Have you read the PI editorial? The author, not by any stretch of the imagination conservative, is finely starting to get it. The political elites OF BOTH PARTIES have over-reached. It's not about partisan politics. Voters have lost faith with politicians who seem to be owned by the various lobbies, arts lobby, sports lobby, transit lobby, union lobby, business lobby. If this continues, even more draconian initiatives are likely. The self-anointed elites need to get a grip on reality quickly, before the voters get mad enough to BREAK something the political class values even more than the MVET.

From the PI http://www.seattle-pi.com/paynter/payn17.shtml

But, more than that, the vote was a message. "It's a lesson to (Gov.) Gary Locke and (King County Executive) Ron Sims and all the other 'scum' who didn't do right by the neighborhoods!" the caller rages weeks after his side won. "To those who didn't put our taxes where they were supposed to go. Who shoved a stadium down our throats that we didn't want. They've had 62 years to address the motor vehicle excise tax. The taxpayers have been screwed by the pet projects of special interest groups. Well, now the people have spoken. YES on 695! YES! YES! YES!"

Even voters who turned out to say no to 695 told election inspector August Hahn they couldn't care less about the candidates.

The political chairman for the 36th District Democrats, he says one recurrent theme resounded as people passed him by. "Excuse my language, but they said the bastards made them pay for a stadium they didn't want," Hahn said. So now they have little if any faith in politicians on either side of the fence.

More than 4,200 of the residents in the district encompassing Queen Anne, Magnolia and Ballard got up that Tuesday, drove to the polls and voted on 695 but not for any candidate in the city's hottest council race.

In fact, they didn't vote for people at all. "They just don't feel politicians affect their lives," Hahn said.

"Excepting Congress, America has no native criminal class." Samuel Clemens

-- Mark Stilson (mark842@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999

Answers

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of congress; but I repeat myself." -Mark Twain

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.

There is no shortage of individuals who have figured out the politicians:

"The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return."

-Gore Vidal

-- Mark Stilson (mark842@hotmail.com), November 17, 1999.