Tax?
The County Executive of King County, Ron ‘Tax to the Max’ Sims, this week proposed adding .01% to the state sales tax, bringing it up from 8.8% to a 8.9% to pay for, waaaaiiiiit for it…….. a new plan for mass transit!
He wants the consumers of goods in King County to vote for the increase this November so that he can buy 190 new buses, so many that, as Ron says
“Just like having your car available any time you need it, the bus service also needs to be there,”
Other reports say that the plan calls for so many buses running around, 24 hours a day, that you wouldn’t need a bus schedule to get where you need to go.
Oh the joy! First off, I’m glad I moved the hell out of Ron Sims’ personal fiefdom. Secondly, this has got to be the most inane plan I have ever heard of.
With ridership below 10% of the county population, Sims and Metro Transportation are expecting the other 90+% to pay for these new buses to run routes that they won’t ever use. Instead of making the riders pay by increasing fares to a reasonable rate, they would rather Ma & Pa Pudwocket of BFE Enumclaw/Black Diamond get gouged in the wallet.
If KCMT would eliminate routes with low ridership and use those buses to take up the gap for routes that need increased service, no extra tax would be necessary. But instead of doing the logical thing, KCMT decides that just shotgunning a bunch of buses out into the population, which will tie up traffic on surface streets to no end, is the best idea.
Make the people who use the service pay for it. There is no right to subsidized transportation. Hell, there isn’t even a right to transportation. Unless you’re a Seattle Lliberal.
As I said before, Sims is hoping to get this on the November ballot. $20 today, if it makes it on there, says it’ll pass. Remember, the vote takes place in King County. Even people registered at the County Building and inactive PO Boxes get to vote there.
Of course, people, need the transit because the property use regulations of Seattle and King County have priced lower income people out of the housing that is close to their jobs.