Regarding the article, “No transportation deal until Legislature convenes in Olympia”: Tax-paying folks who are not completely hoodwinked by political euphemania and have escaped the hypnotic effect of increasingly mesmerizing “spin” could explain why transportation bills fail at the polls if the honorable sirs and madams of our Legislature would take the time to listen and consider the following:
In 1893, the Legislature designated as a state road, a road to be constructed from a point in Whatcom County to the Columbia River. In 1905 the legislature created the State Highway Department. This remained in place until the early 1950s when the State Highway Department was renamed the Department of Transportation. Over time DOT — a misnomer to begin with because transportation was historically defined as transporting convicts to a penal colony, driven by ever increasing pressure from ideological intentions — morphed DOT into a “Department of Public Transportation.” Public transportation is generally defined as a system for moving passengers via underground, elevated, “light” rail trains, or transit lines, while a Highway is defined as main public road, especially one connecting towns and cities.
If a “highway” bill were presented that wasn’t corrupted by additional funding for existing public transportation money pits; didn’t supplement the general fund with sales taxation; was subject to wage competition in the competitive bidding process, and required only reasonable and fair environmental studies, the Legislature could get a tax bill approved by the taxpayers.
May we please have a legislative session that includes the interests of the constituents who actually pay the bills?
Tom Thuerk
Everett
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