Sound Politics: Million Dollar Bash

February 15, 2007

Million Dollar Bash

Efforts by two Seattle City Council members to cancel the March 13 advisory vote have failed.

Stephanie Pure, aide to Councilman Peter Steinbrueck, who said the ballot measures on how to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct were "a sham and a fiasco" said Steinbrueck couldn't get enough of his colleagues to agree, and so there will be no stopping the election.

Steinbrueck and Council President Nick Licata wanted to stop the advisory vote, and perhaps save some of the $1 million the all-mail election is expected to cost.

Kudos to Steinbrueck and Licata.

The others should be ashamed for wasting $1 million of taxpayer money on this sham and fiasco.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 15, 2007 01:37 PM | Email This

Comments

1. The others should be ashamed for insisting on wasting the taxpayers money on this sham and fiasco.

But then how would they get up and look at themselves in the mirror each day? Wasting Taxpayer money on shams and fiascos is pretty much the average Seattle Council member's job description.

Posted by: Jeff B. on February 15, 2007 01:14 PM

2. Think how much counseling for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered teens a million bucks could buy.

On second thought, go ahead and have the election.

Posted by: Rey Smith on February 15, 2007 01:21 PM

3. The council has had no problem with squandering tax dollars on bad art, free housing for drunks, and fuzzy wuzzy social programs, so what's another million or so to them? Little Greggie wants the vote and the rest of the council is too spineless to tell him to grow up.

Posted by: Burdabee on February 15, 2007 01:32 PM

4.
You replace half the city council and the only thing that changes is that the new crop is dumber than the last bunch.

Posted by: NW Denizen on February 15, 2007 01:38 PM

5. NW Denizen: They're not at all dumb. They're amoral. What's a million bucks just to prove a point and support a temper trantrum about a losing proposition? After all, it's not THEIR money, so why should they worry? It's only the taxpayers who have to foot the bill, and who cares about stupid taxpayers, anyway? If the Council had to pay for this phony election out of their own personal pockets, that might make a difference.

Posted by: katomar on February 15, 2007 01:49 PM

6. How much did the Seattlites just tax themselves to repair potholes? This wasted money could have gone a long way towards that goal.

Posted by: SouthernRoots on February 15, 2007 03:31 PM

7. Speaking of wasted money, how's Shrub's war going? Is the cost generally agreed to be over a Trillion yet? ($1,000,000,000,000.00)

And speaking of borrowed money, how's our national debt doing? (Roughly 9 Trillion.)

How much do we pay each year on the interest, by the way?

Posted by: Jim on February 15, 2007 06:49 PM

8. "How much did the Seattlites just tax themselves to repair potholes?"

Just wondering if anyone has driven a fricking road in Seattle that has actually had any potholes filled?

I drive those roads daily, and it's still like driving an Xbox desert run. Not a single fricken dime has been spent on the potholes Mr Billions promised to fill.

Some are big enough even Mr Billions laying down in them would not fill...

Eh Mr Billions........Where's the Beef!!!!!!!

All goin towards a failed tunnel I guess....

Posted by: GS on February 15, 2007 09:38 PM

9. If we all vote no on BOTH the (reported) alternatives, perhaps we can get through the message: "stop the spending megalomania."

Posted by: JB on February 16, 2007 02:20 AM

10. The two important "no" votes are the ones we get to cast in November.

Posted by: Orotund on February 16, 2007 06:57 AM

11. #7 How come your post didn't come with YELLOW Ink??

Posted by: George on February 16, 2007 07:12 AM

12. GS@8:

The pothole phenomenon is happening all over the state, not just in Seattle. The government does employ bean counters who have explained to politicians and department directors that they cannot do fulfill both their core department and their social welfare work with the currently allocated dollars. Core work suffers, even though the department do not accomplish have the social good that they would like.

I just read that the office of the state fire marshall cannot afford to investigate the cause of suspicious fires due to budget limitations. Tell me, what is a more important core function of the fire marshall than to help identify arson?

Posted by: huckleberry on February 16, 2007 07:46 AM

13. Katomar...

You are correct. Dumb was a poor choice of words on my part.

Posted by: NW Denizen on February 16, 2007 08:49 AM