On Tuesday, the Seattle Times editorial board came out demanding that the Supreme Court force Sound Transit to pay off its bonds and stop collecting car tab fees.
Justice Bobbe Bridge of the Washington Supreme Court raised a question in oral argument last Tuesday about what power the court has to protect the rights of voters. The answer should be clear enough. It has the same power it has to protect the rights of investors.
The question involves Initiative 776, which the voters of Washington approved in 2002. This was one of Tim Eyman’s efforts to get the cost of license tabs down to $30. This page did not support I-776, but the voters did, and the question now is to what extent Sound Transit is permitted to ignore that vote. To a certain extent, we believe Sound Transit is exempt from a strict interpretation of I-776, but not totally, and not forever.
Uh-huh.
But before getting so uppity about the “rights of voters” and all that, I wonder if the Times should have asked itself a couple of questions? Like… the rights of which voters? And… what exactly are these rights?
On its surface, I-776 was a statewide initiative to repeal car tab fees that were only be levied in a handful of Western WA counties. But Timmy was always very clear about its primary purpose: to kill Sound Transit’s light rail. And while it narrowly passed in the parts of the state where it had no impact, the initiative was actually defeated by a healthy 12-point margin within the Sound Transit taxing districts.
So when the Times accuses Sound Transit of ignoring voters, exactly which voters are they talking about? The voters outside of Sound Transit’s district, who voted to deny local residents the right to tax themselves to build a local transit project? Or the voters within Sound Transit’s district… the voters the board actually represents… those local voters who first voted to approve the bonds to build light rail, and then overwhelmingly voted against an initiative to stop it?
The majority of voters paying these car tab fees have twice voted to support them, so if the Times intends to make some kind of high-minded defense of the “rights of voters,” a good argument can be made that they’ve come down on the wrong side of the debate.
Of course, the law is the law, but even there the Times’ logic is muddled. Yes… the “rights of voters” must be honored and protected, but these rights under the initiative process are limited.
It is well established that the power of initiative is limited to measures that are “legislative” in nature, rather than “administrative.” Ruano v. Spellman defines the distinction as such: a legislative measure “is one to make new law or declare new policy,” whereas an administrative measure is one “merely to carry out and execute law or policy already in existence.”
Ruano v. Spellman dates back to 1973, and concerns a King County initiative that sought to prevent construction of the Kingdome, after voters had approved the stadium, and $10 million in bonds had been issued. The courts ruled that the initiative addressed administrative issues. It was removed from the ballot.
“It must be concluded that only administrative decisions remained. By its vote the electorate had declared its legislative policy… to finance it by bonds, and to repay those bonds from specified sources. The county and its agents in making those expenditures simply were executing an already adopted legislative determination.”
Sound familiar? Sound Transit’s light rail was also approved by voters. Hundreds of millions in bonds had been issued, and it doesn’t take a lawyer to see the parallels. It may be that voters simply don’t have the right via initiative to tell Sound Transit to pay off these bonds. And neither does the court.
So while I appreciate the Times noble efforts to protect my rights, I think their advocacy is misplaced. The Times has an established history of attempting to influence the courts, but personally, I’ve always felt that judicial decisions should be based purely on statute and the constitution, free from the pressure generated by special interest groups like, you know… editorial boards.
And I’m guessing that on this point, the courts are in total agreement.
The people on the Times editorial board almost always have their heads stuck up their asses.
What about the rights of voters in rural King County, who don’t like the critical areas ordinance? Most of them are represented by Republican members of the King County Council. And Ron Sims was outvoted by David Irons in these rural areas — not by a landslide, but he was still outvoted.
I have a question for the room. If an initiative can only apply to legislative issues and not administrative ones, does Eyman latest one, to effectively repeal the recently signed gay rights bill have any legs to stand on? While it was passed through the legislative process, it is now the law of the land. Isn’t it’s intent to control how the state conducts business. Just curious.
The Seattle Times back light rail in the 1990s. But since about 2000 they’ve been wreckless wackos on light rail and sound transit. Most people think the bizarre positions the page takes on light rail are directed by the publisher, Frank Blethen, who thinks a lot like Kemper Freeman when it comes to transportaion – he’s on a planet most rational people never get to but determined to have his wacky say – just like Freeman. Then there is Bruce Ramsey, who hates the light rail Sound Transit is building and most days goes to work to proves he’s smarter about the subject than everyone else. Sound Transit has some start-up troubles, but its now on a roll, we need more of it, not less.
Goldy,
How about a regional answer to the transportation boondoggle? Four little letters for you to consider: RTID.
Do you know how much one mile of light rail costs? It’s edging towards a quarter of a million! Why not go with Bus Rapid Transit, or at least consider an alternative transit solution?
Why are you, and so many other libs such rail-philes? It’s like some kind of French addiction, or something.
RTID defines transportation boondoggle. How many years has it had to produce exactly nothing? Why would anyone want bus rapid transit (buses that try to be trains) when they could have better service. Some people from Seattle who have their rail now are simply trying to make sure everyone else gets stuck with something less – that’s what BRT is all about. And it provides no new capacity.
Thor, you call out RTID and BRT, but give no evidence. Your comments constitute an opinion, and an ill-informed one at that.
RTID has asked Sound Transit to support a joint ballot proposal, and is doing so again for 2006.
Trains run on track, very EXPENSIVE tracks at that. Seattle’s geography isn’t well suited to trains, that would mean a whole lot of digging and construction, with inherent risks, time, and loss of access to the grid. Not to mention that trains are less versatile, and (like the Monorail) are a bitch when they break down. When that happens, how does the next train get by? It doesn’t! Duh!
You’re comment further reinforces everything that is wrong with the typrical Seattle liberal transportation “thinking”: lack of creativity, and pessimism that leads exactly and predictably no-where!
“Guvment” Projects equals lots of taxes, lots of graft, lots of make work union hack jobs, and lots of “guvment” hack Democrat votes. Example: “Big Dig” in MASS. A shit load of taxes, over budget by billions, lots of graft to Kennedy and Kerry, and lots of Democrat contracts and union votes. Any questions, class?
More drivel from JCH….. Yawn.
Goldy – You have crossed the line. Over the edge. You are evil. You are unAmerican. You clearly don’t understand the underlying principles which make this country great.
Power flows from The People to the government. The People ALWAYS have the right to override decisions of elected officials. They work for us, not the other way around.
The People spoke clearly. It stops at $30. Ron Sims and his ilk are criminals and should be treated as such.
goldy; last wave of progressives, say 80 yrs ago; loved and wanted direct vote…
darn, when it goes against your socialism…guess then democracy is bad..
SUSPECT IN GAY BAR ATTACK ARRESTED; KILLS 2
Jacob D. Robida, 18, the swastika-tatooed suspect in Thursday night’s hatchet-and-gun attack against patrons of a gay bar in New Beford, MA, was arrested 1,500 miles away in Arkansas after killing a police officer; an unidentified woman also died in the shootout, the Associated Press reports.
SEN. MIKE MCGAVICK (D-WA)
Senate hopeful Mike McGavick has been running TV ads in the Seattle market the last few days. Looks like McGavick has decided to run as a progressive because his ad talks about “responsibility” — and absolutely nothing in the commercial identifies him as a (gasp) Republican.
Either McGavick has turned into a Democrat, or he’s trying to avoid the stench associated with the GOP label.
Hmmm … voters who WON’T pay a tax, repeal a tax that voters who WILL pay the tax, voted for … it’s soooo wingy.
Hey, I have an idea!!! To bring the voters and tax into alignment, let’s pass an initiative that says people OUTSIDE the Sound Transit district pay the tax, and people living IN the district don’t. At least then the voters would look halfway rational.
I was on my way back to Seattle from a store in Renton yesterday, and instead of the 107, I took the ST560, because it took I405 and SR518 to the Airport, and that is one area that LINK is having visible signs of construction. People at the Times, and at least one Talk Show on KIRO Radio have been going out of their way to trash it for cost overuns and other things, and saying nothing was being built. I wonder. if those construction workers were only in SODO were only doing things for show, why is the SODO Segment actually having 2 stations almost COMPLETE, and the elevated trestle to the Beacon Hill Tunnel almost complete(one span left to go)? Back to the part about the Tukwilla Segment. If you DRIVE(the highway paralells it, unlike SODO, where a bus-only street in the right of way of the UNION PACIFIC RR to old UNION STATION paralells it), one would see a few pylons that get bigger and bigger, and then around the exit to SR99/International Boulevard) there is not just the pylons, but also the trackway, as LRT would be elevated in that segment. The schedule calls for Downtown-S.154th St to open first in 2009, and by the end of 2009, pull into Sea-Tac Airport! A major event took place to push the latter up from 2011, the Vancouver Olympics, now just 4 years away.
evergreenrail nutjob
you forgot about the concrete they poured in the wrong place
yipes, i dont’ want to be the first passenger (if i live that long)
Righton, you will have no chance being first in line. Chances are that you and many of your wingnut friends will be locked away in your basements, afraid of the Democratically elected Congress, Senate and President in 2009.
should read ‘Democratically elected DEMOCRAT House, Senate and President’
Some of the work was on Sound transit was even outsourced to Wenatchee.Unfortunately the workers over there rejected organizing their shop. Voted against their own best interests. Must have been republicans.
Dale @20
Some of the work was on Sound transit was even outsourced to Wenatchee.Unfortunately the workers over there rejected organizing their shop.
I dunno…Everytime a shop “organizes” the same shop “downsizes.” Is there some form to this I have yet to figure, or not…?
You just pulling facts out of your ass or do you have data to back it up?
The contractors my union works with compete quite well and their workforce is expanding.
No, no “data” other than my wife’s life experience…
She works for the UFCW. Ever heard of it?
The contractors my union works with compete quite well and their workforce is expanding.
Comment by Dale— 2/4/06 @ 8:41 pm
Now try telling that to the 30,000 people at Ford who will lose their job soon. It maybe good here right now but it will dry up once the pension and healthcare costs get to far out of hand. It is just a matter of when not if.
Maybe now the workers will and management will stand for socialized medicine. They are not shutting plants in Canada.
I have a modest compromise to deal with I-776. Let Sound Transit continue to collect the 0.3% motor vehicle excise tax for as long as they please.
HOWEVER, Sound Transit would be required to buy the motor vehicle of anyone living in the Sound Transit taxing district for the alleged market value upon which they are imposing the MVET on vehicles.
I know very few people who would be willing to sell their home or other real property for the value the county assessor places on it. But I am sure that at least 90% of car owners would be willing to sell their vehicles to Sound Transit at the MVET assessed value.
Dale,
Not yet…
re 26: Maybe Ford should try downsizing their bloated buraucracy before getting rid of people who actually produce things. The market for automobiles will just shift to other companies that treat their workers better than Ford.
Goodbye to Ford. Goodbye to GM. Hope things work out better for ya in China! We don’t need your cheap, scheming asses in the good oldU.S. of A!!!
Maybe now the workers will and management will stand for socialized medicine. They are not shutting plants in Canada.
Comment by Dale— 2/4/06 @ 8:54 pm
Canadian healthcare is good for broken bones and cuts but if you need serious healthcare it is in the US. I would be in favor of socializing medicine if it truely worked but it doesnt.
Maybe Ford should try downsizing their bloated buraucracy before getting rid of people who actually produce things. The market for automobiles will just shift to other companies that treat their workers better than Ford.
They can fire all the upper management they have and still be 2 k in the whole before they even turn the first bolt on each car. The pension costs and healthcare costs are too much to overcome. GM is is worse shape. The defined benefit pension plans of the 60s and 70s negotiated by the unions are going to kill the automakers today.
“Slide Stops Sounder, Again”
“Slides Stop Train Traffic”
Just two examples of why rail transit is NOT the future of transportation in Washington. As posted before, what happens when the trains get stopped on the tracks? Nothing!
Plus Bus Rapid Transit encourages walkable communities, with the same degree of “connectedness” that rail provides. And you can give them dedicated routes, just like rail, except the throughway is never blocked.
The same goes for converting the HOV lanes to HOT (high occupancy transit) lanes, bus-traffic only.
The problems with the automakers today is not suprising to people on the right. They have been predicting this for years. It was just a matter of time.
26
“Now try telling that to the 30,000 people at Ford who will lose their job soon. It maybe good here right now but it will dry up once the pension and healthcare costs get to far out of hand. It is just a matter of when not if. Comment by RUFUS— 2/4/06 @ 8:48 pm”
Doofus — are you a cheap labor conservative?
“Right-Wing Ideology in a Nutshell
“When you cut right through it, right-wing ideology is just ‘dime-store economics’ – intended to dress their ideology up and make it look respectable. You don’t really need to know much about economics to understand it. They certainly don’t. It all gets down to two simple words. ‘Cheap labor. That’s their whole philosophy in a nutshell …. they’re ‘cheap-labor conservatives’.
“‘Cheap-labor conservative’ is a moniker they will never shake, and never live down. Because it’s exactly what they are. You see, cheap-labor conservatives are defenders of corporate America – whose fortunes depend on labor. The larger the labor supply, the cheaper it is. The more desperately you need a job, the cheaper you’ll work, and the more power those ‘corporate lords’ have over you. If you are a wealthy elite – or a ‘wannabe’ like most dittoheads – your wealth, power and privilege is enhanced by a labor pool, forced to work cheap.
…”
“The Cheap-Labor Conservatives’ ‘Dirty Secret’: They Don’t Really Like Prosperity
“Maybe you don’t believe that cheap-labor conservatives like unemployment, poverty and ‘cheap labor’. Consider these facts.
“Unemployment was 23 percent when FDR took office in 1933. It dropped to 2.5 percent by time the next Republican was in the White House in 1953. It climbed back to 6.5 percent by the end of the Eisenhower administration. It dropped to 3.5 percent by the time LBJ left office. It climbed over 5 percent shortly after Nixon took office, and stayed there for 27 years, until Clinton brought it down to 4.5 percent early in his second term.
“That same period – especially from the late forties into the early seventies – was the ‘golden age’ of the United States. We sent men to the moon. We built our Interstate Highway system. We ended segregation in the South and established Medicare. In those days, a single wage earner could support an entire family on his wages. …
These facts provide a nice background to evaluate cheap-labor conservative claims like ‘liberals are destroying America.’ In fact, cheap-labor conservatives have howled with outrage and indignation against New Deal liberalism from its inception in the 1930’s all the way to the present. …
“The ugly truth is that cheap-labor conservatives just don’t like working people. They don’t like ‘bottom up’ prosperity, and the reason for it is very simple. Lords have a harder time kicking them around. Once you understand this about the cheap-labor conservatives, the real motivation for their policies makes perfect sense. Remember, cheap-labor conservatives believe in social hierarchy and privilege, so the only prosperity they want is limited to them. They want to see absolutely nothing that benefits the guy – or more often the woman – who works for an hourly wage.”
http://www.conceptualguerilla......nthree.htm
Doofus — do you hate unions because you’re against workers making a living wage? Or just because you’re a selfish, greedy, cheap-labor conservative and rich-guy-wanna-be? Do you really believe the Republicans are going to reward your loyalty to them by showering wealth on you? You’re an idiot! In more ways than one.
Doofus — why are you against people who work hard getting health care and pensions? Is it because you’re a business owner who wants to get rich by fucking his employees, or because you’re a greedy selfish prick?
Hey Doofus, I have a question for you — how come executives of bankrupt companies get seven, eight, and nine figure bonuses?
Hey Doofus, do you think it’s okay to take health care and pensions away from workers so executives can make $50,000,000 a year?
Hey Doofus, do you think a CEO who bankrupts his company to welsh on pension obligations and break union contracts “earns” his $50,000,000 a year? Or is he STEALING that money from his workers and shareholders?
Hey Doofus — you’re a fucking asshole.
I’m not a socialist, but today’s crop of Republicans could easily turn me into one. They want to replace our capitalist democracy with a fascist plutocracy. I say overthrow ’em and confiscate every fucking thing they’ve stolen from the working people!
42…RR, You sound like Robert Mugabe. Are you black?
Our country is in the grip of extremists. Unfortunately, the reaction to extremism is not a return to moderation. The pendulum will swing back an equal distance. Extremism begets extremism. When the rightwingers finish expropriating the U.S. economy for their own benefit, the reaction could very well be an overthrow of capitalism as we have known it, as nearly happened in the 1930s. Nexst time, they might not have an FDR to save them.
42
JCH — are you an armadillo? You get butt fucked like one.
Hey JCH, are you a cheap labor conservative?
10
“Power flows from The People to the government. The People ALWAYS have the right to override decisions of elected officials. They work for us, not the other way around. Comment by Mark The Redneck— 2/4/06 @ 5:01 pm”
Go tell that to Bush and his corporate thugs.
Oh, and while I think of it, would someone please tell Howard Schulz to get his hand out of our pockets! Hey Howard, if you don’t like Key Arena, move to Bellevue!!! I’ll help you pack!!!
No, no “data†other than my wife’s life experience…
Comment by marks (JCH blow me) — 2/4/06 @ 8:42 pm [marks, many of us KNOW your wife’s “life experiences”. So does my dog.] Regards, JCH
11 PM Pacific Time on a Saturday night, and RR has no date. Sad. Very sad.
RR, Does your “guvment” check come the first of the month, or on the 15th?
Hmmm … voters who WON’T pay a tax, repeal a tax that voters who WILL pay the tax, voted for … it’s soooo wingy.
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 6:12 pm [Errrrrr, RR, Drugs much?]
51
“RR, Does your “guvment” check come the first of the month, or on the 15th?”
So who are you out with tonight? Your right hand? Or your left hand?
Hey JCH, are you a cheap labor conservative?
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:01 pm [Why? RR do you need a job cutting my lawn, trimming my palm trees, or cleaning my pool?]
Roger, are you black? You remind me of Robert Mugabe.
I’m not a socialist, but today’s crop of Republicans could easily turn me into one. They want to replace our capitalist democracy with a fascist plutocracy. I say overthrow ‘em and confiscate every fucking thing they’ve stolen from the working people!
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 10:55 pm [Harare, Zimbabwe……..Robert Mugabe and Roger Rabbit “share” similiar views!]
Doofus … MTR … JCH … Kevin Carns … Stefan … and all the rest of you cheap labor conservatives — listen up:
Democrats and progressives support using government, taxes, and public spending to provide for the welfare of ordinary citizens precisely because people like you don’t let capitalism perform that function. You steal their pensions, break your labor agreements with them, rig markets and fix prices, and fuck them over every way you can. And then you complain because we want government to step in and REGULATE you?!! If it wasn’t for us, the whole fucking system would collapse, and you would all be living in cardboard shacks.
Russia is a good example of what happens when plutocracy runs roughshod over workers. They called themselves “communists” but they were actually plutocrats, in a gangster fashion. A tiny privileged minority entrenched themselves in power, controlled the whole society, and made everyone else work for their benefit. And guess what happened? Nobody worked. Russia had a moribund economy. The system collapsed.
That’s exactly what will happen in America if cheap labor conservatives get their way. If labor isn’t rewarded, if workers realize their sweat is just making someone else rich, nobody will work. Why should they, when there’s no incentive? The U.S. economy will collapse, and we will become a poor country. Nobody will have nuthin. That’s where you assholes are taking us — to a society run by gangsters in which nobody has any incentive to give a fuck about anything.
I have a word of advice for you cheap labor conservatives: You get what you pay for. If you pay peanuts, you get peanuts.
Goldy,
Your blog threads always devolve into pissing contests, which makes reading this blog a waste of time.
I have a word of advice for you cheap labor conservatives: You get what you pay for. If you pay peanuts, you get peanuts.
Comment by Roger Rabbit— 2/4/06 @ 11:20 pm
I wish we paid peanuts for the public education we are giving children today since that is what is worth.
RR equals “Communist”.
59………Atlas has Shrugged. Fuck me and tax me and I leave. Then you Dems will have to fuck and tax each other. [The ant and the Grasshopper]
61
JCH … please stay and let the Republicans fuck you!!!
Republicans pretend to be FOR capitalism, but they’re not. Capitalism is based on competition, and Republicans HATE competition. I’ve never met a Republican who wanted a competitor, or thought competition was good for him.
For example, our Republican president and Congress recently passed a law against Americans buying drugs in Canada, because drug companies — who are big contributors to GOP politicians — don’t want competition! They want to GOUGE American consumers, and Republican politicians are helping them do it! Show me a Republican, and I’ll show you a monopolist.
Republicans = anti-capitalists
Hey JCH, are you a cheap labor conservative?
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:01 pm [RR, The dumb ass Chicago Democrat City Politicians have the same viewpoint as you. No non union WALMALT was going to open in their city [Of course unions, mostly public sector OWN the Democrat Aldermen!] So, WALMART opens stores a few blocks out of Chicago, providing 350 new jobs. They get 22,000 applications, all but 500 from citizens within the Chicago city limits!! Millions of sales tax revenue flows to the heighboring cities, but nothing to Chicago. Get it, RR! The Democrat pols fucked their own people! But the Democrat pols don’t care, because THEY have “guvment” jobs, like you, RR! So, tell us again about “cheap labor”…………………
ROGER RABBIT POLL
Doofus, MTR, JCH, Kevin Carns, and Stefan are cheap labor conservatives because:
1. [ ] Being pricks comes naturally to them
2. [ ] They’re too lazy to work for a living
3. [ ] They’re obsessed with becoming wealthy at any cost
4. [ ] Atlas shrugged
5. [ ] All of the above
63, Robert Mugabe, please note post 64. Read, and reread. Take notes. There will be a quiz.
64
Hey JCH, if Wal-Mart jobs are so great, why don’t you apply?
60
JCH = Fascist butt fucker
Hey JCH could you please post a list of all your stocks so I can short them.
Roger Rabbit = capitalist
Hey Mr. Cynical, did you buy NOV at $58 like I told you? It’s $74 now.
Richard Pope @2
“What about the rights of voters in rural King County, who don’t like the critical areas ordinance?”
Hey Richard, what about the rights of voters in urban King County, who do like the critical areas ordinance? There’s more of us than them, so — we win, they lose.
BTW, Richard, I voted for your OPPONENT in the port commissioner race. I mention it to rub your face in it.
64 cont….So the black shoppers from Chicago can save over $2000 a yr in purchases by shopping at WALMART instead of union stores in Chicago, but the Democrat pols don’t care because the unions OWN the Democrat pols. Classically funny!
64
Hey JCH, if Wal-Mart jobs are so great, why don’t you apply?
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:47 pm
60
JCH = Fascist butt fucker
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:47 pm I worked at McD as a kid, and “Perkins Pancake House” in college. All honest work. Starter jobs help millions into the job market. [You union Democrats are truely blind.]
64
Hey JCH, if Wal-Mart jobs are so great, why don’t you apply?
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:47 pm
60
JCH = Fascist butt fucker
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:47 pm
Hey JCH could you please post a list of all your stocks so I can short them.
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:48 pm [These posts are from a “guvment” lawyer. Think about that!!!]
61
JCH … please stay and let the Republicans fuck you!!!
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/4/06 @ 11:38 pm {Nope. I am John Galt. I refuse to stay and be fucked and taxed. Atlas has Shrugged.]
76
We’re gonna tax you and fuck you anyway. Bend over.
Just for being a prick.
MARKS WHY DONT YOU HAVE YOUR WIFE BLOW YOU.WHAT IS WITH YOU AND MEN.
Hmmm … when was the last time the UAW went on strike against Ford? 1976? or thereabouts? So if workers’ wages, health benefits, and pensions are breaking the company — how did they get it without striking? Must be management complicity in there somewhere.
Bus rapid transit is transit conservatives love, because it is (initial capital-wise) cheaper, and they won’t use it anyway. Rail, or fixed guidway is better because it spurs developement along the line. No bus transit does that. All of our highways were expensive too, but rail is worth the money. BTW, I don’t have a car, so I have an interest in making sure transit is usable.
Maybe Ford’s management signed whatever the UAW put in front of them because they figured they could pass it on to consumers.
Maybe Ford’s financial troubles didn’t result from union contracts; after all, there were plenty of years when Ford made tons of money with union workers.
Maybe Ford is losing market share because (a) foreign cars are better quality and need less repair, and (b) foreign cars get better gas mileage than Ford’s gas guzzlers.
To tell ya the truth, I don’t think Ford’s troubles have a fucking thing to do with the union, wages, health care, or benefits.
Every time a company loses money because of lousy management decisions, cheap labor conservatives use it as an excuse to bash organized labor.
Cheap labor conservatives want us all to work for low wages with no health benefits or pensions.
Hey Doofus, MTR, JCH, Kevin Carns, Stefan, and the rest of you cheap labor conservatives:
FUCK YOU!!!
Pay me, or I walk.
RABBIT THE LOSER SPENDS ALL DAY AT THE COMPUTER YOU GOT THE LIFE OF A ROACH.GOOD NIGHT AND FUCK YOU RABBIT
17, I live in the Ranier Valley, and have been observing the construction at times. I also on the way to temp job work, have taken the 39, which was bumped off of 4th Ave and onto the SODO Busway about a year ago. Over a year and a half ago there was nothing except a trench along that busway, now there is soemthing.
Yes the wall was put in the wrong place, but the contract said us taxpayers aren’t paying to fix it, the contractor made the mistake, they are paying for it, with their own money. Also, they caught the mistake, before the wall was totally built.
Also, the Tacoma LINK line replaced a shuttle bus route that had little or no ridership. Now, begining with the service change in the next few weeks, they will be cutting back RT 590, some trips will not start at 10th and Commerce, but will start at Tacoma Dome Station. Back in December, I was posting a rider alert from Sound Transit on a railfan board mentioning Sound Transit was encouraging normal 590 riders to take SOUNDER, because the Fueling Facility for Pierce Transit had pump failure, and Pierce Transit operates all ST Express Routes from Pierce County. CNG is not a readily available fuel, and although the crews got the pumps working in time for rush hour. Many ST Express buses used on Pierce County Routes are Diesel, but they also have CNG buses they bought from Pierce Transit in 1999, and through options Pierce Transit had with New Flyer(the manufacturer they buy from now). They had to make choices in a hurry, SOUNDER was a good option for 590, so to free up diesels to keep the Lakewood/DuPont-Seattle and other routes going, the 590 was suspended. I quickly got a comment from a ralfan back east that was saying why were they even runnign this competing bus route at all? I told him the usual, that there was the trackage that had to be eliminated for Tacoma LINK, so now they have to add a new connection between Freighthouse Square(Tacoma Rail) and the Lakeview Subdivision(Now owned by Sound Transit, cost $20 million for the entire route from Tacoma to Nisqually Junction), so trains can get to Lakewood. Right now the SOUNDER equipment overnights at Freighthouse Square, 4 trains is a tight squeeze, when it gets to Lakewood, their will be a small yard for them to overnight at. Also, there are the trainsets that were ordered for the line when they expected full service, but had to end up leasing them to an agency back east, Virginia Rail Express. Last August, VRE ended up short one trainset, as Sound Transit called them back, becauese they only had 3 spare cars for the 4th Tacoma Trip. For a Sounder South Train, especially this new one, whose afternoon trip left King Street Station at 4:20PM, Less than 5 cars is a recipe for Standing Room Only. I have rode SOUNDER South, and unlike the 590 bus, it makes en-route stops in King County. I once caught an Afternoon Trip in Kent, to try to see if what certain anti-transit critics have said about it is true, and wouldn’t you know, there were at least 30 people waiting for the already overloaded train pulling in. It started full at King Street Station, and had one stop in Tukwilla before Kent. There were people going from Kent to Puyallup, Kent to Sumner. The best part, is that one SOUNDER Train could possibly handle most of the riders on 590(it is often a 7 car train, sometimes 8), with just two crewmembers. An Engineer, and the Conductor. A Bombardier Bi-Level car seats between 120 and 140 people. There is a company in Colorado that builds toruist cars for cruise companies, Rocky Mountaineer(Canadian Cruise Train Operator) and the Alaska Rail Road, that is entering the commuter car market. They have one design, depending on seating layouts, can carry up to 218 passengers, plus they cheated. For over 100 years, Passenger coaches on railroads have been 85ft long, this car is 89ft.
I do have problems with Sounder NORTH, and some of them, I noticed, go back a long time.
BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE predecessor GREAT NORTHERN beleived in making money from the start. They did not go the Land-Grant Way. So to cut costs after building their crossing across Stevens Pass, they decided to save wear and tear on the steam locomotives(and coal), and looked for a low-grade route into Seattle from the North, and they found it hugging Puget Sound. Great Northern never considered the effect that the hillside would have on operations. About 40+ years ago, GN did something that railroads today don’t do much, invest profits into track improvements. They put $1 million into moving some of the Seattle-Edmonds segment a little further to the west. It was called the “Million Dollar Mile”. On that route are several curves, that could be bridged, reduce travel time, but are prohibitively expensive.
Oh, it was unions that fought the conversion of the Seattle Municipal Street Railway to the buses of Seattle Transit. The streetcars were portrayed by buisnessmen and bus boosters in the 1937 election as old, archaic, and a nuisance. A Trackless Trolley was brought in to do a demonstration, while the union suggested a Presidents’ Conference Commitee streetcar(Which after 1935 until the early Fifties was the standard streetcar design for systems that did modernize before going to buses) up from San Diego. That was denied. The Union won the election, the conversion plan was defeated, but the politicians went ahead anyway.
The PCC was a good car, just go down to San Francisco. Some of the PCCs on the F-line are transplants from Newark and Philadelphia, but there are a handful that are ex-San Francisco MUNI cars from the late 1940s and 1950s. Retired in 1982, called back to service temporarily in 1983, and have been running on the F-1ine since 1985. It was supposed to be a standard car, but there were a few variations(D.C. using conduit lines in pavement as well as overhead, as sections around Capitol Hill lacked overhead wir, and their cars were shorter so D.C. Transit Co. could fit them in their barns), Boston had some with Picture Windows and most had to have left-side doors, on a car that was designed to be one-man operated, and single-ended. Red Arrow Lines out of Suburban Philadelphia had Double-Ended Cars, in addition to San Francisco. Modifications for Counterbalance operation would have been possible.
When we take away the property of the rich , I guess that will prove that God is now on our side. There have to be winners and there have to be losers.
Hold that thought, righties, as the rest of the decade unfolds:
“How soft your fields so green.
Can whisper tales of gore.
Of how we calmed the tides of war.
We are your overlords.”
from: The Immigrant Song
Plant/Page
JCH has become such an important “family member” of this blog that the next logical step would be to let him do his own daily blog (once Goldy went to a new system that allowed readers to do so). Think of all the things JCH could share, like how he moves through his day, and why he thinks the way he does. Perhaps he could even post some pictures about his wonderful life. I think that would be most interesting.
Kevin Carns @87
Fuck you too, Paid Troll. :)
Comment on 91
How can marking off days on the concrete walls of a prison cell be “interesting?” The only exciting part of JCH’s day is when the guards let him out for his 1 hour a day on the inmate computer.
Roger Rabbit@82
“Maybe Ford is losing market share because (a) foreign cars are better quality and need less repair, and (b) foreign cars get better gas mileage than Ford’s gas guzzlers.”
Problem is though you are wrong on both accounts, this is pure falacy created by such elitists as Consumer Reports, Road and trach and other liberal commie types.
roger @ who cares, he spews so much BS:
“Every time a company loses money because of lousy management decisions, cheap labor conservatives use it as an excuse to bash organized labor.
Cheap labor conservatives want us all to work for low wages with no health benefits or pensions.”
Here are your beloved unions “at work”:
http://www.detroitnews.com/
“Stand-ins hired to make a ruckus outside nonunion sites lack rank-and-file benefits”
Why don’t you watch “On the Waterfront” today instead of the Super Bowl, you might learn a little history.
To tell ya the truth, I don’t think Ford’s troubles have a fucking thing to do with the union, wages, health care, or benefits.
Comment by Roger Rabbit — 2/5/06 @ 12:11 am [Right! Like US Steel, all the unionized airlines, GM and Ford are welfare states for their unions. The shareholders get killed, but the unions demand more! Classic!
91.”Family Member”………Are we “family”? Hardly!
RR, Ford……30 to 8 in 5 years. GM……….50 to 32 in 5 years. Yes, the shareholders are greedy and evil!! [hehe]
RR, No profits, no jobs. Get it? It really is that simple. In addition, no profits, no tax revenue for the FEDS, States, and local taxing authorities. [So, dumb ass, If Exxon makes 10 billion in one quarter, the FEDs/States/locals take a shit load. Democrats: econimic dumb asses and parasites]
GE: 50’s to 30’s in 5 years, but lots of union jobs and great health care. Like F and GM, the shareholders get fucked. Solution: Pay all employees 50% of their income in restricted stock [can’t sell within 10 years]. Oh, I can hear the unions howl from Hilo!
Finally, RR, NEVER invest in unionized companies. They will fuck the shareholders [OWNERS] EVERY time. They will drive the company to BK. And the DEM pols will help them.
Note that the ONLY unions that are growing are the PUBLIC SECTOR “guvment” hacks. Gee, RR, I wonder why??
91, You can watch movies of me “annally Tookie Williams” your wife and daughter. Or maybe Tookie will do them, as he is hard and “stiff”! [Get it? Stiff?]
REV AA, I think we can agree that bringing black slaves into the United States was the worst mistake this country ever made.
Jaundiced Coat Hanger @ 100, I have it from a good source that the howling from Hilo is each time your Arabic Stallion mounts you!!!!!
Nmae one union controlled, welfare state company that has positive returns to the shareholders over the last 5 years.
106
Since when do unions control companies? But to answer your question, Boeing is a unionized company, and anyone who bought Boeing stock 5 years ago has made a 60% return on their investment.
YO @79
MARKS WHY DONT YOU HAVE YOUR WIFE BLOW YOU.
Good point. Let me amend my handle…
Goldy,
Are you enjoying the JCH show? Hijacking a thread is one thing, but hijacking all of them?
Seahawks by 3…
107, 5 years ago Boeing was a 60-70 dollar stock. Today it is 70. Your math blows.
RR, No comment on the WALMART bluilding outside of union controlled Chicago? You lib Democrats are total socialist dumbshits.
One Kinki-Sharyo LRV can seat 72 passengers, Maximum Crush Load will be 120, and they will run in trains of up to 4 cars, with only 1 driver. Once the line reaches Northgate, they will need the 4 car trains.
http://www.kinkisharyo-usa.com/st_seattle.html
I am upset about the cost of the cars, they will be around $3 million each, thanks to the destruction of streetcars in the Thirties, Fourties, and Fifties, there were no more builders in the USA. A failed effort by Boeing in the Seventies was the last. Although the last cars bought by Boston and San Francisco in the Seventies lasted into the late-1990s early 2000s, they were the only two cities to purchase them. Cars from Germany, Italy, and Japan, despite their costs, were better. The streetcars used in Tacoma, Portland, and Seattle were built in the Czech Republic.
Dear Muslims and Democrats, May I post a cartoon of Muhammad taking it from a pig “Democrat Tookie” style? Will you libs be “offended”? Will the Muslims burn down Honolulu? Will the Democrat muslims in Detroit robbed liquor stores, loot gas stations, and close down 8 Mile?
Other Cities with Light Rail have expanded, and some of those have had major criticisms of their systems. Denver’s first system was around 5 miles, then was gradually expanded to around 40 miles. Now, in 2004, the voters of the Denver Metro Area voted for Fast Tracks, which was an additional 120 miles of Light Rail and COmmuter Rail, 18 miles of Bus Rapid Transit, and more Park and Ride Spaces. I like Denver because they over-complied with a state mandate on competitively-tendered bus routes. The mandate was 20%, they contracted out 55% of the bus routes, used cost-savings to build their first LRT lines without a public vote.
http://www.rtd-denver.com/fastracks/
Gee, I woke up on this Monday morning, and JCH was still a stupid racist punk. Surprise surprise.
MARKS YOU BLOW. SEAHAWKS LOST BY 10 YOU FUCKIN ASSHOLE.HOW DO YOU SEPERATE MARKS FROM GAY MEN WITH A CROW BAR.
@115
If the Crow Bar is serving beer?
In Portland, the Multnomah County Voters have consistantly been in favor of MAX expansion, but voters in Clackamas County, and Washington’s Clark County have been the one’s who have caused a few votes for MAX Expansion to go down in defeat. So in the case of the 26 mile NOrth-South Line. TriMet scaled it back to a mere 5 miles, from Rose Quarter to North Portland. At Rosse Quarter, just like the Red Line to the Airport, it hitched a ride on the existing Gresham-Hillsboro East-West line into Downtown Portland.
http://www.lightrailnow.org/ne.....R_20060206