September 13, 2004
SMP: Home Wrecker Dying Fast

I seriously was going to sell my Audi if we lost the lastest judges' decision on Initiative I-83. But the Recall effort lives! Sorry Matt. But check out this statement from the unhappy Anne Levinson, SMP deputy director:

"...On top of that, the public not only pays for the costs of campaigning and the cost of an election, but any additional costs due to project delay while this works its way through the court system. It may serve special interests, but it does nothing to serve those stuck in their cars day after day."

Having a car is not trivial. People are not "stuck" in them; they choose to have them based on complex decisions balancing income, work, family and activities. Centrallized planning can never reach the optimal solutions for hundreds of thousands of Seattle drivers. Why not lower the tax costs of living and working in King County and Seattle so that more businesses and families can locate here and reduce travel times?

I guess these days the effluence of public service pension programs override efficacious public service programs. Priceless.


Posted by Kevin Leo at September 13, 2004 08:11 PM | Email This
Comments
1. It will likely get shot down in the supreme court. By that time, the city will have spent $890,000 to put something on the ballot that need not be there.

You want to talk about the monorail being a waste of money? At least we will have something to show for that money, as opposed to the $890,000 which will be flushed.

Posted by: bmvaughn on September 13, 2004 08:48 PM
2. If it is not shot down by the Supreme Court, will you agree the money was well spent? After all, I have expected Supreme Courts to do particular things and they have gone opposite of what I expect.

Posted by: Sarah Schreffler on September 14, 2004 05:57 AM
3. At this point, so close to the election, the supremes are not going to accept review of the case. Maybe after the vote, maybe. But my prediction is that if the vote is one sided (either way), the supremes will not accept review.

Posted by: Tim Ford on September 14, 2004 09:20 AM
4.
Having a car is not trivial. People are not "stuck" in them; they choose to have them based on complex decisions balancing income, work, family and activities.

Exactamundo. With a car, you get point-to-point, on-demand travel in a secure and customizable environment. With mass transit, you can only travel where the system takes you, and on the system's schedule. You are in a shared, often unhygienic public space with little or no personal space.

Naturally, if you're an advocate of central planning, and you like the notion of keeping the proletariat in their place, you favor mass transit.

Posted by: Matt J Kurlander on September 14, 2004 10:09 AM