Friday, May 27, 2011

It's bad enough that government lies to US about loot rail... how about when they lie to other governments? Federal Way wants promised rail line.

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We already know we're being lied to and ignored about both the bridge replacement and loot rail.

First, we have the Mayor of America's Vancouver, elected on a platform of lies over the issue of of tolls, to the ever-lasting shame of the political neophytes who were unfortunate enough to believe his lies.

Then we have the most senior of the county commissioners, who's last second lies about a vote for loot rail  this November were as conveniently forgotten by him as, well, yesterday's newspaper.

He closely followed by a second commissioner, my erstwhile brother-in-law, who lied to my face about holding a county wide advisory on this project vote LAST November.

So, there's little doubt that we're led by a government of liars.

But this has to take the cake: Federal Way got scammed into paying taxes to extend loot rail to their city, only to find out, well, sorry about that, you ain't GETTING loot rail, and, oh, yeah....

You can't have your tax money back.

It's bad enough when our government lies to us.

But when they lie to each other?

Federal Way wants promised rail line

Federal Way's mayor lamented to Sound Transit Thursday that his "working-class" suburb is being shortchanged in the struggle for transportation now that Link light rail won't make it there by 2023.
Seattle Times transportation reporter
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Federal Way's mayor lamented to Sound Transit Thursday that his "working-class" suburb is being shortchanged in the struggle for transportation.

Sound Transit says it doesn't have enough revenue long term to reach South 272nd Street in Federal Way with Link light rail by 2023 — breaking a promise on the 2008 ballot. A plunge in sales-tax income is to blame, transit managers said.

Mayor Skip Priest went to Seattle's Union Station and urged the transit board to cut costs, even switch the alignment to Interstate 5 instead of down Highway 99 — whatever it takes to deliver the train service.

He said his city reflects the changing of American suburbs: Children receiving free or reduced lunches have increased from 20 to 53 percent in a decade; the nonwhite population is 48 percent; more than 100 languages are spoken; longtime residents are aging and becoming more dependent on transit.

Gentrification in trendy cities such as Seattle is pushing lower-income people outward, where it's harder to find reliable transit routes to work, a trend highlighted in a Brookings Institution report last week.

Sound Transit is now focusing on trying to reach Highline Community College alongside Highway 99, two miles north of the Federal Way city limits.

Under the rules of Sound Transit, the money collected in the Snohomish County, Seattle-Shoreline, Eastside, South King and Pierce County areas stays in each area.

South King has the biggest budget gap, of $1 billion through 2023, said CEO Joni Earl.

Instead of geographic equity, Priest on Thursday insisted on social equity.

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2 comments:

Blogging around the Pacific Northwest said...

Was skip priest not a state House of Representative republican for Federal Way?

K.J. Hinton said...

Yes indeedy.