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Bob Bolerjack,
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Carol MacPherson,
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heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
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Kim Heltne,
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Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Wednesday


81 veterans' names, 81 meaningful lives honored...
USO singer's voice still charms them in Edmonds
Monroe honking case makes it to state Supreme C...
Tuesday


Fire destroys Emory's restaurant
Peggy Pritchard Olson always put Edmonds first
Camano Island burglaries spike: Is Colton back?
Monday


Tree clearing, mud slide angers Everett neighbor
Later start for school day unlikely in Marysville
Hopes for Snohomish excursion train may hinge o...
Sunday


Glacier Peak freshman overcomes jitters to win ...
Gay marriage issue can wait, say Referendum 71 ...
Cities across south Snohomish County see tax re...
Saturday


Thousands honor slain Seattle police officer Ti...
Suspect identified in Seattle police killing
Mountlake Terrace thrilled by high school's fir...
Friday


Officer Timothy Brenton. Gone, but not forgotten
Person sought in officer's killing is shot in head
Thousands to pay respects to slain Seattle poli...
Thursday


Tale of 1916 Everett Massacre retold in style o...
Reservist survived Iraq but not his return to c...
Swine flu suspected in infant’s death
 

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Published: Sunday, October 7, 2007

No: Prop 1 costs too much, does too little

Proposition 1 proposes the biggest local tax increase in Washington state, ever.

Prop 1 more than doubles -- even triples -- the car license tab tax. And doubles its part of the regressive local sales tax. Prop 1 extends taxes from 1996 that voters were originally promised the option to reduce after 2006. With Prop 1, both new and old taxes now last forever.

The tax bite is staggering: $157 billion over the next 50 years alone. That averages almost $2,000 per year for most households for the next half century. By comparison, voters in Seattle said no to the Monorail when its taxes ballooned to "just" $11 billion over a similar time period.

Prop 1 is not a balanced plan. Only 10 percent funds roads. And only a fraction of that goes toward fixing dangerous bridges and crumbling freeways. Nearly 90 percent funds Sound Transit -- which moves about 1 percent of all trips. With or without this plan, traffic congestion will still double by 2028 according to Sound Transit's own documentation.

Prop 1 joins two bad plans: an expensive, inefficient transit system (ST2) and an under-funded roads component (RTID). Most of the money funds Seattle-centered transit projects. Many of the roads projects contain nothing more than a small down-payment toward desperately needed repairs or replacements. For example, there is only partial funding for safety improvements and repairs to the U.S. 2 trestle. And, surprisingly, Prop 1 funds reconstruction of only 1 of 34 of our region's unsafe bridges.

In 1996, Sound Transit promised completion of its Ten-Year Plan within budget by 2006. So what has happened since then? There are billions in cost overruns, the schedule is at least 10 years behind, transit use is declining as a percentage of travel and traffic congestion is increasing. Additionally, Sound Transit is at least two years away from reaching the airport, which it promised to do by last year. So why would we give Sound Transit any more taxing authority until they complete what they promised us in 1996?

One of the great weaknesses of Prop 1 is that both the Sound Transit and RTID boards are not directly elected by the people. Therefore, they do not answer directly to the taxpayers. The Sound Transit area is only a portion of Snohomish County, and RTID is less than the entire county, so we end up with fragmented taxing districts that deny any clear representation to all the citizens in Snohomish County. Both the Sound Transit and RTID parts of Prop 1 make project promises that can be changed or later scrapped by their respective unelected boards, thus sabotaging any direct accountability to the public.

The Sierra Club and many environmental groups are opposed to Prop 1 because it makes global warming worse, relies too heavily on regressive taxes, and costs too much.

There are better alternatives to Prop 1 that are less expensive, decades earlier to deploy, and just plain smarter.

Simply put, Prop 1 costs too much, and does so little. That's why so many people are voting "no" on Prop 1.



Gary Nelson is a member of the Snohomish County Council. Mark Baerwaldt is with NoToProp1.Org (www.notoprop1.org).


1. Emory’s owner fears fire was arson
2. Monroe honking case makes it to state Supreme Court
3. Vatican ponders the souls in space
4. 81 veterans' names, 81 meaningful lives honored in Snohomish
5. Hope dims that Olympics will boost region
6. Student hit in crosswalk to return
7. Smokey Point to celebrate end of roadwork
8. Death on Edmonds waterfront ruled a suicide
9. Help for young moms may continue
10. Semifinal slate sealed on ‘Dancing With Stars’
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Bazaar Fever
Hawks proud of historic season
Olson always put Edmonds first
Honoring student veterans
‘Wheedle' author comes to Lynnwood bookshop
Mavs build early lead en route to easy win
Prep football games of the week (state playoffs)
Tears of laughter, tears of grief
Death on Edmonds beach likely a suicide
The Enterprise Online Newspaper


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