Craig Williams - Ending his own political career.

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Craig Williams is proof that arrogant, blithering idiots exist in both parties. And, unfortunately he has joined the "Legion of Liars" that support this debacle.

I, for one, am heartily sick of the downtown mafia types who believe their judgement is somehow superior to those they would govern.

Williams, abysmally failed county commissioner candidate, best known for idiotically confirming that Tom Mielke "will lose" the general election for county commissioner (Commissioner Mielke occasionally disappoints in that regard) supports the complete, unjustifiable, unnecessary and unneeded I-5 Bridge replacement, a project that will blow a $4 BILLION hole in transportation funding along with the moronic, how many times do we have to say "NO!" loot rail.

Williams, who claims to be a Republican but has yet to show any adherence to Republican principles, is cut from the mold of "Rex superious," that typically supports the idiocy of corrupt leaders like those doing everything they can to ram this project down this county's throat. He's been busily firing nails into his political coffin, and whenever he does, I'll be there to blog it so succeeding generations may see what a jerk he actually is.

He opposes a vote, does not want to hear from the 60,000 commuters that he would want to nail with a $1200 yearly tax, in addition to the many other taxes commuters have to pay; sucking that estimated $72,000,000 yearly out of our local economy as if that ripple effect will not be felt across the entire retail spectrum.

My suggestion to Mr. Williams is this: If you're going to think, act, exhibit arrogance and ignore the people like Jim Moeller, you would be best served to join his party. As for me, you've joined my short list of political opponents that I will pay money and put personal effort into defeating... no matter what or where you run for office.

Congratulations.

These comments are from the lovefest between Sam Adams and Royce Pollard, two political menaces that the koolaid drinkers of the Soviet Socialist Republics of Portland and Vancouver, regularly re-elect.

I will quote Williams; tear his idiocy to shreds, and then let the reader decide.

by Craig Williams : 2/25/09 7:35am - Report AbuseI applaud all the difficult work that the commission has done toward this much needed replacement for the current I-5 bridge.

So, Williams applauds this colossal waste of 10's of millions of dollars for a completely unneeded replacement of a perfectly serviceable and functional bridge with a preordained study that only had one "acceptable" outcome? A replacement that will suck out transportation dollars for decades from projects that actually DO need work? One wonders why he's doing this. Is he just kissing ass for a job down the road, so to speak?

It requires a very thick skin to work through all the naysayers who ignore the basic financial reality that we are spending more in congestion at the bridge each year than the mortgage on a new bridge will cost, or those who say that we must do X before Y, but only if Y gets done before X.

Clearly, Williams' ability to manipulate figures into whatever he wants them to be is only exceeded by his political abilities. In short, he has become a classic case of figures that don't lie, but liars that do figure.

We need to address many traffic issues and this is an overdue good start. Once plans for the bridge are solidified, it will be easier to focus on other needed I-5 improvements. Portland is currently working on some of the I-5 Delta Park problems so we need to stop being so negative.

It requires complete self-delusion to ignore the basic financial reality of imposing a $1200 per year tax on commuters just so they can go to work. It requires complete idiocy to ignore the experts who tell us that soon after the bridge is completed, it will have made no difference. It requires an unbelievable level of arrogance to suggest that the judgment of the few somehow is superior to the judgment of the many. It require unbelievably large blinders to believe that Oregon's efforts in Delta Park will mean anything to the issues of freight mobility or congestion.

In short, to share Williams' attitude and positions on this matter requires you to be a fan of totalitarian government.

by Craig Williams : 2/25/09 8:25am - Report Abuse

John, I understand your desire for a new bridge but there is no political or engineering support for the idea. It has been looked at and the conclusions have been against the idea each time.

Here, Williams is just a flat-out liar. First, it's clear that he "understands" NOTHING. To suggest that there is "no political support" for a third bridge when Commissioner Mielke was elected on a third bridge platform is just more of the self-serving garbage that bridge proponents typically use.

Again, Williams political ignorance is so great, that he stupidly overlooks the fact that their was only ever going to be ONE outcome from the people MAKING the "conclusions," no matter WHAT the FACTS say.

The outcome from all of these studies was pre-ordained by the downtown Mafia. We have wasted 10's of millions of dollars to reach a point where anyone with a brain in their head (except, it would seem, Mr. Williams) KNEW we would wind up from the getgo.

Engineering "Conclusions" that are based on politics are worthless. Much like, come to think of it, the idea that a 3rd Bridge should be ignored is worthless.

Even if there was some support it would be almost impossible to get all the permits needed to put in a third bridge. It will be hard enough to satisfy all the relevant permit criteria with a replacement bridge.

Bullshit. In Williams twisted world, if we can't get permits to do the right thing, we should get permits to do the wrong thing.

Words fail me in describing the depth of the idiocy of a mind that could possibly conclude that "permits" should determine this bridging issue.

In light of this why keep pushing for it?

When rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it?

Because it is the right thing to do, Mr. Williams. Because until this horrific waste of money is built, there's always hope that the corruption you represent and embrace will somehow be defeated and government will, for once, do the RIGHT thing.

Since you asked.

You ARE familiar with the difference between RIGHT and WRONG, aren't you?

For practical reasons you gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Maybe someday, but it isn't going to happen now so why not work together on this bridge and make it the best we can.

If our massive opposition to this project is so inconsequential, then what the hell difference does it make WHAT we do?

The majority of the 60,000 people you would screw with a multi-hundred dollar a year tax for your little project will not agree with your Nazi-like persuasion.

by Craig Williams : 2/25/09 9:44am - Report AbuseTerm, Dee - we did vote on it, we elected our leaders in fair elections.

See, Craig... this is why you ain't gonna get elected dog catcher around here.

If it was as simplistic as all that, then we wouldn't have the need or the right to vote on ANY tax increase or bond or levy. After all, in your bizarro world, our elected officials should just make all those decisions for us, and we should just keep our mouths shut.

That YOU would FORCE 60,000 people to pay over $1000 per year just to go to work without asking them makes you a dangerous man. Your "faith" that government always gets it right and that ignoring the people in this matter is the best way to go makes you an idiot.

That we elected a bunch of morons ramming a bridge down our throats who lack the guts to ask us what WE want isn't excused by the fact that we elected them. The Germans elected Hitler as well... are you one of those who would go along with his program?

You gutless worms need to ASK us. They won't, because they already know the answer. And unelecting them will not fix this $4 BILLION waste of money... but it will keep you from ever getting elected to anything.

by Craig Williams : 2/25/09 1:49pm - Report AbuseBob, the whole point is that we won't be saving any money by not building the bridge.

So... by not spending $4 billion... by not tasking the commuters with $72,000,000 in tolls... we WON'T BE SAVING ANYTHING??????????????

You need a keeper. You are so completely moronic that you clearly are incapable of handling your own affairs. You need to seek help, Williams... you really do.

The current yearly congestion costs exceed the yearly cost of building the bridge. By doing nothing, we end up paying more! Is that really your goal - to cost the taxpayers more?

What a colossal scumbag.

You are a total liar, and your lies will cost us hundreds of millions of dollars.

If this is, in fact, the case (and people a hell of a lot smarter than you say IT ISN'T) then why is your ilk so terrified of asking us?

"Planners and elected officials who back the project are aware of the shortcomings, but say it's better than doing nothing."

Are YOU REALLY interested in screwing the taxpayers for something that WILL NOT DO WHAT YOUR LIES TELL US IT WILL DO?

Of course you are. Because arrogant scum like you are not about to let facts interfere with conclusions.

Here is a real estate analogy: If you are paying $1500/month in rent for an old, outdated, and unsafe home, but the payment on a bigger, brand-new home would only be $1250, most of us would choose to build a new home.

More of William's typically self-delusional garbage.

He starts with a lying premise (That the bridge, while old, is apparently unserviceable; that it is unsafe, and that we have to pay MORE for an already existing bridge then we would for the massive waste of money that a replacement bridge in a saturated I-5 corridor) and then ends with yet another lie: that we would actually pay LESS to use a NEW bridge where at least $100 per month will be vacuumed out of our pockets to use it, in addition to all of the other taxes and fees we pay.

And, of course, the fact is that it would be MUCH cheaper to pay for the needed repairs on the house we ALREADY have, then to build a new one in the same place, particularly when building another one somewhere else would be MUCH cheaper, and result in DOUBLING our living space.

Clearly, to be a fringe-leftist like Williams is to ignore common sense and reality.

Many of the people who are most adamant against a new I-5 bridge are missing this critically important detail.

Another lie. This crap is neither critical, important, OR a detail. In fact, it is completely irrelevant.

They won't "save" the taxpayers any money, they will only condemn them to paying increasing congestion costs at the I-5 bridge bottleneck.

So, Williams, if your position is so persuasive, then why don't you and your fellow clowns put all this to a vote?

And the fact is this: EVEN A NEW BRIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A "BOTTLE NECK." SO, UNDER YOUR WARPED SCENARIO, WE'LL NOT ONLY BE SITTING IN A BOTTLE NECK, WE'LL BE PAYING $4 BILLION FOR THE PRIVILEGE.

Frightening.

Were paying excessive rent on an old, outdated, unsafe bridge. It saves more money and makes better financial sense (even when you include possible tolls) to build a new bridge and we need to plan now to have it done by 2020.

No... we don't.

Somebody else has taken this position before: the President.

He's slammed us with an entire mountain range of debt; debt that we'll be paying for untold generations... and he did so even after the Congressional Budget Office concluded that to do so would actually hurt our economic recovery, yet economic recovery was the excuse he used for doing it.

Here, the experts have concluded that replacing this three-through lane bridge with another three-through lane bridge will make absolutely no difference.

One wonders: Is Williams unaware of this fact? Or like most of the downtown Mafia, does he just not give a damn?

by Craig Williams : 2/26/09 6:26am - Report AbusePaul, I have no personal stake other than to cross a safe bridge that is not a bottleneck going both directions.

And this is the most rank hypocrisy of all.

Williams, apparently, works in Vancouver. So he is working hard to impose a cost on US that HE doesn't have to pay! But then, the vast majority of those who would impose this $1200 or more tax on us won't have to pay a dime!

During the race for county commissioner I researched the numbers. I took the total congestion hours that the bridge was estimated to reduce and calculated the congestion costs associated with those hours. Then I took the estimated cost of the proposed 12 lane bridge with light rail and calculated the yearly payment over a 30-year term. No smoke or mirrors, the congestion costs associated with the current I-5 bridge are nearly $100 million more per year than the yearly payment on a new $4.5B bridge. The facts dictate my view on the subject.

Since no such facts exist, it's certainly not facts" that have led you into desiring to screw us.

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Please, please, PLEASE, Mr. Williams. Keep shilling for the downtown Mafia. Keep ignoring the demands of the people of this county that we get to vote. Keep ignoring the please of the commuters that YOU would task to pay for this unneeded and unwanted mess.

That will make my efforts to torpedo any candidacy you EVER engage in so much easier.

Every post, every statement you've ever made about this, REEKING with hypocrisy (because YOU won't have to pay for this) and arrogance (Because you oppose a vote on all of this crap.)

Good luck with your local political future, and thanks for helping to keep me politically active.