1. Absolutely disgraceful!

NOT ANOTHER PENNY TO SOUND TRANSIT.
(or frankly to these other corrupt "transit" groups)

Liberals are always trying to figure out new ways to use taxpayer dollars, instead of their own, to accomplish their personal goals.

Posted by: Michele on July 8, 2008 03:04 PM

2. I'm wondering what would be the best phone # to call ST to complain. They are definitely going to hear from me. And hopefully several hundred other people.

Posted by: Michele on July 8, 2008 03:16 PM

3. Michele, let us know what happens.
I'm sure they won't outright say it but the attitude there is "it's our money anyways"

Posted by: PC on July 8, 2008 03:42 PM

4. We see the same thing with DSHS, the courts and the domestic violence lobby. Tons of grant money being put directly into the hands of full time lobbiests who in turn put the legislature's figurative nuts in a vice.

Posted by: Andy on July 8, 2008 04:05 PM

5. Hell I guess if it's OK to wipe out the Spokane Indians 140 million per year the state WOULD HAVE GOTTEN to get around $700,000 donated to Gregoire and the Democrats campaigning in this state, she obviously has signaled an open door to all agencies in this state to do the same.

I guess that is why Congress, now led by Democrats for 2 years, today dropped to a 9% approval rating.

Read it here:

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance/congressional_performance

Posted by: gs on July 8, 2008 04:15 PM

6. I often run by the Tacoma Yard where Sound Transit trains sit when not in service. I usually go by on Sundays. Every time I go by, there are the trains, all powered up, diesel engines idling, all of the lights and AC on, not doing a damn thing. A great use of taxpayer dollars. Not a lot of activity on Sundays.

Where's Al Gore to talk with John Ladenberg and weep over the tons of CO2 belched in to the atmosphere by those empty Sound Transit trains?

Also, why did the Sound Transit folks move the graffiti covered light rail car from the tracks near I-5 at SouthCenter? What about cultural sensitivity? Don't those taggers get their form of expression. It's sort of like there way of blogging. Often, DOT bureaucracies will build dedicated underpasses or overpasses for wildlife to cross freeways. Shouldn't Sound Transit leave that light rail car in place as a form of ghetto artistic expression of those taggers and build a new set of tracks around the car, or just use only one set of tracks in that section?

The left tells us this kind of thing all the time, but they are inconsistent with their message. How come its OK sometimes and not others? How come we are all supposed to drive smaller cars and wait for the wind, but it's OK for Barack Obama to drive in a big SUV and Al Gore to fly everywhere in his G5?

Posted by: Jeff B. on July 8, 2008 04:30 PM

7. Bye-bye Joni. Bye-bye Sound Transit. Bye-bye staff.

Posted by: swatter on July 8, 2008 04:31 PM

8. You'd hear more about this if it weren't for the obscene amount of money that Sound Transit spends on local media.

I mean someone really ought to look into the local and state governments relationship with KIRO radio. I can't believe how many government sponsored commercials run on that station and also on the evening newscasts. I'm sure they are not very anxious to upset their advertiser.

Posted by: johnny on July 8, 2008 04:50 PM

9. You'd hear more about this if it weren't for the obscene amount of money that Sound Transit spends on local media.

I mean someone really ought to look into the local and state governments relationship with KIRO radio. I can't believe how many government sponsored commercials run on that station and also on the evening newscasts. I'm sure they are not very anxious to upset their advertiser.

Posted by: johnny on July 8, 2008 04:50 PM

10. Hey Johnny, did you look at the board members of the Transportion Choices Coalition ? DAVE ROSS

Posted by: Smokie on July 8, 2008 04:56 PM

11. Are we surprised? LOL

Ok lib/dem's, have at this one.

Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on July 8, 2008 04:58 PM

12. Loot rail is a fraud.

Posted by: Publicbulldog on July 8, 2008 05:29 PM

13. Just in the name of accuracy - how do you (JC) know that the AC is on when you drive by the trains?

I'll give you that the engines are running because you roll your window down and hear them.

Posted by: BA on July 8, 2008 05:36 PM

14. There is one thing that can be done: publicly demand that the US Attorney General bring RICO charges against named persons for using government as a criminal enterprise, a machine political operation run on graft and corruption.

March to the Attorney General's office. Make noise. Clog the streets. Demand action. Make such a fuss that the msm has to say something, show something that is not in their best interests. Start a political brush fire.

Posted by: barrackslawyer on July 8, 2008 05:37 PM

15. Much ado about nothing. Pretty much all government entities are members of associations that help educate the public on their issues, work with constituency groups or lobby on their behalf. For example, counties are members of the Washington Association of Counties, cities are members of the Assn of WA Cities and many of these local governments are members of ICLEI -the association of local governments that favor sustainability principles.

The Public Disclosure Commission long ago (in 2001 or 2002) investigated these issues following a complaint from one of you right-wing ideologues and after reviewing the books of both the transit agencies and Transportation Choices Coalition, dismissed the complaint.

When initiative mongers and legislators are constantly trying to cut the little bit of remaining state revenue that goes to local transit agencies, or trying to limit their local funding options, it's reasonable for these agencies to participate in efforts to educate the public and legislators about the services they provide.

Posted by: BillL on July 8, 2008 05:51 PM

16. And we always heard that Chicago was the seed of corruption. Move over Chicago, Washington is becoming the city of choice for corruption.

Posted by: gs on July 8, 2008 06:10 PM

17. I know from experience that school districts are not allowed to campaign for bonds and levies using any school property or money. Bellevue is very cautious about this. I've been in meetings where the words "bond" or "levy" are not even uttered, just in case.

That doesn't mean there isn't an active organization to pass bonds and levies. And it doesn't mean that school employees can't work on it. It just means they have to do it on their own time and with their own money.

Why aren't other govt agencies as aware of the law as schools are?

Posted by: janet s on July 8, 2008 06:13 PM

18. Leave it to Bill Laborde another big Government sycophant, to pipe up in defense of his buddies who appoint him to things like the Civilian Oversight Panel at Sound Transit. Right BillL?

Posted by: Smokie on July 8, 2008 06:40 PM

19. Can you imagine the howls from the leftists and the leftist media if the Republicans were in charge and taxpayer money was being granted to the NRA for gun safety and 2nd Amendment education? Perhaps one of the resident liberals can explain the difference.

Posted by: Elaine on July 8, 2008 06:50 PM

20. Janet S@17: This is the very issue that was investigated by the PDC in 2001/2002. The PDC's finding was that no transit agency funds were being used for election activities.

Smokie @18: the "B" in my last name is capitalized. Please get it right in the future.

Posted by: BillL on July 8, 2008 06:58 PM

21. Well, then I'm confused. The finding is that ST contributed public funds to organizations who had the purpose of passing ST funding. Isn't that exactly what the PDC said was illegal? I don't get your point. It sounds like you didn't read the post. We aren't talking about 2000, we are talking about now.

Posted by: janet s on July 8, 2008 07:29 PM

22. This kind of stuff is what you get when an organization like ST doesn't have to be accountable to anyone. I hope the Brian Sonntag and his staff take care of business and uncover a lot of dirt.

This will slow up their agenda for expanding light rail for this November as voters will be less likely to buy what they are selling. Wasn't it King County (the perpetrator of corrupt elections) involved in giving ST its elevated status ?

Posted by: KS on July 8, 2008 07:43 PM

23. Who really cares how you spell your name Bill? The Transportation Choices Coalition Board donates almost exclusively to Democrats doesn't it? That can be found at the PDC as well. Some of those Democrats sit on the Sound Transit board too don't they Bill? I saw your ageist/racist comments on another blog about "old white men" critical of Sound Transit plans. Is Aaron Reardon "old" Bill? Is your organization as ageist and racist as you apparently are Bill LaBorde?

Posted by: Smokie on July 8, 2008 08:25 PM

24. BillL says" When initiative mongers and legislators are constantly trying to cut the little bit of remaining state revenue that goes to local transit agencies, or trying to limit their local funding options, it's reasonable for these agencies to participate in efforts to educate the public and legislators about the services they provide."

Yes, they can spend money to educate the public and legislators, but they cannot gift money to agencies in the form of sponsorships. You might want to ask the Port of Seattle about that.

Posted by: Michael H on July 8, 2008 08:41 PM

25. Janet s @21: Nothing has changed since 2001. Transportation Choices does not spend dues from public agencies on any campaign purposes. Period.

Michael H@24: Neither Sound Transit nor any other transit agency has gifted money to Transportation Choices Coalition. Those agencies get something, something quite legal, in return. You could make a better argument that Sound Transit gifts something to the Susan G. Komen Foundation by running a special train (a train painted with a pink ribbon I'll add) to their annual 10k run.

Posted by: BillL on July 8, 2008 09:52 PM

26. What do they get?

Posted by: Vatar on July 8, 2008 10:22 PM

27. Vatar@26: 10+ workshops that TCC holds each year promoting awareness and use of public transit and the more than 150 community events TCC has maintained a presence at over the last two years. Regular printed and electronic newsletters also promote transit use and awareness. Assistance to employers and local jurisdictions on how to increase the number of transit users among their employees and citizens. Research and reports on issues like climate change and transportation, economic development and transit, etc, etc.

Posted by: BillL on July 8, 2008 10:50 PM

28. ST is like the public school system; always celebrating the process; clueless to delivering the practical results; and toss in the chronic drones for more money; funny--none of the proponents likely run their personal finances and lives in the same manner;

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on July 8, 2008 11:50 PM

29. OK folks pay attention here. John Ladenburg has been running ST and John Ladenburg and the usual suspects in Tacoma/Pierce did away with the fare bopx on the Tacoma Link Light Rail so that their contributors, family members and business associates who are invested in real estate development in downtown Tacoma can have "free" public transportation to the list of benefits (ten years of no property taxes is at the head of the list) that boost the profit on their "investments." By the way ST also runs Express Buss service to S 10th & Commerce duplicating to within one block the Light Rail service spoken of above to pick up or drop off an average of 1.6 riders per trip so that the same group of politically connected developers can add "multiple layers of redundant public transportation" to their list of selling inducement. To digress for a minuite; what was the hot topic at last night's City Council agenda? Why it was Carbon Reduction/Global warming. What a f'n scandal and disgrace the City of Tacoma's leadership is, is it any wonder long time residents refer to the City/County leadership as the Tacoma/Pierce Mafia?

When I pointed to the waste of running two redundant ST services and ask that the waste be stopped Tacoma's resident hack Transportation Dirrector, named Kurtis Kingsolver came back with the retort that "every bus he sees traveling this route is full so we certainly don't agree with you that the practice is wasteful, besides people like choices." Yes the busses are full, but when I did the research I found out that the busses are full of people who board in the morning in Gig Harbor or Lakewood and are forced to ride through downtown Tacoma to pick up 1.6 passengers before heading to the Tacoma Dome and then on to Seattle. The process repeats itself in the reverse every evening.

This is just the proverbial "tip of the iceburg" though. It is just one example of what is wrong with ST.

Posted by: JDH on July 9, 2008 08:05 AM

30. I love the Washington Policy Center! I think everyone should receive their updates--what is wrong with getting more information. Here are some of the things they have recently written about that are on their website:

"A Working Families Credit for Washington State"

"On Point: Better Choices for Economic Security"

"House Budget Maintains Commitments but Misses Opportunity to Invest in Economic Security" by Jeff Chapman & Remy Trupin

"Governor's Budget: Important Investments, Long-Term Challenges" by Jeff Chapman & Remy Trupin

Their website is: www.budgetandpolicy.org

I am all about educating voters. www.blossforthe36th.com

Posted by: Leslie Bloss on July 9, 2008 01:40 PM

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