BUT...there are some things that really gets my blood boiling. And Seattle/Washington State politics (poli-tickles as it were) is one of them.
For those not of this area, you may not know that we have a dying, archaic viaduct that was massively compromised during our earthquake some 5 years ago. According to the Engineer's who have studied the viaduct, they all agree, the viaduct is a ticking bomb and needs to be replaced. And so starts the political battle (don't even get me started on the Seattle Lite-rail/monorail initiative) over how to replace the ailing viaduct.
The Mayor of Seattle wants a tunnel. The tunnel option will not only cost an exorbitant amount of $$, and it will open up the Seattle waterfront to more businesses. Thus lining the Mayor's pocket.
Other folks of the poli-tickle circle want to just replace the viaduct. It will cost less, and still function. This is, after all, the purpose of such a structure.
The Seattle PI Today wrote that Seattle planning group has given the government an "ultimatum" stating that if the $$ for the tunnel isn't available/funded by April 1st, they will proceed with the plans to replace the viaduct. The article THEN goes on to say, that currently the council/planning team continues to plan for BOTH options. Which is, a waste of good tax payer $$.And as all of us who live here know, they will continue to argue this point, nothing will be done, Seattle will have another earthquake, hundreds of people will die and THEN will they decide to do something.
The other poli-tickle thing going on is with our local NBA team, the Sonics, wants Seattle to pay for a new arena. Now, their old arena renovations are not even 10 years old yet. But they are threatening to leave Seattle if the city doesn't build them a new home. My two cents is good riddance. The interesting thing here is Seattle is STILL paying for 5 arenas. And two of them don't even exist anymore because we've mowed them down to build new ones. One of the arenas, the Kingdome, we still own $$ on for 11 more YEARS. We tore that thing down in 2000. ARGH!
And so my question: Shouldn't the tax $$ go to more necessary fixes like transportation? We have a few bridges, highways, freeways, and an aging viaduct, that are sorely in need of a make over. Or better yet, could we use the $$ to build a - gulp - lite rail system that is actually useful to the majority of commuters (see Monorail comment from before)?
I'd like to say I'm going to stop voting (but I won’t because its too damn important to have a voice) because it seems that no matter whom we vote in Seattle, and Washington is destined to just argue until the cows come home and still do nothing. WE live in a society full of activist and political parties that love to battle, and there in lies the problem. No one can agree on anything.
1 comments:
Here's a couple of tidbits for you:
Did you know that sports teams, historically, cost a city more than they make? They make politicians a ton of money but almost always leave the city hurting for money. And Olympics are even worse - they can devestate an economy.
Sadly, we live in a time when money is truly the bottom line. And, you know what? It has always been this way. The only difference is when common people step forward and act (and there are so many, peaceful ways to do this) rather than allowing politicians to be ruled by greed.
It's all up to you - and me - and us all.
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