Can I get a big Amen from all those that live here in Eastern Washington, who have there money sent to Seattle to fund their freeways, stadiums, mass transit etc. I'm just sick tired funding anything over there. Don't get me wrong, I love it over there in beautiful Seattle. Its a great place. But I think this is an opportunity for us on this side of the mountains to let them know how we feel. I always vote, but sometimes you think "Why bother? when the only important counties are King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. I mean you can write Spokane right off the map, and still be elected. If this passes, we can bypass the useless politicians. Am I thinking right or wrong?

-- Sig Landoe (slandoe@bentonrea.com), October 29, 1999

Answers

Yup - your interests were poorly represented in Olympia. This initiative takes control over taxes away from Olympia, so you'll no longer have to convince them to act in your interests. You'll have to convince everyone in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to act in your interests instead.

-- Joe Campbell (joecampbell76@hotmail.com), October 29, 1999.

I thought that myself, until I stayed three days at a friend's house near Ritzville. In three days, while we rewired his barn, only one car drove down the gravel road outside their house. Consider the millions of people who use I-5 every day. I admit I'm not sure, but I think that empty gravel road costs more per user than anything in Western Washington.

-- Trevor Laib (tl_seattle@yahoo.com), October 30, 1999.

You are right. A portion of your tax dollars do go toward funding ferries and other transportation needs in the Puget Sound area. But... When one considers the amount of taxes collected versus where those dollars are spent, the west side of the state gets the dirty end of the stick.

King county has long been subsidizing the transportation needs of the rest of the state. Look at how beautiful I-90 is between Ellensburg and Spokane... or the highways between Ellensburg and Yakima... or highway 395 from Ritzville to the south.

And don't think that King county doewsn't try to revise the distribution formulae to retain more of the dollars collected - at the expense of the smaller counties.

-- Tom King (--@---.---), October 30, 1999.

WASHINGTON, July 26  As the EPA works on regulations to make the nations passenger ferries friendlier to the environment, activists released a study claiming that ferries are 10 times more polluting per passenger than cars and nearly 13 times worse than diesel buses.

http://infoseek.go.com/? win=_search&sv=M6&lk=noframes&nh=10&ud9=IE5&qt=ferries+pollute&oq=&url =http% 3A//www.msnbc.com/news/293713.asp&ti=Passenger+ferries+get+critical+re view&top=

-- rick Anderson (ricka0@hotmail.com), October 30, 1999.

I agree with what you guys said about the cost per amount of usage. There is a lot of roads in Eastern Washington like the one in Ritzville. Western Washington, and King county for that matter have their share of sparsely travelled roads that must be maintained. But lets look at states like Idaho and Montana. Using that logic, they should have the highest taxes in the nation. You need I-90 maintained so you in Seattle can distribute your goods. You need Eastern Washington to provide dams and nuclear plants that keep your cities lit. We each need each other. But we don't need to spend and spend on things few people use. The license tab thing is just a way to send a message. If what the NO 1-695 people is true, and the whole government shuts down, and the police and firemen get layed off, we can vote on weather or not we like it like this. We can cross that bridge when it comes....

-- Sig Landoe (slandoe@bentonrea.com), October 30, 1999.

"If ... is true, ... and the police and firemen get layed off, we can vote on weather or not we like it like this."

In other words, it's OK to try a "yes" vote now, because we can always repeal it later? This reassurance comes from someone who wants to eliminate wasteful spending? Scary.

-- Joe Campbell (joecampbell76@hotmail.com), October 31, 1999.

Joe, I thought you were on my side here. You know I'm just a little cog in a big wheel. I just have one vote. And besides, if everyone thought like me, we wouldn't be stuck with who we have as Governor, or mom in tennis shoes Patty. Some may think my elevator doesn't go to the top floor sometimes but hey, everyones entitled to their opinion. I guess whats scary is to know that one vote really matters. And a lot of those one votes is why we are blessed with such a fantastic President we all know and love. Get out and vote.

-- Sig Landoe (slandoe@bentonrea.com), October 31, 1999.