The anti Eymanists will want everyone forced to locate their homes within 2 miles of where they work, and cars will be outlawed. Bike or ride transit everywhere. How will they feel when I do my shopping and have to load 1 months of groceries on the bus or train and delay them a few minutes? Can we swing by and pick up my Grandaughter?

No more drive throughs? Where will you get your latte's? Your Jumbo Jacks? How will you go to the drive in? Dry cleaners? The bank? How about a Doctor's appoinment? How many of you have really tried to live like that? Taking transit everywhere? People will continue to drive a vehicle because of the convenience. You think they want to do these things while riding mass transit? You can't make mass transit convenient enough for the majority of us to use. Your living in a dream world.

Having assisted many paratransit riders with transportation needs, (and being a caregiver for 10 years) I can tell you what a hassle it is for most of them. And for many independant folks, they would rather NOT rely on paratransit. They realize they have very little choice. The rest of us do! I want all you mass transit fans to stop driving your car for 1 month. Do all your commuting and errands etc. by using transit. Don't drive that car! Come back and let us know what a suck*sess it was.

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999

Answers

"The anti Eymanists will want everyone forced to locate their homes within 2 miles of where they work, and cars will be outlawed"

Ridiculous. It's not about whether cars should be outlawed... it's about whether those who are physically and/or financially unable to afford cars should be able to get from point A to point B.

-- PeterH (hartikka@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

look who's crying that the sky is falling.

We are not screaming for the abolishment of all autos, only a mix of transportation modes. This new initiative makes the mix much tougher if not impossible.

Some things to chew on. 1)Sound transit was overwhelmingly voted in by the voters. now one man wants to go against what the voters wanted.

2)This initiative won't get the same legislative support that 695 did because it contains no tax cuts, and makes it much tougher to comply with several federal mandates with only 10% of transportation dollars left.

3)Wasn't Ref.49 money already going to improvements until it got cut by 695?

4) Who's gonna pay for all of the lawsuits brought on by all of the condemnation that has already taken place for sound transit. Those condemnations were done for nothing if sound transit gets axed.

5)We cannot expand our freeways anymore, I don't know if you have checked lately, but there is no where to expand.

6) The state population grows roughly 1.2%/ year, while state govt. grows approx .1%. Is that equation not shrinking government as it is? A much larger population needs government or who ever provides services to keep up. How can they if they are shrinking in comparrison to the population.

-- theman (theman@wuzzup.com), December 17, 1999.

theman,

Would you please share where you got your information that state government is growing at only 1%, can be located? If it's not available as a link, please post the information here. Thanks.

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), December 18, 1999.

1.2% census.gov

-- theman (theman@wuzzup.com), December 18, 1999.

theman-

You are either NOT LISTENING, having serious problems, or you're on something. On another thread you repeatedly refer to 20 billion transportation projects in the state, by which I can only infer you mean 20 billion dollars worth of projects. Now the lady asks a question and you give her an erroneous answer to a question she didn't ask. I'd recommend you pick among these options:

1. Have someone read the posting you are responding to for you. 2. Have someone quick check your proposed response for rationality before you hit the "submit" button. 3. Find a better supplier of a better quality product. 4. Either check to see of your Lithium level-Low light is on, or ask your healthcare provider to do a blood test.

The signal to noise ratio of your postings has never been particularly stellar, but it has taken a decided downward turn recently. We, your on-line friends, are starting to become concerned about your welfare

-- (mark842@hotmail.come), December 18, 1999.

Even zowie who is a pretty much live and let live sort of guy.

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), December 18, 1999.

Peter says, "Ridiculous. It's not about whether cars should be outlawed... it's about whether those who are physically and/or financially unable to afford cars should be able to get from point A to point B."

Marsha reads, in other words, few people really want to use mass transit for commuting. No one else but the disabled and poor want to ride Sound Transit, Ferries, and busses. Build, expand and repair the roads!

theman,

(I will use big letters for theman, maybe that would help.)

WHERE CAN I ACCESS THE INFORMATION THAT THE "STATE GOVERNMENT" IS GROWING AT 1%? (not population, although government and population have the same amount of letters).

BTW, If you can't distinguish between a sarcastic-tired of you whiners type of post, and the sky is falling-the world will end type of post, then at least 1 of Marks comments apply.

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), December 18, 1999.

theman,

1) According to Craig, it took many years before "Sound Transit" gained enough support to pass. I have no reason to doubt his FACTS. I have not kept track of the politics of the Seattle region, as I don't live in that area.

If it were on the ballot today, it may very well fail.

2) You are wrong that I-695 had "legislative support". It had voter's support.

3) Yes. One example of voters being given a better choice.

4) We will all pay. Good reason to scrap it before it gets worse.

5)There's no where left to expand? Then why has the state been doing studies for the last few years on an alternate Hwy 3 to connect with Hwy 101 to bypass Belfair? You don't get out much do you.

6)The state population grows roughly 1.2%/ year. So let us bury our heads in the sand, and hope it goes away. Because if all we do is throw money at mass transit, and not into expanding roads and freeways, delivery of goods will suffer, and busses will not be able to stay on any type of schedule. If people are going to be stuck in traffic, they would rather do so in their own vehicles.

Just because population grows at certain rate, does not mean the tax rate should increase, Unless the increase is for those who require financial assistance. If the growth is from gainfully employed taxpaying new citizens, then additional services required for their presence is payed for from the taxes they pay.

As for the state government growth rate, I am waiting for info from you, see above.

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), December 19, 1999.

"Just because population grows at certain rate, does not mean the tax rate should increase, Unless the increase is for those who require financial assistance. If the growth is from gainfully employed taxpaying new citizens, then additional services required for their presence is payed for from the taxes they pay."

Actually, if it were any business but government, we would expect economies of scale, that is, as the organization got bigger they could afford better equipment and specialized personnel who would be more productive per person than a smaller organization, and could deliver the goods and services more economically. The bigger the organization, the more productive it is per employee generally, or it loses market share to smaller companies.

With government, on the other hand, the growth of size of the organization really isn't accompanied by much of a growth in productivity, but rather this seems to be offset by a HUGE growth in administrative overhead. The number of off-sites, planning meetings, coordinating councils, negotiations, etc., go up dramatically, without a whole lot of increase in goods or services provided.

"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), December 19, 1999.