Faced with massive revenue shortfalls and increased demand, Pierce Transit went to the ballot yesterday with a three tenths of one percent sales tax increase. It decisively failed, 55 to 45 percent.

“While I am disappointed the voters did not approve Proposition 1," Pierce Transit CEO, Lynne Griffith said in a released statement, "I remain proud of all Pierce Transit employees." You know, even the quarter of her employees she's about to let go.

Proposition 1 opponents, on the other hand, were a bit cheerier:

“We’re pleased with the results,” said Pete Chamberlain, one of the members of the grass-roots No on Prop 1 campaign. “The people of Pierce County have been very generous. It’s just the wrong time for more taxes.”

Which I suppose makes it the perfect time to slash service by 35 percent—some 217,000 hours of annual service—which is exactly what Pierce Transit plans to do to close its budget gap.

But, you know, since it was the poor and working class families who rely on mass transit most who were most responsible for the Wall Street shenanigans that sparked this recession, it only makes sense them to shoulder the brunt of the impact. Just seems fair.