http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/5309676p-4812953c.html

With 85,000 new jobs, state far outshines U.S.
The Associated Press
Published: November 5th, 2005 03:00 AM

Washington’s rebounding economy has added 85,000 jobs in the past year, far outstripping the national growth rate, Gov. Christine Gregoire said Friday after a meeting with her economic advisers.

State job growth, which has led to higher revenue forecasts and lower unemployment rolls, is running at an annual rate of 3.1 percent, well above the national average of 1.7 percent.

“This is terrific news for our state,” the governor said in a statement released by her office after her quarterly meeting with government and private-sector economists.

“We’re going in the right direction and I’m going to make sure I continue to do everything I can to see that our strong economy stays strong,” she said.

“We need to make sure we have an educated work force, and we need to make sure we continue to remove unnecessary barriers to business expansion, which includes a good transportation system.”

Gregoire said risks still loom, though, including the expected cooling of the state’s hot real estate market, rising fuel costs and downturns in Asia and Europe, important state trading partners.

“The economy is cyclical. It is never a flat line, and I’m interested in positioning this state to weather a down cycle as much as we enjoy an up cycle,” she said.

The economists unanimously advised the state to set aside a substantial portion of the state’s billion-dollar reserve.

By the 2007-09 budget cycle, the economy could cool and the reserves would be needed to avoid deep budget cuts or higher taxes, the advisers said.

“I intend to be careful to protect education and other vital state programs by looking not just at the present, but at what we will need tomorrow to sustain these programs,” the governor said.

Awesome

^
Yes, it's awesome. But let's not think this is an open invitation for people to move here for the jobs. :)

It certainly is and should be, more jobs=stronger economy.

more jobs=more people = larger state population = more electoral college votes for washington state = no more republican presidents!!!

And greater population density figures!

And greater population density figures!

Which leads to bigger buildings!!!!!!!!!! :righton: LOL Sombody had to take it there :angel1:

^^^Which leads to more records!!!

Which means more people needed to fill up those buildings. Which leads to Seattle being even MORE crowded!! OH NO, There goes Bond, James Bond!

:badnews:

that's sound great

I'm just glad that we have a smart governer for a change.

Which means more people needed to fill up those buildings. Which leads to Seattle being even MORE crowded!! OH NO, There goes Bond, James Bond!

:badnews:
Lol If bond james bond doesn't like Seattle he should move away.

I partially agree with James Bond. I've been here in Seattle for 17 years since I've been 5 and since have been exited with the growth yet at times disappointed with some aspects. You all sound REALLY gung ho and in a daze about "bigger buildings", "more crowds", but this is a double edged sword. This could also mean more people bringing more cars, added traffic congestion and with that the mentality that "I'm going to drive, but don't want to pay for the 3 cent gas tax to pay for my street improvements". Potentially more yuppie N.I.M.B.Y. snobs that don’t want any form of rail public transportation to go anywhere near their precious downtown real estate for fear that it will reduce the value of their property, with no regard for the rest of the city’s need. Oh and by the way saying that "If bond James Bond doesn't like Seattle he should move away" is just the kind of close minded, reactionary banter that resembles "if you don't like everything the U.S. does, than you hate America and you should just leave". A real citizen of a city, as well as a true "Patriot" thinks and is critical and does not just go along with the crowd. I for one Like the new construction, new buildings, but have become increasingly more concerned with the fact that most of them seem to be tailored to upper middle class and rich people. All I’m saying is you shouldn’t jump all over someone just because they are the least bit hesitant to jump on the band wagon. Sorry you got thrown to the wolf James Bond.

^oh you're one of those people that thinks everything is free. Look I agree about the taxes, but if you can't afford 3-cents than it's probably time for you to move away since it seems like you've been priced-out of Seattle. Ya know it's so expensive here...yeah right. Oh and btw, the "yuppies" are the reason why Bellevue is becoming such a great city ;)

The people opposing the gas tax aren't opposing it because they are anti-tax. Seriously, is your money being well spent now? And if not, why give the same people more money? DOT is a mess that needs to be blown up & started over; ditto the state legislature that have made transportation construction very unneccessarily expensive.

Hey J.A.C. maybe you are confused but im FOR taxation not against it. today I voted no on I-912. Oh and BTW, I can afford it, thanks, and I think I'll stay right where I am too.

point well made & and taken Sounder. :)

I will vote yes on a $.20 increase, if the money is well spent. I voted yes on I-912.

(NON AGRESSIVE POST) I too would vote yes on a $.20 increase. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what (based on fact;) ) mismanagement is occurring and what steps if any have been proposed to the public. Thanks

I was wondering if you could elaborate on what (based on fact;) ) mismanagement is occurring and what steps if any have been proposed to the public. Thanks

Look at what they are doing & the costs to do things currently. My proposal would be to reform DOT back to its original purpose; transportation planning, construction, & maintenance. Stop acting as a jobs program & stop acting as branch of the Dept. of Ecology, Natural Resources, & big labor. After reforming the fundamental issues plaguing D.O.T., I'd fix the design flaws of our roadway network & then champion the backbone mass transit system this area needs. Lightrail should come after that to serve neighborhoods & smaller centers.

We waste so much money & get so little done it is amazing. If this were the private sector, D.O.T. would be out of business & some people would probably be in jail for fraud & misuse of company funds. The culture hasn't changed at D.O.T. & they keep making the same mistakes; no wonder the folks in this state have had enough & are not willing to give these money waters another penny, hence the reapted rejection of gas tax increases, even in the Central Puget Sound.

^
LOL, there you go again Sounder, simply claiming that DOT is wasting money without providing a shred of proof.

Anyone can claim that someone is wasting money. I hereby declare that George Bush is wasting money on the Iraq war, and that it's nothing but a jobs program, and that he's in cahoots with the military-industrial complex, and the whole war is just for their benefit, blah blah blah.

See how easy that is?

^
LOL, there you go again Sounder, simply claiming that DOT is wasting money without providing a shred of proof.

There is tons of proof out there. Look at costs per mile, unneccessary labor & environmental regulations; look at their insane, stupid planning, & inaction to fix problems decades old!

I have more proof that DOT is doing a poor job than you do that they are doing a good job; look at our traffic mess, that has been a mess forever yet they do nothing.

I stopped debating you earlier because you are clueless about this & you don't care to further research this topic. Heck, you didn't even know what a prevaling wage is & how much money our state is pissing away on that.

D.O.T. is an Enronesque joke. Most people in this state are sane & understand that reality & that is why they continue to reject these gas tax increases, even in the Central Puget Sound area. Have you even read the actual legislation of the gas tax increase, passed at the end of session, in the middle of the night? Even if D.O.T. was not inept & a massive money waster, it is still bad legislation & deserves to be rejected because funding isn't tied to the projects at all!

There is tons of proof out there. Look at costs per mile, unneccessary labor & environmental regulations; look at their insane, stupid planning, & inaction to fix problems decades old!

Blah blah blah. Yeah, like other states don't have labor and environmental regulations. :| And like, as if environmental regulations are even the fault of the DOT. :| You're blaming DOT for something that isn't even their fault. :|

I have more proof that DOT is doing a poor job than you do that they are doing a good job; look at our traffic mess, that has been a mess forever yet they do nothing.

Yeah, our traffic is a mess because cheapskates like you scream bloody murder every time someone wants to raise some decent money for much-needed projects.


I stopped debating you earlier because you are clueless about this & you don't care to further research this topic. Heck, you didn't even know what a prevaling wage is & how much money our state is pissing away on that.

LOL, you are so clueless. First of all, it is you who is claiming that WSDOT is inefficient, it is you who keeps on claiming that some study has shown that they are inefficent, so therefore the burden of proof is on you to prove your claim. You have yet to link or cite any of these supposed studies that have been done, and in fact I once tried to search for one of the studies you cited and found nothing. So don't lie and tell me I haven't researched this topic, because I have.

Oh yeah, and once again, you are utterly and totall clueless if you think DOT would be able to get anyone to bid on their projects if they demanded something less than the prevailing wage. When someone builds a skyscraper and asks for bids from construction companies, the construction companies pay their workers the prevailing wage. You live in a fantasy world if you think that contractors for DOT should or would or could do anything different.


D.O.T. is an Enronesque joke. Most people in this state are sane & understand that reality & that is why they continue to reject these gas tax increases, even in the Central Puget Sound area. Have you even read the actual legislation of the gas tax increase, passed at the end of session, in the middle of the night? Even if D.O.T. was not inept & a massive money waster, it is still bad legislation & deserves to be rejected because funding isn't tied to the projects at all!
Blah blah blah . . . hey guess what? The Iraq war is an Enronesque joke, have you even read the legislation on it? Blah blah - any idiot can claim that someone is wasting money, just becausse they don't want to pay for something.

The Iraq war cost goes up $100000 every few seconds, it is a sheer waste of money.

Blah blah blah. Yeah, like other states don't have labor and environmental regulations.

Not as excessive as those in Washington, hence it being three times more expensive to build here as opposed to some other places.

And like, as if environmental regulations are even the fault of the DOT. :| You're blaming DOT for something that isn't even their fault. :|

The people who are trying to raise the gas tax are responsible; that is why a yes vote on I-912 is so important. Olympia needs to change its ways. Our transportation needs are way greater than what they are clammering for but not directly funding in the gas tax increase.

Yeah, our traffic is a mess because cheapskates like you scream bloody murder every time someone wants to raise some decent money for much-needed projects.

Wrong, it is because of design problems, stupid projects, & wasting tons of money. Again, I'd support & campaign for a $.20 gas tax increase if DOT was doing their job efficiently & intelligently.


LOL, you are so clueless.

About what?

First of all, it is you who is claiming that WSDOT is inefficient, it is you who keeps on claiming that some study has shown that they are inefficent, so therefore the burden of proof is on you to prove your claim.

So basically you don't know anything & are admiting so. You don't even know wata prevailing wage is or took the time to look at the further burdens placed upon DOT in last session alone.

So don't lie and tell me I haven't researched this topic, because I have.

So you read about the new apprentice program the legislature forced on DOT? You looked up the definition of prevailing wage yet? Did you find statistics from peer states?

Oh yeah, and once again, you are utterly and totall clueless if you think DOT would be able to get anyone to bid on their projects if they demanded something less than the prevailing wage.

El wrongo. Compare private construction costs in Pasco with Seattle.

You live in a fantasy world if you think that contractors for DOT should or would or could do anything different.


It isn't contractors that is the problem, it is the labor unions.


Blah blah blah . . . hey guess what? The Iraq war is an Enronesque joke, have you even read the legislation on it?

Typical, you are forced to change the subject. Washington DOT = Enron & is indefensible. I can't wait to see how much I-912 wins by tonight!

Our state has massive transportation problems, doing more of the same is not the answer.

Let's have a look at Sounder's fantasy world . . .

In Sounder's fantasy world, all WSDOT employees would work for the minimum wage, just out of the goodness of their heart, and in spite of the fact that they could easily get better-paying construction jobs elsewhere . . .

In Sounder's fantasy world, most or all environmental regulations would be thrown out the window. Surface water detention ponds for the highways wouldn't be built just to save money, and screw the streams that the runoff from the roads drain into, we don't care if they erode all to hell or if they're filled with oil and other junk . . .

In Sounder's fantasy world, WSDOT has never built anything, hence our traffic mess. The much-improved I-90 bridge and I-90 through Mercer Island is an illusion. That repavement and widening going on I-5 in south King County is also an illusion, there's really nothing going on there at all. The North Spokane freeway which has recently started construction is also an illusion, nothing is really happening there, either. And so on for all the other projects that WSDOT has built recently, they're all phantasms of our imagination. After all, as he just said, WSDOT "do nothing" to help our traffic . . .

In Sounder's fantasy world, unless WSDOT is absolutely, positively the most cost-effective transportation agency in the entire nation, then any money that they spend is an utter waste. It's either be #1, or screw everything . . .

In Sounder's fantasy world, merely stating that WSDOT is inefficient is sufficient proof that this is so . . . "And on the 8th day, Sounder said that WSDOT was inefficient, and it was so . . ."

:|

Oh yeah, one other thing . . .

Wrong, it is because of design problems, stupid projects, & wasting tons of money. Again, I'd support & campaign for a $.20 gas tax increase if DOT was doing their job efficiently & intelligently.

In Sounder's fantasy world, he will never ever be satisfied at how efficient WSDOT might be, so he will ALWAYS have an excuse to oppose a gas tax increase, in spite of his claim that he would if they were efficient.

^ you have no idea, do you? You obviously know little about the problems. Keep defending Enron DOT & their further messing up of basic freeway design, unaccountability (they can't even account for ferry fares!), and further boondoogle, unneeded projects (Bremerton tunnel, fast lane on/off ramps, etc). You can keep living in your fantasy world with the union cronies in Olympia. The voters meanwhile will keep rejecting the theft of more of our money to Enron DOT & their waste.

Go ahead & pat Enron DOT on the back for its meager accomplishments the last 20 years. But why ignore the things they have done wrong or not corrected? Why haven't you posted costs from other states or researched the burdens the unioncrats & religious environmentalists place on DOT? Why should an agency that doesn't understand basic transportation design continue business as usual?

That I-90 bridge sank, I-5 still only has 2 GP lanes through the epicenter of Seattle, the I-5 project that snarled up Olympia for most of the 80's didn't even address the fundamental design problem, our costs to build per mile are three times as high as some other places, the North Spokane freeway has been on the drawing books for years, what have they done yet?, the silly HOV jettys in Tukiwila, the multi-multi million dollar Mercer mess copy cat fast lane on/off ramps springing up all over the place.

Keep defending Enron DOT. As long as it is business as usual, things won't get done, most of the things that get done will be poorly designed with little fore thought, & voters will continue to reject gas tax increases.

Voters have had enough. Until Olympia can fix things, they aren't getting any more money & if you had any sense, you would agree. Our local transportation needs are massive. We need to spend each penny very wisely to maximize the amount of projects we can accomplish.

. . .
Go ahead & pat Enron DOT on the back for its meager accomplishments the last 20 years. But why ignore the things they have done wrong or not corrected? Why haven't you posted costs from other states or researched the burdens the unioncrats & religious environmentalists place on DOT? . . .
Let's get something straight here . . .

The foremost rule of logic dictates that the one asserting or making the claim has the burden of proof.

It is you who have claimed that WSDOT is inefficient. Until you brought it up, I never said a single thing about it, nor do I still make any claims about the relative efficiency of WSDOT.

Since it is you who are asserting that WSDOT is inefficient, it is you who have the burden of proof. It is not encumbant upon me to disprove your claim, it is encumbant upon you to prove your claim.

You have yet to provide any proof of your claim - you simply say that, ipso facto, WSDOT is inefficient, while providing no proof.

You don't even understand basic logic. Which is why it's so pointless debating with you.

- look at the amount they spend & the return we get
- look at the repeated boondoggles
- look at all of the regulations & mandates
- look at the unaccountability
- look at them sticking their nose at basic freeway design.


All of this is out in the public, Bond. It is not my fault your head has been in the sand all of these years.

- look at the amount they spend & the return we get
- look at the repeated boondoggles
- look at all of the regulations & mandates
- look at the unaccountability
- look at them sticking their nose at basic freeway design.


All of this is out in the public, Bond. It is not my fault your head has been in the sand all of these years.
Once again . . .

The foremost rule of logic dictates that the one asserting or making the claim has the burden of proof.

It is you who have claimed that WSDOT is inefficient. Until you brought it up, I never said a single thing about it, nor do I still make any claims about the relative efficiency of WSDOT.

Since it is you who are asserting that WSDOT is inefficient, it is you who have the burden of proof. It is not encumbant upon me to disprove your claim, it is encumbant upon you to prove your claim.

You have yet to provide any proof of your claim - you simply say that, ipso facto, WSDOT is inefficient, while providing no proof.

You still haven't given any proof of your claim. Basically you're telling me you're too lazy to back up your claim, and expect me to do the research which logic dictates that you should do.

If this is "all out in the public," then show it to me! Give me links, etc. Prove your claim!!

Most people in this state are sane & understand that reality & that is why they continue to reject these gas tax increases, even in the Central Puget Sound area.

well, then most people must be insane, I-912 is about to fail.

thank god.

The lies & money from big labor & business win out. Very disgusting. If 912 is run again in a non-off year election, it will win. This is a sad day for transportation Washington. Special interests & business as usual has won. Our state has massive transportation issues that need to be resolved but won't be now as we continue to piss money away on waste an insanely stupid, expensive projects.

I received three lie filled mailers alone from these big money special interests, judging by turnout & results, it worked. Again, another blow to this state.

Thank goodness I-900 passed, maybe we will finally find out how much money DOT is wasting & has wasted, & maybe it will finally get that crook Ron Sims thrown in jail; the voters of King County were too stupid to vote him out last night. I expect the Cascade County effort to greatly grow after last night's tragic results.

maybe it will finally get that crook Ron Sims thrown in jail; the voters of King County were too stupid to vote him out last night.

Irons wasn't a very good candidate anyway.



I expect the Cascade County effort to greatly grow after last night's tragic results.

Haha, no it won't. It barely has any support at all, it was a good news story in a slow week. It was all media sensationalism.

The lies & money from big labor & business win out. Very disgusting. If 912 is run again in a non-off year election, it will win. This is a sad day for transportation Washington. Special interests & business as usual has won. Our state has massive transportation issues that need to be resolved but won't be now as we continue to piss money away on waste an insanely stupid, expensive projects.
LOL, what a sore loser!!

Now that the initiative has been rejected, we will finally begin to be able to construct projects that we NEVER would have been able to build if you had had your way! HOORAY!!!! YOU LOSE!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!


I received three lie filled mailers alone from these big money special interests, judging by turnout & results, it worked. Again, another blow to this state.

I received a lie-filled mailier from the supporters of the initiative. Woohoo! Only the issues Sounder believes in arent filled with lies!!! :sleepy:


Thank goodness I-900 passed, maybe we will finally find out how much money DOT is wasting & has wasted, & maybe it will finally get that crook Ron Sims thrown in jail;
LOL, just because the guy's a liberal democrat makes him a crook!

Sounder, you're so blinded by your ideology you have no idea how ridiculous you sound.

Man, this is getting good. I'm so glad that Bond and Sounder both voted!!!

Sounder, you need someone to agree with you about something, so I will. Ron Sims is a crook, and he should be in jail. Other than that, I'm pretty much siding with Bond.

Don't try to compare highway mile costs or environmental laws with places like Phoenix. There's nothing in the way in Phoenix (like mountains, lakes, oceans, etc.), and protecting the desert just isn't as sexy as protecting a beautiful area like the Pacific Northwest. That's why it's cheap to build massive rings of freeways all around Phoenix.

BTW, here's a list of central Puget Sound projects the new gas tax will finance:
http://www.washingtondefense.org/GasTax/PSProjects.html

And here's a list of projects in the rest of the state:
http://www.washingtondefense.org/GasTax/Projects.html

No offense, but can BOTH OF YOU please take your bickering somewhere else? You're spamming up the threads. Rather than spoiling it for the rest of us please go somewhere else!

BTW, here's a list of central Puget Sound projects the new gas tax will finance:
http://www.washingtondefense.org/GasTax/PSProjects.html

Show me where in the legislation where the funding is actually allocated to these projects.


You folks were scammed; it is just a wish list. Heck, they don't even know what they are going to actually do on the most costly projects yet.

Watch the big special interest sellouts in Olympia push another tax increase down our throats in a few years. Just wait & see.

^
Um, the gas tax increase will pay for the projects in those 2 lists. What do you think it will pay for, ice cream for the legislators?

Here's what it says about the Alaska Way Viaduct, for example:

"The gas tax provides $2 billion. Other state and federal sources provide another $400 million. The remainder for a tunnel would come from local and regional funds, not yet approved."

I have little doubt that some projects will go over budget, they typically do on complex and expensive highway projects. Some might come under budget, wouldn't be the first time that happened, either. If the overall budgets for all projects become more than the gas tax revenue, I'm sure they'll scale back or redesign some projects. Big deal, I don't expect perfect budgetary foresight, such a thing is impossible anyway, and would have happened whether or not the gas tax was raised or not.

Did you just hear what I said? Or are you BOTH to ignorant to care about other people?

i don't think they heard you, maybe you should speak a little louder?

All I did was respond to his comments.

^
Um, the gas tax increase will pay for the projects in those 2 lists.

Wrong. Read the fine print if you haven't already. The projects are a wish list.

You & other Washingtonians were further scammed by big labor & big business, giving more money to what the Economist labels the "worst transport planning in North America." (http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=S%27%28X%28%2ERA%3B%27%23%40%234%0A&tranMode=none)

In a few years, these greedy money wasters will be asking for more money to burn, just wait & see.

VanSeaPor:

This gas tax talk is is relevant to the thread; pissing away money on transportation projects that don't address our major transportation problems is going to hurt the economy.

I am against a "gas tax", as all it did in the UK when the legislation was passed put more cars on the road in protest. However, I am for tax incentives for less polluting models.

However, I am for tax incentives for less polluting models.

We already have that; the less gas you consume, the less gas tax you pay.

^^^Gas tax? Tax incentives should be off income/company tax rates.

Wrong. Read the fine print if you haven't already. The projects are a wish list.
In a sense you could call it a "wish list," but what do you think they're gonna spend all that money on? Manicures for the legislators? Ice cream for the kids in the housing projects?

The money from the gas tax will go toward the projects on that list. I have little doubt that, over time, there will be some changes to the list, but big deal, I don't expect perfection in financial foresight because such a thing is impossible. Even if you, Sounder, were the god-ruler of Washington state, perfection in financial foresight would be impossible and projects planned for future construction would undergo changes.


You & other Washingtonians were further scammed by big labor & big business, giving more money to what the Economist labels the "worst transport planning in North America." (http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=S%27%28X%28%2ERA%3B%27%23%40%234%0A&tranMode=none)
That was premium content. Nonetheless I do read the Economist quite often, and while they have a lot of good stuff, I hardly think their expertise is in transportation planning.


This gas tax talk is is relevant to the thread; pissing away money on transportation projects that don't address our major transportation problems is going to hurt the economy.
These projects will make significant inroads into our transportation problems.

Actually, a good example is I-90. The I-90 improvements are about 15 years old now, and it STILL rarely gets congested. It has been worth every penny.

The first project to be funded by the new gas tax: a bike path in Grant County.

The lying liars & the criminal big labor, big business conspirators should be ashamed. What was the anti-912 campaign again? Now that it is defeated, they build a bikepath? I thought we were all going to die in an earthquake unless we fixes these projects ASAFP and that we desperately need to build more roads to ease congestion and help the local economy!

This state is going to crash. We keep electing the same idiots over & over again yet we wonder why little gets done. WTFU SEATTLE!

^
Oh yeah, like the whole gas tax is gonna go toward bike paths. :ohno: If you think one stupid little project is indicative of where all the gas tax money is gonna go, then you've got big problems.

Sounder it's clear you're a cynic of the first order of magnitude, and that no matter how good the state government was you would be complaining about how corrupt, lying and wasteful they were. If you don't like it here, why don't you just move to Wyoming or Idaho some other super-duper republican place?

Incidentally, the Grant County bike path *was* on the list of projects that the new gas tax would fund:
http://www.washingtondefense.org/GasTax/Projects.html
^
"Grant County . . .

Construct a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to reduce accidents with vehicles on the I-90 Potato Hill Bridge in Moses Lake ($800,000)."

So, by starting this bike path, they're doing exactly what they said they would do. Obviously this is the first one to get started because it happens to be an easy one to start.

Sounder it's clear you're a cynic of the first order of magnitude, and that no matter how good the state government was you would be complaining about how corrupt, lying and wasteful they were.

Wrong. When they merit praise, they get it. Anyone who lives here knows our transportation system is a joke; they are not doing their jobs & now they are pissing away road money on bike paths in lightly populated areas in the freaking desert!

If you don't like it here, why don't you just move to Wyoming or Idaho some other super-duper republican place?


You move. It is you outsiders that are ruining this state by re-electing these crooks we natives have been trying to remove for years! The same people who have run CA into the ground are moving here & messing everything up; I am not leaving, I am fighting.

Next up: property rights initiative like Oregon's Measure 37!

In a few years, I will again be proven right when these inept crooks come back for more money to fund these same projects. What will it take for you to understand? Then again after reading your comments on picture threads of Seattle, you want lesser Seattle to win out. The less progress, the less people will move here. If you hate progress, move to Vermont or Massachuesetts.

Outsiders?

Remember, Washington is the state that in 1936, had a ballot measure to become an officially socialist state, and it even got 1/3 of the vote. You hardly have "outsiders" to blame for Washington's liberalism.

When, after several more years, the pols in Olympia DON'T ask for another statewide gas tax increase, the joke will be on you.

My Lesser Seattle stuff is not to be taken seriously, in case you hadn't figured that out.

Wrong. When they merit praise, they get it. Anyone who lives here knows our transportation system is a joke; they are not doing their jobs & now they are pissing away road money on bike paths in lightly populated areas in the freaking desert!

Good lord, are you dense or what?

Why is it so difficult to grasp the concept that:

1) This project was on the list of projects that were part of the gas tax increase, and as I showed above it is more than just a mere "bike path," and;

2) Since it's a small project which probably already has been designed and is ready-to-go it happens to be the first one they start. Since the big and complex projects require a lot of planning, it'll be years before many of them get started.

As usual, all your opposition to these things are nothing but strawman arguments. You cite one smaller project which happens to be the first one they start, and you claim that this is proof that this is all they'll do with this money - build bicycle paths. What a phony argument! You know full well that the money from this will go toward road and highway improvements, yet you don't want to admit it because you're a sore loser over I-912.

2) Since it's a small project which probably already has been designed and is ready-to-go it happens to be the first one they start. Since the big and complex projects require a lot of planning, it'll be years before many of them get started.

Absolutely! All the major projects came to a screeching halt once I-912 came into existance. When there's no money, there's no progress. In fact, the opposite happens. Now everyone has to get back up to speed on the project, and the final tab ends up costing more for each project that got halted!

Sorry to butt in, but this issue really highlights the problem with governance by initative! Any fool can write an initiative, hire some well-endowed women to stand outside the Evergreen Fairground the next time that Def Leppard has a concert and collect signatures, and guess what? We have to put everything on hold until we can vote on the issue. I really don't even want to start on how much money gets spent on this crap either.

I'd just say privatise the state transport system. Sounder and Bond James Bond arguing so much over it proves my point.