Our local newspaper has decided that they need through their Op-Ed section (see:
http://tinyurl.com/br7g2zv ) to discuss the various subjects that are going around round and round the local blogosphere.
This weeks subject is about the C-tran's board idea to layoff putting to a full voter vote in Clark County, Washington the option of bringing light rail across the columbia river (src:
Columbia River Crossing Project on a new bridge. For some twenty years, the people of our county have voted to not allow this train from various reasons like crime, underutilization of the trains, expense to build and maintain, etc,etc.
What the Opinion page editor was trying to show through a similar story vain that the Editor-at-large, his supposedly co-equal through a story of a phone conversation with the character Hub from Amboy (very rural, northern town northwest of Batltle Ground?) and how his ability to have to say in the local transit orientation in the southern major city was null and void because he would not have to pay the taxes on it.
He suggests that every single town, region, state and federal area has a human made sovereign jurisdiction and boundary lines. And that if you don't like how this works, you simply do not have to shop or give economic sustenance to it by choice. That he could go further south into another state and still conduct his business and the local area would lose out on the state tax benefits.
What he does not seem to understand is that people from throughout this region will be crossing that bridge every single day. And with our economy as bad as it is and possibly, why are we not facing reality that we need other options to cross the river, EXCEPT the most outmoded transit options that that do not offer the freedom to work at night (transit to and from do not work after 10pm unless you live in specially served areas and may not so in the future, do to budgetary concerns.)
My problem with light rail is not politicization of it, is that the technology does not fit our region well. We are a technically diverse and economically challenge. We simply do not fit in the same way other large community region of 2 million. This region is spread out, land locked by a mountain range and different state regulations?
If we were bigger, say Seattle's size at six or so million, then we might have a serious economic ability to spread the costs of a transit system across a wider base. And a really good case to be to MOVE more people in a singular fashion from a point-to-point system that light rail is. It is a great system if you are moving 1,000s of people short distances. (less than 10 miles.) And the general cost is significantly higher than running a general bus - spoke system where people are exchanged from lower feeding runs into fuller buses. A very similar system is the airline industry from the 1970s or so..
I'm all for a vote on this system for both the financing AND the politics of it for Clark County. Let the people speak? Instead of continuing to play each of the local communities against each other (think divide & conquer political will.) and shrink political borders to make sure and achieve a political outcome in your favor after many years of voters saying how they felt about a subject cogent to their interests. Then to also have state laws enacted in your favor to get your objective through?
If that is not political gerrymandering, what is? Or special interest attention, please do tell me how this is different?
