August 04, 2007
No way to run a county (or an editorial page)
Last weekend the Seattle Times gave a sound argument against the twin King County Parks levies on this month's primary ballot:
This is no way to run a county. The county has undertaken several measures to improve overall funding for parks, which were previously supported by the general fund. But, the public is left to pay taxes on a budget item officials figure voters will readily approve.
Nevertheless, the
Times concludes:
Voters should hold their noses and say yes twice
That's no way to run an editorial page. I like parks too, and am willing to pay a reasonable amount to support them. But the financing mechanism is flawed and the only chance of changing that is rejecting the levy.
If the levies are rejected, the county parks won't revert into toxic waste dumps at the stroke of midnight as the campaign wants you to believe. The parks will still be there and there will be plenty of time to provide adequate and responsible funding.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 04, 2007
09:23 AM | Email This
1. I'd be delighted to vote 'yes' on the parks... if they'd just put the _rest_ of KC expenditures on the ballot.
2. Please take a quick look at pages 31 and 32 of your "Official Local Voter's Pamphlet" for King County.
You will observe "Statements For" Prop One and Prop Two, but the "Statements Against" are BLANK!
What does this indicate?
a) That Prop One and Two are so excellent that no dissent is warranted?
b) Citizen Apathy?
c) Failure of County Government to inform the citizns of upcoming statement deadlines for Voter's Pamphlets.
I can guarantee that the answer is "C".
I have made numerous attempts during the last eight years to be placed onto a notification list for upcoming statement deadlines. Never happens.
It is only via dogged personal effort timed well ahead of any upcoming election that I can wedge my way into the process.
Even when I succeed, I'm usually too late since beforehand the Statement Process found their Statement Against author by appointment from the very agencies that seek the YES vote.
King County has zero interest in fairness in voting or they would be making a better effort to involve the public in the ENTIRE process.
3. How can citizens EVER hold these KLOWNS accountable for how they spend money if the "WATCHDOG" Seattle Times allows them to get away with this typical bureaucratic shell-game".
The Seattle Times is a huge part of the problem of escalating taxes & diminishing services that Seattle/KingCo has become.
VOTE HELL NO...twice (or more if you can pull off the ACORN scam).
4. These propositions are a joke-- especially for residents of rural KC. Any parks we had are long-gone-- turned over to the rural area cities. This proposition will 1) fund Marymoor Park, and 2) pay to buy more land to lock away... It won't reopen parks, ballfields, better fund facilities that were turned over to the cities. If Ron wants to keep Marymoor open, charge Cirque de Soleil more money to use it!
5. Get use to the Hell no's on this election, because the November election is the real wallet grabber election.
They got more taxes comming at you then Popeye's Tax man.
Hell No to all of it!
6. Someone mentioned apathy, let me tell you, King County is smacking their hands together, licking their lips, and running with our apathy all the way to the bank (and laughing all the way their).
These levies are a huge game. I helped write the "statement against" one of last years levy measures so I can complain in this forum with a clear conscience.
Bottom line is that KC counts on the citizens to be misinformed, only voting on popular programs, high levels of apathy, and low levels of critical thought, and help from the Times and PI. This is the tride and true formula used year after year. They will even commit fraud to make it work if they have to. Just keep that money coming.
And the fraudulent machine rolls on.
7. I greatly dislike the fact that we have this levy AND a park fee when you go to a KC park, as well. Either have the levy (but really, the general budget should support this instead of wasteful stuff) OR the fee, BUT NOT BOTH. I'm voting NO on this levy for that very reason. It's my way of telling them "Pick one or the other, but stop double taxing me for the parks."
8. Parks? We don't need no stinking parks? King County is selling a 156 acre golf course/park/gravel pit to a developer in the middle of Maple Valley to put 2,000 plus homes on it, without a public bidding process. King County is keeping all of the Development and Permit fees for themselves. No to both.
If you go to the KC website you get to see Larry Phillips video supporting the levies and then you see a plain text screen that says "no against message was recieved". Typical... I bet they tried really hard to find someone who was against these to levies.
I have a friend in North Bend who says they have been trying to get the County to OPEN a park to the public that they bought jointly with the City of North Bend over 5 years ago. There are "No Trepassing" signs on this "park" property that was bought with 7 million dollars of public money. Now that's the kind of leadship and use of public funds you can only find lurking in the corridors of power at King County.
9. Million dollar toilets, drunk housing, a new $600k logo. These are just a few of the things they spend our money on that we don't get to vote on. But when it comes to things we actually want, like parks, then they need EXTRA levies for that. NO!
10. When I get to vote on million dollar self flushing outhouses, and a new swank King County building, and a new vote counting system, then I will vote yes on some of these other measures.
Until then it is a Hell no no no now and a Big Big Hell no no no no no no no to the massive increases in November
11. Vote No No on all taxing issues in August and Novemer including the school levy 60 Percent rule.
12. This household will be voting NO on both parks levies. The parks and pool in our area the have been turned over to the local jurisdictions are now being well maintained, well managed and offer programs that are booked full. As opposed to king county control, which was no maintenance, minimal management and minimal programs.
Palouse - Regarding $1,000,000 public toilets, I recently read several articles in the SunSentinel (Ft Lauderdale, FL) regarding their proposed purchase of the automated toilets. And guess what? They would have cost about 75% less, with more vendor O&M included, and the doors open after a preset time because activities other than the intended purpose is likely going on. But the automated toilets proposal was killed, not only because of the public outcry, but also becasue other cities have found them to be very unreliable.
13. What "adequate and responsible funding" do you prefer? Aren't you a fan of reducing general taxes and having people vote on specific items? If you oppose all taxes, at least be honest enough to say that.
14. I prefer a public bidding process for the sale of public real estate assets not private back room deals with developers that violate GMA. Where do I go for satisfaction Bruce? Maybe Ron Sims will lower my taxes with the windfall he gets from turning a Maple Valley open space into a mini-Federal Way. I doubt it.
15. I feel the same way about this issue! The King County Budget is HUGE, and the council needs to do the hard work of balancing it, not just ask for more, more, more!
In addition, the City of Redmond also has two propositions on the table. If all four of these propositions pass, most of the good citizens of Redmond will be paying at least $200 MORE in property tax next year!
Please everyone vote NO on all of the propositions in the primary! Please see http://nwclosetcon.blogspot.com for more on the City of Redmond propositions.
16. KC's Department of Natural Resources and PARKS wastes more money than any KC office.
Sims is in lock step with this group and is also to blame
Funding these levies keeps incompetence and waste in power.
VOTE NO
17. tg writes:
Funding these levies keeps incompetence and waste in power.
Funny, I thought re-electing people keeps them in power.