Tim Eyman will say anything
One of the favorite pastimes of our local Grover Norquist clone is to attack legislators (especially Democratic lawmakers) for almost every fault imaginable. Today, on the opening day of the legislative session, Tim set his sights on Senator Mary Margaret Haugen of Camano Island, who heads the Transportation Committee. From his email to supporters this morning:
Like Dino Rossi, you are a salesman, except what you guys peddle is not goods or services - it's mistrust, suspicion, and anger - towards government.
If the population of Washington State could gather together in one place in the style of an Athenian meeting, Tim Eyman would be the guy dancing around the edges of the assembly in a clown costume attempting to generate as much cynicism and disgust towards those in charge as possible.
As usual, Eyman makes a weak attack that starts falling apart when it is reframed. From his perspective Haugen's comments are contradictory; to me, they are not. Why can't both of those goals be the number one priority?
As I wrote last Thursday:
Not providing choices and not investing in mass transit forces us to use our cars to go everywhere, which results in congestion that costs us all time and money.
Unsafe infrastructure and congestion both carry a heavy economic price tag, but they have more in common than that. They're directly related to each other.
For example, eliminating dangerous choke points can reduce congestion, and building a light rail system can cut down the number and intensity of serious auto collisions (many of which are caused by distracted motorists trying to make up for the time spent sitting in traffic by multitasking).
I suspect that Senator Haugen, who has served in the Legislature for a number of years, is aware of the connections I just described, and would agree with me that a safer transportation system and a less congested one are not mutually exclusive objectives, but equally vital priorities.
Tim "I wanna do something constructive for a change" Eyman, on the other hand, continues to demonstrate why libertarians don't have the chops to tackle our toughest challenges. Eyman's Initiative 984, the latest product from his Mukilteo factory, is billed as a "professional" cure-all to traffic congestion.
It would siphon existing funds from several revenue sources (including the vehicle sales tax) and reroute them towards three things:
Perhaps if Tim understood what really causes traffic jams, he would be able to discern why congestion is so hard to fix.
And he wouldn't be opposed to building light rail, which is the most effective way to get people out of their cars - and frees up space on the highway for snobbish, dismissive libertarians like him who want nothing to do with "choo choo trains".
The primary cause of gridlock is sprawl and poor civic planning. When we deliberately build our cities with seperate residential, commercial, and industrial areas, we can't be surprised when everyone drives. But when we design walkable communities that are connected by an accessible and reliable regional rapid transit network, we allow ourselves the freedom of mobility...the freedom to get to where we want to go without being obstructed by each other.
We're just starting to rethink our approach to growth and transportation, and grappling with the consequences of our past decisions.
The notion that we can miraculously get rid of gridlock with a few quick fixes is a folly. If solving our transportation crisis was that easy, it would have been taken care of years ago. Senator Haugen at least understands the complexity and difficulty of the problem, which is more than can be said about Tim Eyman.
RE: Sen. Haugen -- That was then, this is nowReally? Politicians will say anything, eh, Tim? You would think that, wouldn't you, because you are a politician who is willing to say anything.
That was then, this is now:
January 3, 2008, Everett Herald, Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen: "Congestion is our number one priority."
January 13, 2008, Everett Herald, Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen: "As far as I'm concerned, safety must be the highest priority of our state transportation system."
Politicians will say anything.
Like Dino Rossi, you are a salesman, except what you guys peddle is not goods or services - it's mistrust, suspicion, and anger - towards government.
If the population of Washington State could gather together in one place in the style of an Athenian meeting, Tim Eyman would be the guy dancing around the edges of the assembly in a clown costume attempting to generate as much cynicism and disgust towards those in charge as possible.
As usual, Eyman makes a weak attack that starts falling apart when it is reframed. From his perspective Haugen's comments are contradictory; to me, they are not. Why can't both of those goals be the number one priority?
As I wrote last Thursday:
Solving our transportation crisis will require investments towards two goals: safer infrastructure and reduced congestion, both of which are equally important and also related.Think about it: not fixing unsafe roads and bridges leaves us vulnerable to disaster (particularly earthquakes)... and fails to stop preventable traffic fatalities.
Not providing choices and not investing in mass transit forces us to use our cars to go everywhere, which results in congestion that costs us all time and money.
Unsafe infrastructure and congestion both carry a heavy economic price tag, but they have more in common than that. They're directly related to each other.
For example, eliminating dangerous choke points can reduce congestion, and building a light rail system can cut down the number and intensity of serious auto collisions (many of which are caused by distracted motorists trying to make up for the time spent sitting in traffic by multitasking).
I suspect that Senator Haugen, who has served in the Legislature for a number of years, is aware of the connections I just described, and would agree with me that a safer transportation system and a less congested one are not mutually exclusive objectives, but equally vital priorities.
Tim "I wanna do something constructive for a change" Eyman, on the other hand, continues to demonstrate why libertarians don't have the chops to tackle our toughest challenges. Eyman's Initiative 984, the latest product from his Mukilteo factory, is billed as a "professional" cure-all to traffic congestion.
It would siphon existing funds from several revenue sources (including the vehicle sales tax) and reroute them towards three things:
- Roadside assistance crews... which the state already has,
- Traffic light synchronization...which cities across Washington already do,
- Open the HOV lanes during off peak hours...which the state already does (in many places)
Perhaps if Tim understood what really causes traffic jams, he would be able to discern why congestion is so hard to fix.
And he wouldn't be opposed to building light rail, which is the most effective way to get people out of their cars - and frees up space on the highway for snobbish, dismissive libertarians like him who want nothing to do with "choo choo trains".
The primary cause of gridlock is sprawl and poor civic planning. When we deliberately build our cities with seperate residential, commercial, and industrial areas, we can't be surprised when everyone drives. But when we design walkable communities that are connected by an accessible and reliable regional rapid transit network, we allow ourselves the freedom of mobility...the freedom to get to where we want to go without being obstructed by each other.
We're just starting to rethink our approach to growth and transportation, and grappling with the consequences of our past decisions.
The notion that we can miraculously get rid of gridlock with a few quick fixes is a folly. If solving our transportation crisis was that easy, it would have been taken care of years ago. Senator Haugen at least understands the complexity and difficulty of the problem, which is more than can be said about Tim Eyman.
# Posted by Andrew : 3:46 PM
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