Walt in Belltown writes to say that he read the Stranger Election Control Board's endorsement to approve Prop 1, which would prevent Metro bus cuts by (1) raising sales tax by 0.1 percent and (2) increasing car-tab fees to $60 a year.

And Walt did vote yes—no thanks to our vulgar language:

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  • COVER ART Illustration by Levi Hastings
My ballot came in the mail the same day I picked up your April 2nd issue. I was delighted with the cover but thoroughly disgusted with the vocabulary-impaired work of your editorial board. I would have written sooner, but I've been too busy putting up posters and passing out flyers in support of voting "Yes" to Proposition #1. Hopefully, most voters got a positive boost from seeing your cover and ignored or just plain missed your editorial [The editorial's headline was "Grab Your Ballot! Save Bus Service! DO IT NOW! Vote Yes on Proposition 1 and Tell the Right-Wing Assholes to Go Fuck Themselves."]

I'm obviously not a reader central to your imagined marketing demographic, being retired and averaging about 9 bus rides a week. For example, I vote the same way I write, thoughtfully. What proportion of the readers who might adore your vulgar language even bother registering and voting? How many of your regular advertisers believe that your language helps sell their products and services?

If your editorial board got on a bus together talking the way they write, most riders would be offended. I voted and work for the "Yes" campaign to preserve the bus service, not to tell right-wingers what I think of them.

How many of you ride the bus?

Walt in Belltown