In this post, I suggested we call Washington's senior senator, Patty "Pork" Murray, for her devotion to grabbing money for indefensible projects. As I learned from this Seattle Times article, the Taxpayers for Common Sense had already come up with a better nickname, the "Queen of Pork", which I will use from now on.
By the way, in some cases, pork projects are not just wasteful, but actively harmful. That proved to be true of many public housing projects in our large cities. I think that's true of Sound Transit's light rail project. In other words, I think that the net benefits from the light rail project will be negative. It would be better to take the money and throw it out of airplanes over King County, giving us a random tax cut. It would even be better to take the money and burn it. There is probably no way to explain that point to the "Queen of Pork", Patty Murray, but I suppose I should try.
(Wondering what makes a project "pork"? Here's my explanation.)
Posted by Jim Miller at November 28, 2006 02:57 PM | Email ThisAnd the democrats are proud of this? The dumbest and least effective?
Posted by: Misty on November 28, 2006 03:19 PMI would not have as big a problem with it if it was just Seattle paying for it (my position was the same with the ill-fated monorail). How is this extension going to improve congestion for those of us on the east side?
Posted by: Palouse on November 28, 2006 03:24 PMThe short answer is... soon people will become so fed up with living in this socialist state represented by two idiots in the Senate that they will move to Montana.
This will reduce congestion.
Yay for Patty. Porky Patty. Queen of Pork. Purse-strings Patty. Patty Pork. "You'd better not vote against my projects, or I'll kill your's". Now that's leadership!
Posted by: Shaun on November 28, 2006 03:34 PMGregoire needs a name along those lines, too. Every position she had had at the State has resulted in doubling of staff.
Posted by: swatter on November 28, 2006 03:49 PMMemorial will cost $5 million but there is no reason a private memorial should be getting major pork support from Inslee. Congressman Inslee triumphant victory speech election eve promised even more Sweet-and-Sour Pork for his aide's special-interest monument.
Needless to say the NPS is a willing accomplice to Inslee by staging a sham "independent study" that just happened to select the $1.4M plan over an option that would have just provided consultantcy advice to the private sponsors.
Ka-ching -- ka-ching $$$$$ -- spend they must to build a loyal group of liberal believers here on Bainbridge.
Posted by: James M. Olsen on November 28, 2006 04:00 PMShe is the one that Killed our State Sales Tax deduction in 2006, costing each household in this state over $500.
Yup Welcome aboard Queen Ka Ching 2
I doubted anyone could surpass Queen Christine 1 as the number one Pork spender and provider in the state.
But I beleive we are on a brand new level of massive Ka Ching Now.
Thank God and Bush for the presidential Veto Power for two more years while these big spenders piss away our hard earned $$$.
But that's impossible in any near term. Both because it would take a minimum of 25 years to build such a minimally useable, and given our geographic and water limiting features, it's really more like 35 years. And that would be at a huge cost of indebtedness and taxation that's not compatible with this state's tax structure.
On top of all that, even if we built such a system, it would only create relief for a relatively small percentage of total Puget Sound residents. There are just far too many small business parks, and other new and differing approaches to employment and home locations to satisfy the overwhelming majority of transit needs with anything but automobiles, or buses.
We have to invest in roads first, simply because that is the economic and physical reality of our region. Building emasculated, yet incredibly expensive new projects like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge only serve to worsen the problem, because despite all of the millions spent, there is no net gain in overall transit due to mass transit fantasies like HOV lanes.
And the same is true for Sound Transit. Sure there are a few people that ride the Sounder Train for free in downtown Tacoma, and get free parking. But compared to the total population of the Tacoma area, it's an utterly insignificant number of people, with a similarly negligent reduction in overall Pierce County congestion.
In short, we are wasting billions of dollars to benefit a relatively small number of people while simultaneously ignoring the transit needs of the vast majority.
That definitely fits Jim's definition of Pork.
Posted by: Jeff B. on November 28, 2006 04:11 PMI'm certain that we had a similar quote in an article when Slade won in '94. Sure.
Between this and the article Monday saying that the suburbs could be better off due to the Democrats' victory, the media bias is leaping off the page.
Posted by: Damian on November 28, 2006 07:14 PMSenator-for-life Murray is a perfect example of why legislators should be required to pass the WASL. If she was a true blond and better looking, we could label her an airhead.
Posted by: Organization Man on November 28, 2006 08:55 PMShe'd flunk - she was a teacher.
Posted by: Tyler Durden on November 28, 2006 09:27 PM"Lobbyist Steve McBee, who represents Sound Transit...."
Why are our tax dollars going to pay for a lobbyist, who if successful, will convince our elected officials to throw more good money after bad?
(Which they would do anyways, knowing their track record.)
Posted by: Brent in Ferndale on November 29, 2006 07:39 AMafter all, we have to be sensitive to the multi-culti one & twenty religions that want to change/rewrite (not assimilate to) America's history, cultural foundations and traditions in favor of nuetered, ridiculous traditions like "Holiday Trees" and "Harvest Dinners" and "holy Cities"--heck--all of America is a "holy city" to me--
maybe we should call it "religiously-neutrally-termed-inoffensive over-enhanced governmentally-funded local spending"
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on December 1, 2006 03:23 PM