| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 5:19 pm |
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Commentary 
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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). |
- A revolutionary 747
- Fire breaks out at Everett car dealer
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last
- Boeing's 747-8 takes off after weather delay
- Plan for I-5 closures this week
- A new bowling alley for Monroe?
- Lake Stevens man homeless after fire
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday
(11) - A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (10)
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches (5)
- Everett police officers cleared in 2008 shooting death (5)
- 1949 travel aid shows how few places blacks were welcome in Washington (4)
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged (4)
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries (4)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Three politicians who want Gregoire's job in 2012 (3)
- Toyota has powerful D.C. friends (3)
- Edmonds educator, famous announcer dies
- Mill Creek to appeal ruling on annexation
- Through the air, with the greatest of ease
- E-W thriving under new coach
- The path to citizenship
- EUUC puts on ‘Pants & Shoes’
- Wolfpack wins the ‘Battle'
- Lynnwood’s annexation plans OK’d
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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