P-I: "Sound Transit asks U.S. for more rail extension money"
Sound Transit has increased its request for federal money to help it extend passenger rail service to the University of Washington ... It originally asked for $700 million in federal grant money but increased it partly based on what other systems received.Sen. Patty Murray takes much of the dubious credit for federal Sound Transit subsidies. I'd be interested in hearing the positions of both Sen. Cantwell and Mike McGavick on federal funding for Sound Transit light rail. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 10, 2006 10:11 AM | Email This
Take the Tacoma Link Light Rail for instance, as originally sold to the public in the Sound Move vote. Riders were to pay a fare to board and ride, but being as the majority Tacoma and Pierce County's political elites are either invested in or have family members or close business associates who are invested in the condo developments happening along the Light Rail Corridor these same politicians (headed up by John Ladenburg) hatched a scheme to do away with any fare-box participation in the cost of the service. In doing so, these same Tacoma and Pierce County politicians add "FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!" as a selling point to their project and are able to charge more for each unit. When you add ten years of tax abatement (effectively letting the purchasers of these $5,00,000 plus units free load off the rest of the residents of Tacoma for their fire protection, police, solid waste, their share of the Port of Tacoma tax, and on and on into infinitum) this adds up to a tidy "profit" for the investors. Unfortunately the average voter in the Puget Sound area lacks sufficient intellectual firepower to burn toast, recognizing these schemes for what they are goes far beyond what they are capable of.
In 1996 voters were told by ST that once the 10-year construction period was up the sales tax rate would drop (if voters did not approve an additional construction phase). The ten years is up.
Last year ST passed a bond sales resolution containing tax covenants obliging it to collect the sales tax for 25 additional years at the current .4% rate. We got reamed last year by those appointees of the Executives of King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties.
Sound Transit did exactly what Seattle Monorail did - it mislead the voters, and then once it got taxing authority all pretexts dropped away and the taxing plans skyrocketed in scope.
The same plans for deceiving voters are underway for the integrated RTID/ST2 proposal that will be on the November 2007 ballot. The same politicians and law firms are behind each of these stand-alone transportation governments. These appointed-board governments provide enormous wealth and power to those few, and they are designed to be impervious to any checks or balances after they win the single vote that authorizes more taxes.
Best efforts must be utilized to defeat the RTID/ST2 proposal in 2007. There are worthy projects that will be in that measure (eg, 520 replacement), but RTID/ST2 needs to be defeated in order to force the legislature to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Utopian politicians, having spent far too much time safely out touch with the real world that is the private sector, actually believe in their trains to nowhere.
To the rest of us, that just means burning money.
Posted by: Jeff B. on July 10, 2006 12:04 PMOption 1), walk 1/4 mile to the closest bus stop with two suitcases and a carry-on. Board the bus, find a place for my luggage (at least the buses are mostly empty), ride 45 minutes to the downtown ST station. Get off the bus, haul my luggage to the ST train, find a place to store it, hope they don't get stolen, and ride 44 minutes to the airport. Get off the train, haul my luggage to the check-in counter.
Option 2), drive 20 minutes to a ST station in Seattle, haul my luggage around, hope it doesn't get stolen along the way, and take a 44 minute ride to the airport. Get off the train, haul my luggage to the check-in counter.
Option 3), drive 20 minutes to the airport, and move my luggage from the car to the curbside check-in.
Even a stuck-on-stupid liberal can figure out which option is more convenient. The train is not about convenience, it's all about politicians spending OUR tax money to benefit themselves, their family and their friends.
Posted by: Obi-Wan on July 10, 2006 01:12 PMThe growth rate of that sales tax revenue last year ('04-'05) was 8.2%. Assuming a 5.75% growth rate of the sales tax for the next 25 years, ST will take in over $13 Billion in additional sales tax revenues. I have not present-valued that figure here, but that should give you an idea of the degree to which the people of this region will be impacted because of the "yes" vote on the RTA in 1996.
And the ST trains will provide service that is of marginal social utility, at best. Truly unfortunate, and an abject lesson.
Politicians spending from the public treasury to buy votes and reelection.
Any actual benefit to the public or constitutionality is purely coincidental.
Posted by: SouthernRoots on July 10, 2006 02:56 PMTake the SuperShuttle and a book (I recommend "Eat the Rich" by P.J. O'Rourke -- especially for this occasion).
$30 - $40 or so and well worth every nickle (not counting the book).
I would park at an off airport lot. They are pretty secure and you can get them around 8.95 a day. There are a couple of them that actually use the vallet parking of a hotel in the area so it is pretty nice.
Posted by: TrueSoldier on July 10, 2006 07:30 PMWhatever McGavick says about Federal spending, he will not abandon America in time of war.
That alone is more than enough reason to kick Cantwell's ass the hell out of there by electing McGavick.
Arizona's roads are in wonderful condition - know why ? Because there is no rathole like Sound Transit for local Government to pour money down and roads can keep up with the growing population, which is growing faster than here. I predict in 50 years, Sound Transit will still fall far short of meeting expectations while Sims and Nickels push up daisies and make more fertilizer.
Posted by: KS on July 10, 2006 08:56 PMEven though the system will never work,
CExPat and his/her ilk don't mind paying the difference so . . . who are we to complain?
Democrats are morons.
Posted by: Amused by liberals on July 12, 2006 10:30 AMlook your loverboys in the party have screwed up royally. you guys don't have the integrity and honesty to admit it. so you slag other people.
you are in love with a bunch of liars, unprincipled, big govt, wasteful, bible thumping hypocrites. ah, it all makes sense to me now. it's like looking in the mirror for you guys.
Posted by: dinesh on July 13, 2006 09:15 AMMoron dinesh in righteous indignation over perceived slights from you and I recently insisted that he wasn't going to engage us ever again and here he is all fuming and upset drooling and wailing with silly nonsensical ad hominem(s).
Boring and repetitive nonsense. Somebody should tell dinesh that we have heard all of this garbage before from people who could say it stylishly such that it was at least entertaining. Incapable of making a reasoned argument, dinesh tries to assail us with his not so rapier-like witticisms and dunderheaded wrath that flounder like a ran-over slug. dinesh actually makes Al Gore seem witty.
Has dinesh made a single comment anywhere at any time that would indicate he has any intellectual ability at all?
Ask him, because you have been nicer to him than I, maybe he will respond to you.