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RSS icon Comments on Sims' Opposition Increases Support for Light Rail

1

Kelly O and Ari Spool give Incredible Hulk can of Rize, Incredible Hulk drink Rize, freak out, get bummed out, INCREDIBLE HULK BECOME DESPONDENT HULK!

DESPONDENT HULK WILL CALL IN SICK, DISCONNECT PHONE, NOT LEAVE APARTMENT ALL WEEKEND!

And no, I don't feel like letting it go.

Posted by The Insatiable Sulk | July 25, 2008 5:46 PM
2

Watching this guy's descent in recent years, I can't help but wonder, has Ron Sims become the Joe Lieberman of King County politics?

Posted by cressona | July 25, 2008 5:51 PM
3

I'm sorry... Who is Ron Sims?

Posted by Matthew | July 25, 2008 8:24 PM
4

Ron Sims is that avatar guy that Will Wright made.

Posted by Will in Seattle | July 25, 2008 9:03 PM
5

Ron Sims, former true believer, saw the light and truth, and became a Sound Transit critic and skeptic. The Stranger, especially Erica Barnett (who, as a philosophy major, suffers from the challenges of not having studied basic arithmetic, mathematics, and economics), go from strong opponents to faithful, true believers

Furthermore, Erica Barnett doesn't believe in notifying her readers of her self-interest in some of her reports.

Erica nows lives close to the Sound Transit line on MLK Way S under construction.

Furthermore, Erica has participated in endorsing a close friend, Stephanie Pure, for public office without notifying her readers of that relationship.


Posted by Luigi Giovanni | July 25, 2008 10:19 PM
6

most people live "near" a Sound Transit light rail or bus line, actually.

Posted by Will in Seattle | July 26, 2008 1:24 AM
7

Will,

I'd hate to pile on, given the occasional populist impulse you have that I do try to encourage, but are you on crack or what?

Let us take you and Fremont for example. If I can ask an objective question about ST without all of the true believers piling on me, what ST rail or bus line serves your neighborhood, exactly? It seems to me that if you live west of I-5, Sound Transit offers you less than nothing, and will apparently (not) do so right up until the day I'm ready to get my Social Security benefits.

Please define "most" - and 3 or more miles away doesn't count.

Posted by Mr. X | July 26, 2008 1:59 AM
8

If the measure passes, in 2009 ST would take in about $775 million in regressive taxes. That'd be just year one, of decades of increasing taxation.

The 44 miles of light rail up and running in Portland IN TOTAL needed less than $775 million to get built.

Think about it - just for a second . . . ST's taxing plans are to take just in year one (of dozens of years) as much tax money as it cost TriMet to get 44 miles of MAX operational.

I don't give a high holy fuck whether or not you like trains . . . Sims is right - the tax hit is too great.

Here's another thing - Portland (well, TriMet) only taxed businesses. These freakshow politicians here (DEM, DEM, and more DEM) are too afraid to put taxes on light rail where they rightfully belong (and where PDX puts them) - on the gross payroll amounts of businesses. We suck, and the only way we can get the DEM politicians around here to respect people is by voting no on this.


Do not enable their aberrant taxing plans. Do not let them ream the people the way they want.

Posted by deal with it | July 26, 2008 10:15 AM
9

Say "YES" to War on Iraq

by Dan Savage
October 2002

"War may be bad for children and other living things, but there are times when peace is worse for children and other living things, and this is one of those times."

"In the meantime, invading and rebuilding Iraq will not only free the Iraqi people, it will also make the Saudis aware of the consequences they face if they continue to oppress their own people while exporting terrorism and terrorists. The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we're going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves

Posted by Kill 'em all and let Goawd sort 'em out! | July 26, 2008 4:32 PM
10

"Deal with it",

Perhaps you've heard of this item known as "inflation" -- things get more expensive as time passes, especially over spans of 20 years or more?

This link indicates that $3 billion has been invested in MAX since its inception.

Furthermore, we're getting a better system than MAX. The trains are longer, allowing higher capacity. More of the system is underground or elevated, increasing operating speeds. Less of the ROW is going to be in the freeway, increasing costs but allowing more dense, walkable development that reduces car use.

LINK is a good deal.

As for regressive taxes, until you get the state legislature to change the taxing authority, all you're suggesting is that we delay on transit for an indefinite period of time. I guess you don't think high gas prices and climate change are urgent problems, but I do. So I'll support the tool we happen to have.

Posted by Martin H. Duke | July 27, 2008 1:54 PM
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@7: The reason ST does not go into Fremont is because it's a REGIONAL transportation agency. This is why it follows major corridors and its primary local links are between its own hubs.

By virtue of its enabling legislation and key pieces of Titles 81 and 47 of the RCW, Sound Transit has its hands bound in the matter.

If you want to bitch about local transit, go tell King Sims

Posted by AJ | July 27, 2008 6:39 PM

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