Publicola is reporting on the Senate Transportation Committee complaining about the Highway 99 Tunnel. As someone who will be complaining about the 99 Tunnel for years to come, and who is pro oversight generally, that’s fine. But Curtis King (R-Yakima) is a jerk.
That pissed King off even more: “I’ll make one more comment, and then I’ll shut up. So, the city of Seattle is concerned about diversion because they’re the ones that are going to be affected. [But] we should be concentrating on the cost of our portion of this project [the state promised $2.6 billion for the tunnel as a whole]. And if they want the tolls so low that it only generates $165 million, then they can help us replace the additional monies that we’re losing because we don’t have the toll revenues that we had origianlly [sic] projected.”
No. First off ignore that the chair of the Transportation Committee seems to not understand the problem with tolling right after it was explained to him, or we’re never going to get anywhere with this post. Focus instead on the fact that it’s a state highway. We in King County don’t ask Senator King (R-Jerk)’s constituents for our money back for social services or education that we give his constituents. We don’t ask for the tally of all these things as we make policy because it would make us look like jackasses.
No. King County gets 62 cents back from the state for every dollar spent. Yakima County gets $2.24.* The state could literally take all the money it spends in King County, match it 2 to 1 and just make a massive bonfire of 1 dollar bills and we would be considerably less profligate spenders than Curtis King (R-Jackass)’s constituents.** I mean what kind of fucker looks at that math and demands the 62 cents people pay more?
No. Senator King (R-Fucker)’s constituents are a disproportionate share of the state’s people in need of social services. And King County happily, happily, happily pays for the social services that the state provides. We want to do it, because we care about our state. We believe that they’re our neighbors and but for the grace of God go us, etc.
Further, Seattle and most King County school districts are able to pay for our levies. Hell, Seattle made up a work around when we hit the artificial limit imposed by the state. But even though Yakima can’t be relied on to pass its levies, we’ll still willingly spend money on educating Yakima children. We recognize that the state’s interests are tied up together. East and West we should all be educated.
Sometimes Seattle needs money from the state. When that happens, state legislators shouldn’t try to complain about the way the money flows. It makes them look like goat fuckers.
All that said, I recognize that there are plenty of people of good will in Senator King (R-Goat Fucker)’s district and in every district throughout the state. People who realize that we’re all in it together in the state. I just wish he didn’t feel the need to pander to his constituents by bashing Seattle.