We won't know for sure until we see the final design, but the BGT Missing Link appears to be a mediocre compromise. With the driveways, on-street parking and bus stops along 24th, the connection between Shilshole Ave and the Ballard Locks is bound to be problematic.

It's unfortunate that Ballard Oil, one of the biggest obstructionists to build the trail where it should be (on the old rail line), appears to be the big winner in the final decision. If it is indeed final.

More than 450 comments on the Nick Hanauer pushing for another tax on Seattleites to fund (another) homeless initiatives. More than 450 commenters agree he has a douchey persona flitting around an echo chamber. Doesn't help that he lives in a gated community north of Seattle so he wouldn't even be taxed. What an ass.

Vote no in August. There is no plan. Just another ineffective money grab. And please lord let someone strong challenge Murray aka "good friend of Hanauer". Blech.

Cue the "just because you were born here, grew up here, went to school here, have relatives and friends here, and want to make a life here, doesn't mean you have a right to live here" contingent's response in...3...2...1...

@1:Don't let the "prefect" be the enemy of the good would you rather have this trail, or 20 more years of lawsuits and delays?

If there's going to be a state income tax, it must be on everyone - not just the rich. Then eliminate nearly all property taxes. That would win.

@3

It's going to include something about how no libs cared when Obama was doing the same thing.

Uday and Qusay Trump were right up the road in Vansterdam BC yesterday opening another garish, vulgar palace.

Sadly, the Canuckistanis failed to kill them, though they were met with some righteous protests.

@4: I suppose the "prefect" in this case is Ed Murray?

@4, I love that you wrote "prefect" instead of perfect. Thanks for that.

Raindrop, a stable fiscal system is like a tripod - income tax, sales tax and property tax. I'd prefer to see a state income tax and a reduction in the regressive sales tax. It would also make the state budget less vulnerable in times of recession, when sales tax revenues go down the toilet.

@11 agree - sales tax should go down as well if we do a state income tax.

@9&10: I was wondering if that joke was to subtle

@13:

I see what you did there...

@12 Having a state income tax would be an uphill battle. Because it is a state constitutional amendment, it would require a 66% approval of both houses of the state legislature AND a 66% voter approval. Instituting a state income tax would not mean that the sales tax would go down.

@11 States that have only one form of taxation do better when balancing their budget. Most states who have more than one form of primary taxation cannot balance their budget.

We used to have a rainy day fund until Christine Gregoire went to the mall in a shopping spree. Haven't had it back since. It will take a Republican Governor to do so.

auntie griselda and Catalina Vel-DuRay, you suck.

@15,

Oregon has had rainy day funds under several different Democratic gubernatorial reigns.

@12: You do realize that the purpose behind the proposed state income tax is to increase tax revenue in a less regressive, more widely distributed manner, not for *your* taxes to go down and someone else to pick up the slack, right?

@17: I didn't imply that, and the answer is no. Of course, a widely distributed manner is more equitable even for devout Republicans like me.

Yes, I mean.

If you eliminate all other taxes and get all your revenue from a 25% sales tax, you create too much incentive to evade paying it. If you get it all from property tax, everyone has good reason to evade that. Income tax? If it is so high that it lets you eliminate everything else, the you get the same problem.

One of the reasons you're better off spreading your revenue sources among many little taxes on many different kinds of economic activity is no one tax is large enough to make it worth trying to get around it. The public doesn't waste so much productive effort on tax evasion. The government doesn't have to waste as much of its resources on tax enforcement.

And weirdly large taxes on one thing distort economic activity, beyond evasion. A distorted economy, with all kinds of oddball behavior people wouldn't normally do just because of a tax, isn't as health as one when everyone, you know, acts natural.

The state ties the hands of cities and forces them to float way too many bonds, and have way too high a sales tax. It's out of balance and it shows.

Income, property, corporate, sales, beard taxes. They each have their place. A little of each, balance in everything.