A bargain too good to resist?

There are times when principles make you sit on your checkbook. And then there are bargains that seem too good to pass up.

It seems a third Olympic-class ferry is just such a good deal.

The Legislature ended its session without producing a state transportation plan. After prolonged negotiations, the ultimate roadblock was a list of so-called reforms demanded by the Senate’s GOP-dominated Majority Coalition.

In the name of government accountability, these senators were willing to neglect vital transportation needs unless they were are allowed to impose financial and operating strictures on state projects and the bureaucracies that oversee them. Their demands included everything from fast-tracking engineering and environmental reviews to earmarking all transportation sales-tax revenues for transportation projects.

This was the right thing to do, they declared, because the Department of Transportation had run amok on projects like the 520 bridge and Seattle’s tunnel.

Not everyone agreed this was a productive approach to constructing roads, interchanges and transit infrastructure, but few doubted the Majority’s Coalition’s commitment to principles.

Then the ferry proposal floated onto the scene.

Vigor Industrial of Seattle already was building two 144-vehicle vessels for Washington State Ferries. If the state ordered a third ferry now, it could buy it at current prices. So, a search began for the necessary $123 million.

The solution came in a House bill that tacked a $5 service fee on vehicle registrations and a $12 fee on title transfers. The fees will go into an account used for procuring ferries.

Now, the state’s ferry system is not exempt from questions about things like overtime costs or its purchase of cock-eyed Kwa-di Tabil-class vessels. Eastern Washington representatives grumble that Spokane taxpayers subsidize Puget Sound passengers; one rural Southwest Washington legislator suggests that “rich people who choose to live on islands” should buy their own ferries.

Yet, this bill sailed smoothly through the Senate and passed the House easily on a somewhat partisan vote. How in the name of accountability did this happen?

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima (and chief among transportation “reformers”), explained: “We needed to keep building that third ferry because it saves us millions of dollars, building three in a row.”

No critique of the ferry system’s track record. Barely a murmur about the fact that these new fees are permanent and won’t go away once the cost of the third ferry is covered.

Those cable TV shopping channels really know how to overcome buyer resistance: “Act now on this special one-time offer!”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

FILE - The massive mudslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso, Wash., is viewed from the air on March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Editorial: Mapping landslide risks honors those lost in Oso

Efforts continue in the state to map areas prone to landslides and prevent losses of life and property.

Comment: Why shootings have decreased but gun deaths haven’t

High-capacity magazines and ‘Glock switches’ that allow automatic fire have increased lethality.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, March 27

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Burke: ‘Why not write about Biden, for once?’ Don’t mind if I do.

They asked; I’ll oblige. Let’s consider what the president has accomplished since the 2020 election.

Comment: Catherine missed chance to dispel shame of cancer

She wasn’t obligated to do so, but she might have used her diagnosis to educate a sympathetic public.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.