Right on - thank you for this reporting. Pitchfork ready, hopefully not needed...

I can imagine lots of things more undemocratic than this situation. And packing a room for testimony does not demonstrate overwhelming consensus - these packages don't always pass by overwhelming margins when put in front of voters, and as you have yourself reported, there are voters in the ST area who elect people who oppose this authority. They get a voice at the polls, even if they don't show up to testify when you're there.

That said, I sure hope that $15 billion of authority makes it through. I'm just hoping you put on your big boy pants and stick with reality instead of RAGE RAGE RAGE and hyperbole.

Why? Because the GOP would gladly stick a fork in any Democrat's plan just because they can. The booming economy makes no difference

@2 - The mere fact that one single traffic accident can clog up a whole zone... for hours... should indicate to everyone that transit is essential for any city of this size and larger.

Seattle missed the fucking light-rail boat in 1964 after the World's Fair pointed out that monorails (really, light rail) would be a smart idea for a growing city. Now we have to retrofit our sprawl to make things more efficient. Don't fuck us again by preventing light rail & transit now.

Tax ourselves to "oblivion" to make transit happen? Oh right! I remember when that happened to NYC, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, and Moscow...

@4 - I'm not sure what you're responding to, although I guess I didn't use obscenities or bold. I'll try harder in the future.

Yes to more light rail! I haven't had a car for a few years now after some bad car voodoo, and so I've been biking and bussing to get around. Now that I occasionally drive again I've been surprised by how much worse traffic is. Its starting to get to the point where driving isn't that much better of an option for commuting anymore. I'd love to see us have an extensive light rail system - to alleviate air pollution and traffic, and to make my commute time shorter. I can't really see any down sides.

I see the problem here. you'all keep calling it "lite rail" when what you need to do is call it "deep fried rail". Ain't no good old boy true American who can resist it if its deep fried and and served on a stick at a County Fair.

Yes, make Seattle a world class city with lean green transportation solutions and cut the automobiles by at least one half in the Seattle SMSA...;-d

#4 and #2 Nobody reads long posts. Three sentences is the max, it's a fact.

Fast regional rail is about the people want to pay for these days...a recent Seattle Times article show the tide is turning as more are fleeing the density and high congestion of Seattle for the sprawl of Pierce.

While the corrupt leaders squandered billions in Fed tax dollars on a few tunnels in Seattle, they could have pushed Sounder out to places people want to live. Meanwhile they instead made stupid moves like selling of the rights to heavy rail right of way and track on the Eastside.

Clear, nothing good is going to get done around here with a total purge of the current power structure.

Remind me to send flowers to the officials who traveled all the way from Richmond in support of our transit. I'm sure they all have very busy lives in FUCKING VIRGINIA.

Wait, you mean you guys are actually going to acknowledge that there are population centers outside of Seattle that people might want to travel between for various reasons? Holy shit!