted for Romney think are lazy, no-good sponges, for not covering the interesting angle about the social equity of taxpayers fully funding something that seems a complete and unnecessary give-away - a kind of affluent welfare - of dredging these lagoons (some private) and private boat slips. I wonder why there is no political will to pave private alleyways and driveways when public alleyways and streets are paved by taxpayers. is this not analogous? Would you object to that if you did not own a driveway? Do we even need an analogy? Why not address this? Could it have something to do with the clout of the lagoon and bayfront property owners? Wouldn't a special taxing district extablished for that area be more fair and certainly more economically efficient?

Giveaway - completely agree. Also - I think you know that this phase excludes many private slips but it appears by that it only excludes traditional slips within and pretty much perpendicular to the lagoon channel. It appears not to exclude the others, which make up a huge percentage of the slips (those paralell to the channel - for example where boats are tied to floating docks or the T-ends for fixed docs). It looks like they will not go into and under those structures but will dredge where the boat floats and that's what matters.
I wonder how much durability is lost by not including the areas around the pilings and under the docks. This creates steep channel slopes which would be condusive to much more rapid acretion of the dredged channels. Perhaps a more thorough and effective project, including the channels and all of the slips would have been more cost-effective, especially if the money were raised through a special taxing district - as you suggest (which is both more efficient and more fair).