Has everyone forgotten that just a few years ago, when Highway 522 was making every list of the nation’s most dangerous highways, a citizens group was working with a bipartisan group of legislators to pass a 5-cent per gallon gas tax to take care of some of the worst and most neglected problems. They had reached an agreement and there were reportedly enough votes from both parties for it to pass. Then a Republican senator made a big issue of not raising taxes while the Republicans were in the majority and managed to stop the bill from coming to a vote.
So during the next legislative session, the Republicans came up with a referendum which they sent to the voters to borrow the millions needed and pay them back over 25 years with interest (which could have been avoided by raising the gas tax). The bonds would have been retired by using the motor vehicle excise tax. The voters passed the referendum. They wanted the roads fixed. We had already lost two years of highway improvements.
Then Republicans endorsed Initiative 695, which wiped out the motor vehicle excise tax. When Initiative 695 passed, it effectively canceled out the referendum that had previously passed. So highway improvements were halted. No bonds could be sold since the funds to repay them had been canceled by I-695.
So the years go by and traffic increases and the highways get worse. And the Republicans in an evenly divided Legislature refused to pass a bill during the last session (isn’t that what we elect legislators to do?) but insisted that it would have to be sent to the voters.
So we come to today. The Republicans are blaming the governor for the traffic mess. And they are still pushing to delay the solution by sending a plan to the voters. Am I the only one who senses hypocrisy here?
Bothell
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