Our OCD pals over at Seattle Transit Blog are studying the details of our state economic stimulus bill, and they don’t like what they see.
Wait just a minute. What’s that amendment (PDF)? It’s from Representative Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island), whose constituents voted for light rail over the I-90 bridge?
Oh, I see, it screws over light rail across I-90. Again.
Apparently, thanks to Rep. Clibborn’s amendment, the one state project the voter-approved East Link light rail depends on actually ends up with $700,000 less than it had before the federal stimulus money. No doubt good news to those Mercer Islanders looking to maintain their SOV lanes as long as possible.
freakin’ just build it already . . . .
No doubt the editorial board of the Seattle Times will jump all over this petty attempt to disrupt a $4 billion project, voter-approved by a majority in Clibborn’s own district.
Oh, wait….
Hmmm…would the how much of the $700K shortfall would be covered by eliminating a station. We could then see how popular Clibborn is in a while when the remaining cars are being used as backyard planters and the light rail goes right across the north end of Poverty Rock without stopping.
And my kick them out of the party list* grows to 5…
* Of course, nothings final until the sessions over and I hope my list will down to 1 by then (Tim Sheldon). And by “kick them out of the party” I mean would some better Democrat please challenge them in their next primary.
I posted this on the Seattle Transit blog, also:
Okay, so I asked Transportation Committee finanical staff what this was all about. Certainly sounded ominous.
I am advised that the language in question reflects an accounting change. “We revised the amount for the I-90 two-way transit stage 1 project down by $2.8 M in the 2009 supplemental budget. This is due to project savings in stage 1. These savings are being transferred to the budget item for stages 2 & 3 of the project. Unfortunately the proviso does not mention this other budget item.”
She goes on to report that the total budget for stages 2 & 3 is being increased by $3.27 M, beyonjd the $2.8 reduction in ‘09 to recognize increased inflation.
Now, all of you have spent an enormous amount of time and energy trashing a person who is doing a darn good job of representing the entire state. I don’t always agree with her positions and debate her frequently … but you guys continue to have a pretty black-versus-white view of the world.
This reporting, without benefit of FACTS or ANALYSIS, telling people what’s up based on knee-jerk reactions (and then linked at other places on the web, thus perpetuating the misinformation) will NEVER take the place of the MSM. God help us if we totally lose ‘em.
Rep. Deb Eddy
PS: Michael, I know this may not change your kick-them-out list, but at least be open to new information, okay?
@5
Nothin’ wrong with a little competition!
One of the services HA’s comment threads provides is a place to blow off steam. It’s a service I’ve had need to take advantage of lately. I’m generally a pretty friendly and pragmatic guy, even voted for 2 Republicans in the last election. And there is no kick ’em out list.
That said, we do have a shared vision of what our community should look like now and in the future and a shared sense of morality. Allowing the burning of Black Liquor to qualify under I-937 as it does under SB 5840 and taking money from the likes of Phillip Morris both fail in both those regards.
Ben at Seattle Transit Blog has posted some updated budget information which would appear to contradict Rep. Eddy’s reactionary response.
These Dinocrats will do anything in their power to stop light rail from crossing Lake Washington. But they don’t have the guts to come right out and say it. Especially since a majority of their constituents disagree with their position.
So, then – who is it Rep. Clibborn and Eddy are listening to? Well, Kemper Freeman for one. And billionaire John Stanton. Both are big time Bush/GOP fundraisers. So, why in the world are Democrats towing their line??