Reading Jerry Cornfield’s March 22 column I read where Dave Sommers, Snohomish County executive and Sound Transit chairman, is back at it.
Do you believe that there will be a different outcome from his staff, after having been given clear direction for a predetermined outcome, working with legislative staff on how best to respond to, yet not endanger, promises made to voters? Really, dude?
The language in the bill, crafted by his “brain trust,” has taken a dead-cat bounce. It’s duplicity has infuriated voters and their overwhelming opposition has embarrassed legislators into taking action.
Let’s not forget that it was Sound Transit Chairman Sommers who previously objectified us and suggested that we affected voters embrace the suck, “by drinking one less latte a day” (yes, he actually said that last June), to pay for any increase in car tabs.
I believe one of the most infamous similes in history was when the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, became a celeb to the great unwashed by donating her fair head to history for suggesting that we starving peasants “eat cake.” It seems that once ensconced in their castle/Ivory tower, history, and it’s consequences for tyrants/elitists isn’t forgotten it’s that they’re just to arrogant to believe that they can, or will be dethroned by ignorant rabble.
There’s a growing and often violent demonstrative resistance to manipulation by authoritative group spin that’s being ignored by those in a position of trust to their ultimate peril. For years voters were apathetic and seemed to have a high tolerance for jackassery, but come on.
If it turns out to be true that there’s a possibility that the federal government is going to cut funding for light rail then perhaps that $2 billion dollars that Sound Transit’s concerned about is just another case of the Chicken Little syndrome that seems to be effecting the state and country of late. You can be assured that they will still want to maintain their tab depreciation method. It’s an optimist-pessimist thing that I still haven’t figured out.
Despite outcry from the public, body blows from the legislature and possible loss of federal funding, the Sound Transit board members seem determined to press on and attempt to justify the increases. Go figure.
Rich Needham
Everett
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