The bizarre thought processes of a Yakima Millionaires supporter.

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Folks, a great many who should know better have lost their ability to reason and are being bent over by the numbers in support of the idea of enriching the Yakima Millionaires... all at the expense of the hundreds of thousand of us who have no interest or desire in making rich people richer at our expense... so the few, who can avoid paying anything of consequence can screw those of us who want nothing to do with their post high school baseball scam.

Not even I can make this up:

Letter: Embrace Bears … baseball, that is

Thursday, July 21, 2011

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I have a few comments regarding the Yakima Bears relocating to Vancouver. Many residents think it is a bad idea due to the potential tax increase. However, I personally think the Vancouver Bears could be great asset to our city.

I actually grew up in Yakima, so you could say I grew up with the Bears. Baseball games are great bonding experiences for families. Wouldn’t it be much more convenient to drive a few miles to watch a baseball game rather than to Tacoma or Seattle? Sure, it’s not Major League Baseball, but it’s still just as exciting.

We should embrace the Vancouver Bears with open arms. It could have a significantly positive effect on our economy as well. According to the Yakima Herald Republic, the Yakima area will lose about $206,000 in local economic impact when the team is relocated.

Sure, we will have to pay a few more taxes at first, but increasing our local economy would be a great thing in the long run. Go Bears!

Sara Berghoff
Vancouver

So... to gain $206,000 in "economic impact," this typical Millionaires kool aid drinker wants us to waste $1 million per year... without even being asked.

There's something wrong with a thought process that concludes spending making $1 while losing $5 makes any kind of sense at all... when we can just keep all of the $5.

But then, those shilling this manure pile have never really been concerned about either us... or making sense.

And Sara, as always... if you like baseball so much, then go up to Longview to watch it.  They've got a barely above little league team up there you can check out for close to free... and it won't cost the taxpayers of Clark County a thing.
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A tale of two articles: Democrat State Treasurer Jim McIntyre on the CRC.

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We all know the local rag has a bridger/loot rail fetish that would make a porn star blush.  And here's how they twist the story to protect themselves.

In their softball cover up of the latest Crossing debacle, these are the quotes from and concerning the Democrat State Treasurer, Jim McIntyre.

New requirements from Washington State Treasurer James McIntyre forbidding annual toll increases from being included in tolling assumptions represent a $318 million hit to toll bond proceeds. Combined with the consultants’ recommended 15 to 25 percent cut in projected toll revenues, the total shortfall would be $468 million to $598 million.

The CRC was banking on an annual 2.5 percent increase in tolls; other Washington tolling models have also included annual increases. But revenues on projects such as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge have fallen below projections, partly because the Washington Transportation Commission has not increased tolls as expected.

“That is a policy we’ve taken on toll financing that is not directed at this particular project,” McIntyre said Wednesday. “It’s recognizing that we’re going to need to rely on tolls to finance most major transportation projects moving forward. We need to be careful and reasonably cautious about how we do (tolling) to make sure that we build the confidence of the taxpayers and toll payers.”

OK.  Fine.  But that isn't all he said... not by a long shot.

Here's what something approaching a REAL newspaper wrote concerning Treasurer McIntyre::

Washington State Treasurer Jim McIntire has voiced displeasure with several aspects of financial plans developed for the CRC and two other big transportation projects in the Puget Sound area, saying they're too optimistic and perhaps not realistic.

Most notably, McIntire is not comfortable with the escalating debt service the CRC would pay during the 30-year life of the bonds.

Under the CRC's initial plan, annual debt payments would soar from $17.7 million in 2016 to a peak of $222.5 million at the end of the bond's lifespan.

McIntire compared the debt structure to the worst sort of toxic mortgage from the housing boom. The loans turned disastrous for the banks, the borrowers and the U.S. economy when millions of homeowners couldn't keep up with the onerous loan terms and defaulted.  (My emphasis)

McIntire argues that Washington transportation projects should strive for "level debt service," more predictable and safer.

For the CRC to pay that ever-increasing debt service, it is counting on significant traffic growth and escalating tolls. The CRC's initial plan called for increasing the toll 2.5 percent every year for the 30-year life of the bonds.

McIntire doesn't like this aspect of the plan either, saying that annual toll hikes may not be politically feasible.

"I would argue that it's a pipedream," McIntire said last week. "I think we need to be upfront with people. We need level debt service and level tolls."

One has to ask:  Why did the despicable rag masquerading as a newspaper leave this out?

We all know why.  They want what they want, no matter how many or who they screw to get it.  And if they don't print it, well, it really wasn't said, and these slimeballs certainly don't want to be smacked upside the face with McIntyre's description of this horrific, fraudulent scam they advocate so strongly.

Our newspaper is despicable.  That they would keep this out is inexcusable, but typical of the scum running the show.

This entire project is criminal.  It's enriching the few at our expense... while morons like Kitzhaber keep lying about the numbers of jobs this scam will create, insisting still that the number is 20,000... when that scam has been thoroughly disproven since the number is closer to 2,000.... max.

Why do the bridgers/looters have to lie?  Why does the local bird cage liner have to lie, if nothing else, through failing to provide the whole picture?

We all know.  And those shilling all of this crap should be fired and removed from office.  I'd call them a disgrace, but that does a disservice to the word.

The democratian's failure to take the lead on these crimes is typical of a rag that does not give a damn for the community... but instead, insists on supplanting OUR judgment with theirs as if it were somehow superior...

No matter how badly we get hurt.
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A tale of two articles: when the Oregonian blows the whistle on the Columbian's pro-bridge nonsense and assumptions; making The Liar Leavitt and the other bridgers/looters look like idiots.

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The CRC and the clowns shilling for it suffered another horrific blow today with the publication of yet another in the series of expose's calling their figuring into question since those pushing the hardest for this multi-billion dollar waste can't do it by telling the truth.

So, we have two articles discussing this today; one located on the Oregonian web site, the other on the democratian web site.

The problem here is that the Oregonian article proves that the C-Trans Executive Director is either a liar or incompetent.

The article?

Traffic estimates on Columbia River Crossing further muddy the financial picture

The upshot?  The numbers the bridgers/looters are using for a traffic forecast are a crock.

The anxiety over the CRC's debt structure are only magnified if traffic projections -- and toll revenue -- fail to meet predictions.

The CRC has forecast that traffic at the Columbia River will grow 1.3 percent per year from 2005 to 2030, from 135,000 to 184,000 vehicles per day.

And taking it a step further:

Most notably, (Washington State Treasurer Jim) McIntire is not comfortable with the escalating debt service the CRC would pay during the 30-year life of the bonds.

Under the CRC's initial plan, annual debt payments would soar from $17.7 million in 2016 to a peak of $222.5 million at the end of the bond's lifespan.

That's right, kids... a quarter of a billion dollars in interests payments.  for a year. And now the idiots trying to ram this thing down our throats have had to admit to a strategy of jacking up the tolls 2.5% per year to pay for this.

Haven't heard about that one, eh?

And then, we go back a few weeks to this crock from the Executive Director of C-Trans:

C-Tran director: Most Columbia River Crossing concerns settled

Transit agency board to vote on bridge issues in July

Doesn't seem to be particularly true... does it?

More and more information coming out proving the incompetence and lies of the CRC.  $130 million vaporized...

And this is the best we can do?

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What those scamming us for a ballpark DON'T want you to know:

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Here’s a few items of interest that those rabidly supporting the rip off of an entire county full of taxpayers to screw us to get what THEY want at OUR expense… don’t want YOU to know:

Those shilling for the Yakima Millionaires want us to believe this is some sort of “discretionary entertainment tax,” and that is just like what “Five counties in the state (Franklin, Grant, King, Kitsap and Snohomish) have admission taxes; 51 cities, ranging in size from Seattle to Omak, (which have also) enacted the tax,” are also doing. Nothing to see here… move along.

It’s not. But the rag, which stands to gain materially off shafting the entirety of this county to jack up THEIR untaxed-for-the-ballpark ad revenue, doesn’t want you to know the truth of the matter:

The proposed Admissions Tax is not similar to other counties around the state. The ballclub is describing this proposal as a "discretionary entertainment tax," but for that to be true it should only apply to the ballpark's events - where if you didn't want to support baseball or the stadium or pay the tax, you just don't buy baseball tickets or go to stadium events. This proposal levies the tax against all independent event businesses in the county (for profit or non-profit) which have no relationship or benefits from the tax, then dedicates all taxes raised to this one private venture. Therefore, if a patron doesn't want to pay the tax, the unrelated event businesses would suffer the loss of ticket sales, not the stadium.

Included in this scam will be all the non-profits.

The RCW allowing for the Admissions Tax specifically doesn't exempt non-profits, with the exception of school events. This could mean that any charitable event held anywhere in the county (banquets, auctions, fund raisers, fun runs, the Fair, the Historic Reserve, etc.) would all have to forfeit 5% of their proceeds raised, instead of the accepted model of taxing charitable events only when they use the new stadium which provides the opportunity.

Other targets for this scam would naturally include the county facilities… the fair admissions, the event center admissions, concert admissions and the like. And a 5% admissions tax will cost the Fair an estimated $150,950 per year. (depending on how "admissions" are finally defined)

The cost to the Fair is obvious. If the Fair were to raise its rates to offset the tax, the estimated decrease in attendance will cost the fair $238,416 per year. (The attendance-driven revenues far outweigh the admissions) The law of supply & demand: higher prices = fewer sales. Analysis of the last two $1 increases for the fair resulted in a 5% and 6.2% reduction in sales respectively.

What most people don’t know is that Fair profits are used to offset event center costs. The Fair is extremely successful and its profits offset much of the Event Center's yearly expected deficits. But - there is still a yearly negative fund balance. If the Fair currently can't be expected to cover all the yearly operational costs of the Event Center and also can't fund the development of its own approved Master Plan, building and upgrades to its own facilities, then how can it be expected to help fund an unrelated ballpark?

The Yakima Millionaires falsely claim their will be no general fund liability as they are now proposing to fund 100% of the stadium in exchange for all the county admissions taxes. But, the admissions taxes alone will create liabilities to the general fund:

• An admissions tax levied against the Fair will increase the Event Center's yearly deficit by an est. $150,950 per year.

• An admissions tax levied against Tri Mountain Golf Course will increase its yearly deficit by an est. $45,000 per year.

• An admissions tax will severely impact the competitiveness of the Amphitheater, driving them closer to default.

Figures, apparently, don’t lie when it comes to scamming us for a ballpark, but liars, also quite apparently, figure.

The utter nonsense of the Millionaires take on what each of us will pay for THEIR ballpark (And to me, there is just something fundamentally wrong with the idea that we, The People, are going to pay for something the Millionaires will own) by suggesting that the cost will “only” be $2.50 per person per year is clear.

That conclusion is bogus on its face for a wide variety of reasons because the burden will fall on a very few unrelated businesses: The Fair, Amphitheater events, the Event Center events, movie theaters, the Historic Reserve, the symphony, fund raising events, golf courses, Washougal Motocross, etc. The tax comes from the gross proceeds of events. Higher prices for tickets in many cases are not possible as sales will significantly diminish. Many events and businesses survive within a 5% profit margin. With that margin gone, these events likely won't occur at all.

There is nothing right, ethical or fair about any of this. There are some things about this tax proposal that just don't seem to pass the basic "fairness test:"

• Requiring unrelated businesses - even competing businesses - to forfeit 5% of their revenues for one private enterprise.

• Expecting the Fair and other events to raise their prices and give the increase to the ballpark so the ballpark can keep their tickets low.

• Requiring the Amphitheater - built 100% with private funds and denied any public funding assistance - to forfeit 5% of its Revenue to help fund a competitor.

• The county to fund a majority of a stadium it neither owns nor manages.

There's a high level of irony here that the cancer of our local society disguised as a newspaper... a paper that will make bank off this waste of money's ads... so strongly demands that we pay the price for it when it's the unrelated businesses who will suffer... while the MOST related businesses... like the newspaper and others in the form of those making a lot of money off concessions at the ballpark... will be exempted from paying the tax they want everyone else to pay.

And how hypocritical is that?

What is Steve Stuart thinking? Did he take too many pitches to the head back when he was a jock? Do he and the other baseball freaks see their hobby as more important than funding fire houses and fire fighters?

It’s one thing to be stupid, Steve. It’s another thing altogether to abuse those you would govern because you and few of your butt buddies like Leavitt and Bomar want baseball… even if you have to screw 400,000 of us and a wide variety of small businesses to get it.

Despicable.
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A question asked on the democratian blog: Why did we have enough info to vote on a joint loot rail/bus tax scam, but not enough to vote on loot rail alone?

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By now, we've come to know what a co-opted, non-Republican RINO my brother-in-law, Commissioner Marc Boldt, has become.

That's the set up for the comment left under the democratian's blog post entitled:  Boldt's soothing letter on light rail.

What the letter said was meaningless pap: Boldt has been completely taken over by the downtown special interests and democrats that run his political life.  With a rate of 99% or so, Boldt votes with democrat Steve "The Liar" Stuart (Most famous for his lying campaign promise to make sure we had a loot rail vote THIS November) against the only Republican on the commission, Tom Mielke.

This comment is at the bottom of the page.  And I am ashamed to admit that I didn't think of it.  But I wish I had..

George Vartanian

My question is one of process, not a position on transit. Why is it there was enough information to have a vote when the tax issue was a combined vote for an increase in taxes to fund bus as well as light rail etc. but if the two are separated "Many of the details surrounding the light rail and bus rapid transit proposals remain to be worked out"? It seems to me separating the vote for clarity for the voters is a good idea, but I don't understand why separating the issues causes a postponement of the vote.

1 · Unlike · Reply · Subscribe · Saturday at 8:01am

Indeed.

Tim "The Liar" Leavitt, in his little playground-throwing fit, stood behind this non-existent "lack of information" scam as his excuse for muscling his whiny veto of the whole thing.

Mr. Vartanian points out what should have been obvious to me:

That if there was enough "information" available to vote on this as a JOINT proposal, then there damned sure was enough information available to vote on it separately.

It's hard to escape the conclusion, then, that the "lack of information" scam is a lie; and that the slime like Leavitt, Stuart and Boldt are stalling to make sure they can jam it down a sub-district's throat... much like the last C-Trans scam vote in 2005, where tens of thousands forced to pay for this rip off were excluded from having any say.

Well done, George.
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Jaime Herrera, playing to form: Tim "The Liar" Leavitt wins.

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As Tim "The Liar" Leavitt predicted, Jaime Herrera is folding like the cheap suit she's proven herself to be since they parachuted her in here to get this congressional job in the first place.

As a brief review, Herrera wrote a couple of nebulous letters that really said... well... nothing.

Ultimately, The Liar, knowing he was dealing with a lightweight, proceeded to bust her in the chops with his response.

I advocated that Ridgefield Barbie kick him in what's left of his testicles that he hasn't stuck in a jar and handed over to the downtown mafia/identity Vancouver cult that owns his ass like the 13th Amendment never existed.

Her response to Leavitt's uber-juvenile BS?

Silence.

But really, did we ever expect anything else?

Cross posted at Jaime Herrera Watch.
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So, where's Mayor Weasel's rebuttal to THIS?

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Over the past few weeks, the Willamette Week has been running a series of expose's on the organized crime known as the Columbia River Crossing.

Our local idiot stick, Tim "The Liar" Leavitt, had someone, or a group of someones, prepare a rebuttal.  He trashed the WW's efforts, because inconvenient facts like corruption and rip offs have no place in his minuscule thought processes.

One of The Liar's many problems is his lack of integrity.  Thus, the burden of proof rests upon him, as opposed to the benefit of the doubt.

Leavitt trashed the WW's reporting in a comment to the democratian:

Timothy D Leavitt · Vancouver, Washington

The Willamette Week article lacks credibility and substance. There are unsubstantiated and opinionated statements by the "reporter"....or editor, I'm not quite sure if its supposed to be a story or opinion piece. Seems more like a political blog than anything else. Kinda like saying that 5 days of sunny, hot weather means a change of climate...

Like · Reply · Subscribe · 2 hours ago

So, the Oregonian comes out with their take on the CRC scam; a fact set that should cause anyone supporting this rip off to turn away in shame.

From Victoria Taft's blog:

Monday, July 11, 2011

Cronies Get BIG PAY INCREASES For Work on CRC

After Vancouver businessman, David Madore, hired his own forensic accountant (see previous post here and interview here) to make sure somebody was keeping tabs on the Columbia River Crossing tab, it appears the CRC may begin  internally auditing its own books. Fox meet hen house.

One of the few elected officials asking questions about the project is Oregon State Representative and Certified Public Accountant, Katie Eyre Brewer. She told me on the program today

that this should be an external audit, but because it's a federal program, she's unaware of any controlling authority to do it. (Find the Taftcast of this interview here).

After you read the story about the CRC burning through $60,000.00 of taxpayer dollars per day --or at least $130,000,000.00 on the project so far-- it seems that somebody had better find the controlling authority--and fast.

In one of the nuggets found in the Zero's article we find this odd habit of people giving themselves raises:

A longtime aide to Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., [Tom] Markgraf developed a specialty in transit. In 2005, he hung his own shingle as a political consultant. He'd been doing some consulting work on the side and had charged $100 an hour. When the CRC came calling, Markgraf upped his rate to $165 an hour. 

And this:

ODOT paid Brandman $195,000 a year, a 25 percent raise from his Metro compensation. Brandman was suddenly making significantly more money than Doug Ficco, the WSDOT leader on the project, who by all accounts carried the load on the technical work.

And this:

Hopf and two co-workers got nearly $83,000 for the equivalent of eight weeks of work. He traveled from Stuttgart to Portland three times in three months last fall and winter, at more than $7,000 a pop, on the CRC's dime.

And this:

The CRC has at various times covered travel and lodging expenses for as many as five out-of-town consultants. David Parisi, a Bay Area traffic consultant, got a particularly sweet deal. He rented an apartment on Northwest 13th Street in the heart of Portland's swanky Pearl District and persuaded the CRC to cover $800 a month in rent. The CRC says the estimated $19,200 it paid over two years toward Parisi's rent was cheaper than a hotel.

On top of covering most of his rent, the CRC paid Parisi's firm more than $1.4 million.

And of course we told you what Madore's accountant uncovered the $36,000.00 per month rent for the CRC. But what in the heck are taxpayers doing reimbursing employees for parking?

The CRC also covers parking for the approximately 70 employees: $42,000 a year for 53 monthly passes. It also reimburses street parking for others workers. 

Didn't they get in a building that has free parking? Is there no free parking in Vancouver?

Leavitt, who has consistently lied about his position on tolling since he started his run for mayor, ought to be ashamed of this massive waste.

And David Madore, who has been blasted by the democratian Pit Yorkie, is to be congratulated for, once again, doing the work the rag SHOULD be doing to expose this massive waste, fraud and abuse.
But like so many times where the cancer on our local community has failed us, they don't know, because, well, they don't want to know.
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Oregonian: The latest on the CRC/Leavitt/Stuart rip off - $130 million and not a shovel of dirt turned.

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I, of course, have been saying this for about 6 months or so.  And when added to the criminal rip off of the I-520 bridge, which has made $400 million vaporize up in Seattle, we have wasted over one half of a BILLION dollars on these massive, largely unneeded, largely unwanted, largely unaffordable rip offs.

Our local lying slimeball of a mayor will, no doubt, ignore this record of disgrace and theft.  His lame effort at scumming the WW article that exposed the idiocy of the entire project; the deliberate miscalculations bridger/looter cheerleaders have been lying about... over and over... to get this steaming pile built.


Columbia River Crossing has spent $130 million, without lifting a shovel

Published: Saturday, July 09, 2011, 10:10 PM     Updated: Sunday, July 10, 2011, 2:49 PM

By Jeff Manning, The Oregonian
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A second bridge design was unveiled by the governors of Oregon and Washington in spring 2011.

 

In the tangled recent history of the Columbia River Crossing, Seigfreid Hopf played a telling bit part.

The German engineer served on a blue-ribbon panel to review the design of the bridge at the heart of the big freeway expansion project. Hopf's analysis proved instrumental to the panel's finding that the initial bridge choice was a risky mistake.

It must have been irksome for the CRC to pay for a critique that at times was scathing and only added to the air of disarray that had enveloped the project. But pay it did, handsomely.

Hopf and two co-workers got nearly $83,000 for the equivalent of eight weeks of work. He traveled from Stuttgart to Portland three times in three months last fall and winter, at more than $7,000 a pop, on the CRC's dime.

Hopf was just another contractor in a small army of well-paid experts. The CRC didn't flinch at his $200-per-hour rate. No one inside the CRC apparently asked whether someone closer to home, perhaps one of the 15 others already on the panel, offered comparable skills.

Nearly six years since work began, the CRC remains a divisive issue.

But the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation did not wait for a tidy political consensus. They plunged ahead on the project, building an enormous machine of engineers, architects, biologists, meeting "facilitators," political operatives and public relations specialists dedicated to make the crossing a reality. That machine is burning through about $1.8 million a month, $60,000 a day.

More

The Oregonian’s continuing coverage of Columbia River Crossing

A list of spending to date

The CRC has spent $130 million to date -- money that came from states and federal grants. Groundbreaking remains at least 18 months away.

That prodigious burn rate became a particular concern in 2009 and 2010 when bitter political squabbling about the project's merit put it months behind schedule. The delays have upped the estimated cost by $100 million, according to internal CRC emails obtained by The Oregonian.

Nancy Boyd, the CRC's newly named director, said the project's spending is well within reasonable ranges. She added that engineers are looking for ways to reduce construction costs to partially offset the unexpected $100 million price jump.

"Early project development is messy, even more so on a large, complex project like this one," Boyd said. That being said, "I don't see any red flags on what's been spent."

Boyd has asked for an internal audit, the CRC's first. "When we're asking for more than $3 billion of the taxpayers' money, I want to make sure people are comfortable with how we're spending it," she said.

 

More:

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Tick, tock, Jaime: time is running out on you.

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It was just a few days ago that our local slimeball Mayor, Tim "The Liar" Leavitt sent you a letter no doubt written by Steve Stuart, blasting you for your half-hearted attempt to get a district wide vote for the CRC debacle.

Now, we're going to find out:  are you all show and no go?  Or are you going to crush Leavitt's marble-sized political testicles with your stiletto-heeled boots?
The cricket chirps since he troweled out that manure are growing louder.  So, what's it going to be?  Are you going to be as silent over this as you were over the Bin Laden job?

Or are you going to cowboy up and knock his political teeth out?

We're waiting.

Cross posted at Jaime Herrera Watch.
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Congrats to Tim Eyman and the I-1125 crew: They've got the signatures.

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With any luck at all, this will pass and drive a stake through the hated CRC and the entire bogus project.

I-1125 would require the Legislature, not the state Transportation Commission, to set tolls, and mandate that a toll on a particular road or bridge be used only for construction, operation or maintenance of that project. Tim Eyman is the sponsor, and Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman the main financial supporter.

Well done.
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The ball's in your court, Jaime. Now what?

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So, you and "The Liar" Leavitt have gotten into it. Must feel pretty intense down towards the bottom of the funnel, eh?

So far, your efforts have been weak and half-hearted. Do you believe, for instance, that if Allen West was our member of congress that a gutless little worm like Leavitt would have written HIM a letter like that?

Which, of course, begs the question: why did he think he could write something like that to you?

Because his perception of you roughly matches mine and many other political insiders. Like me, he doesn't think you've got the chops for an old fashioned, good ol' political fist fight.

He troweled out that slop to you because the people who own him like the 13th Amendment didn't exist wanted him to. He wanted to put you in a position where you either have to fish... or cut bait, counting on the likelihood that you'll cave.

Well, your tenure in elective office will never be a new chapter in "Profiles in Courage." Clearly, Leavitt has no respect for you, but then, neither do I... and that's because you have done absolutely nothing to earn it.

Well, Babs... here's your shot. You want respect? You want to BE somebody instead of an anonymous back-bencher, destined to be a Baird-like sub-committee coffee gofer? You want me to get off your case? (And I know damned well you do based on the backdoor messaging I've been getting...)

Then earn it. Give me a reason. Knock that excuse for a man on his political ass.

Or, get used to being used and abused by him and his ilk for what's left of however short a time you'll have in Congress.

Mix it up with this clown. Be fearless. Remember that his political career is over because it's rare that psychopathic liars can get re-elected. That makes him dangerous and puts him in a position to beat on you like a drum because he knows he's got no future. To that end, negotiating with him is as moronic as negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Take the bull by the horns. Grab the funding spigot for Vancouver in every area and turn that damned thing off.

There's nothing the two state cows can do about it as long as CMR backs your play.

You must respond and soon to this punk's tactics... otherwise, you come across playing to type: all show and no go... and everything that many insiders tell me they actually do think of you.

It's in your court now, Jaime. What'cha gonna do when they come for you?

Cross posted in Jaime Herrera Watch..

Tim "The Liar" Leavitt is a total slimeball: whined to Herrera that she should ignore the people and just do what he wants.

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Readers of any duration know I'm not a big fan of Jaime Herrera.  But compared to Tim "The Liar" Leavitt, she's a paragon of virtue.

While Herrera has yet to show any real strength, and easily has it within her power to force a county-wide vote by killing any federal funding for this massive waste of money, she has begun the process to provide herself with a thin veneer of cover by her weak, unsupported push to force the downtown mafia/Identity Vancouver types to put at least part of this stupidity to a vote.

Leavitt is by far the biggest liar SW Washington has ever seen in politics... and there has been a few.  But as a result of Herrera's efforts, as weak as they are, Vancouver's slimeball mayor wrote Herrera a letter that should earn him a kick in his tiny testicles.

Besides having the ethics of a snake, this moron actually seems to believe that the will of the people is a meaningless phrase, to only be used to help lie one's way into election.  The following is a letter the whiny little bitch sent to Herrera as a result of her letter to C-Trans, and I, personally, can't think of any other single event that would make me kill ALL of the federal funding for this thing faster than The Liar's sniveling.

June 29, 2011

Congresswoman Herrera Beutler

3rd Congressional District, Southwest Washington General O.O. Howard House 750 Anderson, Street, Suite B Vancouver, WA  98661

Subject:  Projects of Regional and National Significance (PNRS)

Dear Congresswoman:

I am writing in response to your most recent letter to the C-TRAN Board of Directors (BOD), dated June 15, 2011. Your first letter, dated May 12, 2011, stated support for the CRC project. That is appreciated and did not go unnoticed. 

However, your position on the matter of saving the PNRS program is both disappointing and perplexing.  Senators and Representatives throughout our Country have supported this bipartisan effort to save the PNRS program, recognizing that large-scale infrastructure projects with regional and national significance merit substantial federal financial support. Given your previous and public comments about the importance of the federal financial role in the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project, we believed you would be a champion for the supposition that indeed our federal government pay its fair share of these crucial transportation projects – projects that must meet competitive national criteria. An earmark was not requested.

Protecting the PNRS account would help our nation compete globally and will alleviate the burden on local communities like Clark County to unfairly fund large scale projects of national significance. Without question, Interstate 5 is a federal asset of national importance.  And according to your letter, we both agree that "...our region needs a new bridge that relieves congestion and moves freight efficiently."  However, without a PNRS account, it appears likely that this infrastructure  project will either stall -- costing even more money in the long run -- or our local residents will have to pay more of the burden.  I know we can do better. 

There are few projects around the country as important and nationally significant as the CRC project; both the President of the United States and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has highlighted our region’s project in their fiscal year 2012 budget.  As the transportation reauthorization bill moves through your committee, I hope you will reconsider the basis for your objection, re-calibrate your position, and join the large bi-partisan effort to protect the future economic vitality of SW Washington and our entire Country. Leadership from you is necessary.

Regarding your position on the matter of a sales tax increase for the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) light rail annual operating and maintenance (O&M) cost, I will remind you of both the legal and procedural steps that must occur before the C-TRAN BOD is fully informed to make a determination of the appropriate voting boundaries for the CRC light rail O&M sales tax increase. Specific to this issue, I suspect you may also receive a response from the C-TRAN BOD Chair, County Commissioner Marc Boldt.

The C-Tran Board has elected to place on the ballot for a public vote two (2) separate issues.

Most pressing and timely is a ballot measure that requests voter support for the preservation into the future of current levels of both fixed route and para-transit (Americans with Disabilities) service. The C-TRAN BOD has decided, as a nearly unanimous body, to focus all energies and effort on near-term success of this ballot measure. As would be expected, our public within the entire C-TRAN Service Area will voice their will on raising sales tax an amount of 0.2% -- or two pennies on a $10 retail purchase -- at the ballot box this coming November.  If not successful, the residents of SW Washington will realize dramatic cuts to transit service levels, on the order of 30-40%. It must be noted that if this measure is not successful, the mandatory cuts will clearly have the most impact on the already limited transit service to areas outside the urban core – residents in Yacolt, Battleground, Washougal, Camas and Ridgefield will suffer most. Thus, this ballot measure is of utmos t priority to the entire C-TRAN BOD.

The second ballot measure will request an increase in the sales tax to support both the CRC light rail annual O&M, and, the construction and annual O&M of bus rapid transit in the Fourth Plain corridor of Vancouver. Both the Vancouver City Council and the C-TRAN BOD have affirmed on numerous occasions, including with adoption of the CRC Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) in 2008, that high capacity transit is a vital component of an effective and efficient regional public transit system. The C-TRAN BOD, with support from the Vancouver City Council, agreed that including voters in a funding request of the CRC light rail transit annual O&M cost was prudent. Also, important to note is that during adoption of the CRC LPA, the C-TRAN Board did not make premature decisions about who was appropriate to ask for an increase in sales tax, nor when such a proposition would occur.

By statute of the State of Washington, prior to placing a high capacity transit-related measure before voters, an expert panel must be established that will review and approve any such plan for high capacity transit, including associated costs to implement that plan.  C-TRAN is in the process of putting a panel together, that includes the Washington State Secretary of Transportation and other individuals from around the state.  Once this state-mandated process is completed, the C-TRAN BOD will more fully understand and thus be better informed to make important decisions about the impacts and costs of high capacity transit in our County. When more factual data is collected and planning is completed, the time would be prudent for the C-TRAN BOD to take action on the high capacity transit located in the urban core of the City of Vancouver. 

Congresswoman, the citizens of Southwest Washington cannot afford the consequences of inaction to bring our regional infrastructure into the 21st Century. At stake is the viability of our economy and job growth, the cleanliness of the air we breathe and the waters of the Columbia River, the safety and reliability of driving vehicles throughout the Metro area, and quite simply – the quality of life we enjoy with our families, friends and neighbors. The Interstate 5 corridor is quite literally the life-blood of the entirety of SW Washington.

Our region must see this project come to fruition now, and the federal government must be a significant partner in both the needed highway and transit improvements. Working together I’m confident we will do what is indeed in the best interest of our future generations. I would appreciate a private meeting with you to further discuss this issue.

Sincerely,

Timothy D. Leavitt, Mayor

Hopefully, her response went something like this:

Dear Mayor Leavitt,

Since you lied your way into office, it's clear to me that you are unfortunate enough that you truly do not believe you can, or should, be held accountable for your actions.  I disagree.

As a consequence of your despicable behavior during the course of your election and your subsequent arrival at your true position, which is to enslave the people of this region with injurious and unnecessary tolls, I have made the determination that as long as you remain in office in any capacity, anywhere, I will kill the funding for this unnecessary and monumental extension of your ego.

Meanwhile, do not ever darken my doorway or communicate with me again.  As it is, I will do all I can to stop any federal funding for ANY project that impacts Vancouver in any way as long as you are the mayor of that unfortunate city.

Thank you for your time.

Love, Jaime.

That's the kind of response The Liar's bullshit deserves.  Unfortunately, Jaime Herrera has yet to prove herself even capable of carrying Allen West's luggage, let alone punishing those who would attempt to intimidate her as a result of their corruption.

Cross posted at Jaime Herrera Watch.
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Is reality hitting Vancouver over the baseball scam for the Yakima Millionaires?

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So, what's been going on as the reality of this ripoff begins to sink in and even the rag has been laying off the puff pieces?

Investors "want assurances" that the people will have to secure this scam for them so they're protected while we're screwed.

Here's the details of the rip off from the scammer's position.

essentially, those details are meaningless: they get the facility and the ground it's sitting on for free through lease after their 30% payment.  They control every aspect of the facility and get every penny in profits.  They run everything, make all the money off the facility and control it all while we bear the lion's share of the costs.

The rest of the world calls that organized crime.  The baseball freaks around here call it a deal.

This scam guarantees the Yakima Millionaires everything, while equally guaranteeing that we get screwed.

They even acknowledge that the taxpayers have to pick up the bill for almost $1 million per year in return for a paltry $189,000 per year "in tourism."

It's stunning that this scam has received any serious consideration at all.
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The "Irony" joke of the day: Tim "The Liar" Leavitt even using the word "truth."

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Over on the democratian puff piece that continues their lame, exaggerated, mindless support of the I-5 rip off are the following comments:

 Josephine Wentzel · Friends with Lew Waters

Thank you Councilwoman Jeanne Stewart for standing up for the people! She was the ONLY one who made sense yesterday. When she pressed about citizens being denied a vote, the mayor got real antsy and almost gaveled her down! None of the other councilmembers stood with her ---- NOT ONE OF THEM!  3 · Like · Reply · Subscribe · 10 hours ago

Timothy D Leavitt · Vancouver, Washington

Comical Josephine....purely comical. Are you really running for the Vancouver City Council, at the same time purposefully manipulating the truth about this issue?

1 · Like · Reply · 3 hours ago

The ironic joke of all of this?

That a lying scuzball who did nothing BUT "manipulate the truth" (aka, "lie") to get elected should charge someone else with the thing he is most known for and guilty of?

I'm not a huge Wentzel fan: too few results considering the assets.

But for someone like Tim "The Liar" Leavitt to question someone ELSE'S veracity?

That's not only ironic, it's the kind of rank hypocrisy this clown is known for.
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Announcing the new term to label Bridgers/Looters: The Loot Rail Weiners.

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Have you ever noticed how slime like John Laird always attack those opposed to their agenda?  In his most recent slam, he extrapolates, because it suits him and his cause to do so, that we must support loot rail because the volunteer campaign trying to, gasp, heaven forbid! Put this to a vote is having trouble getting it done without any funding... like, you know... a union initiative would have funding before it's tossed at the polls (Say, a moronic state income tax, for example?)

This neo-communist wrote:

All bark, no bite — Gosh, with all that yelping from anti-light-rail hounds who claim to represent “the people,” it seemed like getting enough petition signatures for a ballot measure would be easy. Alas, the stampede is more like a crawl, and top dog Larry Patella confesses, “I think it’s a lost cause right now,” for the second year in a row

No, the slimer couldn't be graceful and say something like, "Even though I disagree with your vision, I applaud your efforts to exercise democracy," or something like that. Nope, he's got to be a dick.

OK, then the result is inevitable. He reaps what he sows.

He is, therefore, a Loot Rail Weiner. No more just being a much more understated "bridger/looter." He's now been promoted to his namesake, "Weiner."

Because he columns are the same kind of worthless imaging that one of his fringe left heroes, Tony "The Weenie" Weiner was sending out, only he uses words instead of pictures.

Because scum deserves no better... Ya Weiner.
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More lies from the CRC scam: Not True, Times Ten-Gov. Kitzhaber and backers of a new I-5 bridge claim it will create 20,000 jobs. Their own numbers show how wildly wrong they are.

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The scum ramming this colossal waste of billions down our throats with life long tolling and tens of thousands of dollars for each commuting family being drained over a life time for NO GOOD REASON.

Last week, the WW laid out all the reasons this scam was a stupid idea and a complete waste of money.

This week, they add more fuel to the fire by showing us that one of the critical claims the CRC scammers make, the one concerning "jobs," is, like most everything else they say, a crock of shit. (Thanks to Lew Waters.)

Not True, Times Ten

Gov. Kitzhaber and backers of a new I-5 bridge claim it will create 20,000 jobs. Their own numbers show how wildly wrong they are.

ILLUSTRATION: nickpattonillustration.yolasite.com

7 Comments

           

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Gov. John Kitzhaber wants Oregonians to believe he’s creating jobs, and he backs up that claim by promoting his support for the $3.6 billion Interstate 5 bridge project called the Columbia River Crossing.

On May 17, Kitzhaber sent a letter to the state’s most powerful business groups and the AFL-CIO, the umbrella group for trade unions, boasting about his effort to boost Oregon’s economy after helping unveil a new design for the bridge. “We took a major step forward on the Columbia River Crossing and the 20,000 new jobs its construction and long term improvements will create,” Kitzhaber wrote. (He got that figure from project sponsors’ modeling. See their memo at here.)

Just think of it—20,000 jobs. That’s three times the number of people Nike employs in Oregon, and more than Intel, the state’s biggest private employer. In a state where unemployment is well above the national average at 9.6 percent, that claim sounds like manna from heaven.

Except it’s not true—not even close.

Kitzhaber is exaggerating by 10 times the number of jobs potentially created by project, known as the CRC. That’s according to the project’s own reports, as well as the state’s methods for tallying jobs.

It’s not the first time that leaders from Oregon and Washington have made shaky claims to justify the project. The major reasons backers cite for building the CRC are disproved by the project’s own documents (see “A Bridge Too False,” WW, June 1, 2011).

At a time when creating jobs is the top priority of every policymaker in Oregon, the project’s potential is a rare bright spot for politicians seeking votes and a construction industry desperately seeking work. The claim of 20,000 jobs has gained traction, and the power of that number has built support for proceeding with the project, which would replace the existing I-5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver, fix seven major interchanges, and extend light rail to Vancouver.

In November 2009, CRC planners projected the number of jobs it would create.

They found it would employ 12,421 construction workers over a 10-year period; it would create 2,964 “indirect” jobs—that is, jobs at companies that supply goods and services to the project but are not directly involved in building it; and it would spawn 5,589 “induced” jobs, positions such as bartenders and store clerks supported by the spending of those working on the project.

That all appears to add up to just over 20,000 jobs, spread over a decade.

But there’s a caveat: The way CRC backers tally jobs not only runs counter to how economists count jobs, it also ignores the way the state of Oregon itself counts them.

The state’s Employment Department counts net continuing jobs. It doesn’t allow a company—or state agencies—to count jobs by adding them up and then multiplying the jobs by the number of years.

So, in other words, if 100 workers pave a section of road, it counts as 100 jobs. Even if that paving takes five years, it still counts as 100 jobs—not 500.

And ignoring that rule is how CRC backers vastly exaggerate the economic value of the project.

According to the CRC’s own figures, the “average annual regional jobs” created is not 20,000, but 1,907—or less than 10 percent of the oft-cited figure.

WW shared the CRC’s job projections with Amy Vander Vliet, an economist for the Oregon Employment Department.

Vander Vliet says the way proponents are presenting employment prospects is wrong; the correct number should reflect how many workers are on the job at any one time.

“These jobs, because they are spread out over 10 years, would not show up in our figures as 20,000 jobs,” she says. “The number to focus on is the annual figure of about 2,000 jobs.”

Of course, 2,000 jobs would give Portland’s economy a boost. 

But exaggerating the project’s benefits has been a pattern among CRC backers, including Kitzhaber. As WW has reported, the project has overstated demand for a new bridge (its traffic projections are way off), the danger the current bridge poses (its claims about traffic safety are false), and the earthquake hazard presented by the old span (more than two dozen I-5 bridges are less stable, including the Marquam).

CRC backers have repeatedly invoked the 20,000 jobs estimate to build a broad coalition of supporters and steamroll doubts whether the project is even needed. 

The 20,000 number is so ubiquitous it actually appears in a toothless resolution, House Joint Memorial 22, which backers want the Legislature to approve to lend a slim degree of official support to the project. “Whereas the Columbia River Crossing Project would create 20,000 new and sustained jobs by providing improved access to ports and highways…,” the bill reads in part.

Brian Gard, who heads up the Columbia River Crossing Coalition, wrote in a March 15 Oregonian op-ed that the 20,000 jobs figure comes from “highly conservative estimates.”

Experts doubt that. “The way most of us are going to think about this is 2,000 jobs per year over the life of the project,” says Tim Duy, director of the Oregon Economic Forum at the University of Oregon. “If the question is, ‘Is this like creating a new Intel?,’ the answer is no.” 

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FACT: Boston’s “Big Dig” tunnel, a 7.5-mile project completed in 2004, cost $14.6 billion (more than three times the original budget) but at its peak, according to Massachusetts DOT, never employed more than 5,000 workers.

And now, we'll see what THIS series of exposed lies will do to the equation.  But it's not particularly comforting that those running he show are choosing to lie to us to get what they want... and all at our expense.

It's just a shame about Tim "The Liar" Leavitt.

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Upon reflection, it's really a shame that Tim Leavitt had to lie to get elected. Now the issue with him is whenever he tells us anything or assures us of anything, my first thought is that he's lying.

He lied to get elected. He's done everything he can to keep us from voting on the bridge/loot rail scam. Someone is jerking his strings and he lacks the guts to cut himself loose. That he is elected to anything here locally is to our everlasting shame.

I'm pretty sure he's tired of hearing it. But since he's going to BE hearing it as long as he's in politics, I'm thinking that perhaps he ought to get used to it.

I wish he had told the truth. I wish he had come to understand that there are many worse things in life then losing an election. For example, lacking the integrity to tell the truth, and lying so completely and obvious to win one comes to mind.

I do feel sorry for the people of Vancouver who find themselves led by such a scumbag.  And hopefully, at the next election, that shame will become the far distant footnote that he deserves.
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Vancouver Business Journal reports: Yakima Scammers sweeten their rip-off.

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Having deliberately low-balled the people of Clark County with their asinine proposal, The Yakima Scammers have come back with a counter offer.

The problem, of course, is that the people of Clark County do not want this steaming pile dumped on our collective doorstop when ultimately, it's designed entirely to enrich the Yakima Scammers at our expense.

Here's their latest attempt to swindle us:

BREAKING: Yakima Bears sweeten offer to Clark County in letter of intent

June 15, 2011

By Nicholas Shannon Kulmac

Short Season LLC, owners of the Yakima Bears, a short season Single-A minor league baseball team affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks, today issued an advanced draft letter of intent to Clark County outlining the potential structure of an arrangement that would lead to the construction of a multi-use facility on the Clark College campus.

Most notable in the letter of intent is an agreement by Short Season to secure private construction and the long-term financing of the facility – something that was previously undecided by the team.

“The owners realized the county wanted nothing to do with that [securing private construction and long-term financing] and so they said, ‘okay we’ll step up and cover it,’” said Ron Arp, who is working with the Bears on the proposed move.

In a press release, Short Season said the letter of intent was developed after a number of meetings between the team, the county and the college, during which each party outlined their respective positions.

“We are presenting this letter of intent as our first articulation of the project and framework to begin successful negotiations for facility development,” said Mike McMurray, president of Short Season LLC, in a press release. “It reflects the work of Clark County, Clark College and Short Season over the past 30 days since we announced our pledge to relocate our Single-A franchise to Vancouver pending creation of a multi-use facility.”

McMurray and Arp said the letter of intent was presented to Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, City Manager Eric Holmes and Clark County Administrator Bill Barron, among others.

“By sharing this draft agreement, we look forward to beginning our discussions with city of Vancouver authorities, in addition to continuing the work underway with Clark County and Clark College,” said McMurray.

In addition to Short Season’s agreement to secure the long-term financing of the facility, the letter states that if Clark County decides to levy an entertainment fee, a portion of the proceeds would be deposited into a special “Facility Fund” to be used solely to support the multi-use facility. The letter also states the county will have no obligation to make payments beyond what is available in that fund.

Attached to Short Season’s draft letter of intent is a revised timeline outlining key project milestones including:

▪ The completion of facility design and specifications by July 2011
▪ A Clark County Ordinance authorizing an entertainment fee by July/August 2011
▪ Start of construction by October/November 2011
▪ Completion of construction, use agreements and opening day by June 2012

McMurray said it is possible that certain parts of the letter of intent may be refined as the process continues. He said

Unfortunately for the Swindlers, there's quite few issues they failed to address:

The people of this county do not want one nickel of public money used for this crap pile.

The people of Clark County cannot adequately state how moronically idiotic is is to waste millions on a ballpark designed to enrich a few scammers from Yakima when we can't even keep all of our fire stations open.

There is no way the municipalities of this county will agree to this swindle.

And their timeline is absurd beyond recognition... since i6t lacks a vote by the people... who would, of course slaughter this pig in it's tracks.

Other than that, they've got it covered.
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CTrans and the CRC: aborting democracy, one gerrymandered vote at a time.

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By now, anyone paying attention knows what a scam the C-Trans/CRC/Downtown Mafia/identity Vancouver scum have been running on us.

Several years ago, we had a loot rail vote that was crushed at the polls... in the vicinity of a 30% yes vote.

For years after that, the democratization lied, connived through bogus polls, and cheerleaded for a "study" with a pre-ordained outcome that completely disregarded the reality and the facts of the matter concerning our local transportation system.  Then, they conspired to eliminate those bothersome ingrates paying the bills from having any say.   Because those self-appointed slimeballs decided that they know better.  They decided that what THEY want is much more important than what WE want.

The idea that this steaming pile should be built without our permission has NEVER been explained.  How is it that, back in the day, a vote was required for a project much smaller and cheaper but now, indebting us for generations and slamming the 65,000 commuting families with an additional$1300, $1400, $1500 per year tax to work in Oregon is a decision taken out of our hands?

The democratian was supposed to find out.  But it's much like their active cover up of the Jim Jacks misconduct scandal... they were SUPPOSED to find out about that as well, but, gee, Jacks was a democrat who'd toed their line to a "t," so they kept up their end of the bargain and buried it.

Those in charge of us know we don't want this crap pile; if they did, they'd put it to a vote.  So, they lie.

The biggest liar is, of course, Tim "The Liar" Leavitt, who, in conjunction with the next biggest liar, Steve "The Liar" Stuart who was helping to run his campaign, made up the phony issue that he, Leavitt was opposed to tolls.  He hammered away on that issue, and sucked many of the more naive political types into supporting his candidacy while they ignored my warnings that Leavitt was a liar, a con, and a cheat, telling them what they wanted to hear to get elected... and then kicking them to the curb as he flipped his position on "tolls" so magically about 60 seconds after the was elected.

Then, of course, we have my own brother-in-law, former Republican, and now democrat Commissioner Marc Boldt, who lied directly to my face at the county GOP convention when he told me he would make sure we had a county wide advisory vote on the entire project.. LAST November, a vote he had no intention of ever holding.

Then, of course, we have Steve "The Liar" Stuart, who lied about holding a county wide loot rail vote as a part of HIS re-election campaign... because it closely mirrored the lies he engineered for his buddy "The Liar" Leavitt.

That's right, late in Stuart's despicable campaign, he lied:

As a member of the C-Tran board, Stuart said, he worked to protect lower fares for disabled riders and fought a move to cut transit services to the disabled.

As for light rail, he said, “My focus is to provide you with a vote, and because of the work we did, there is going to be a vote next November.”

Not happening.  And it never WAS going to happen.

Scum lie that way, don't you know.

So, what happens?  These scum don't want a loot rail vote to interfere with their bogus effort to jack up our sales tax... AGAIN... for C-Scam.

Which is why we get crapped on like this:

C-Tran decision on light rail voter makeup postponed

By Andrea Damewood
Columbian Staff Reporter

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

After a heated discussion last month over who would vote on a sales tax increase for light rail and bus rapid transit, the C-Tran Board of Directors quietly decided Tuesday night to postpone that decision until after the November election.

C-Tran board members said they want to focus on seeing its 0.2 percent sales tax to preserve existing bus service pass in November before deciding details, such as the size of a taxing district, for a 2012 vote.

The C-Tran board split in May over whether to put out a sales tax increase for high-capacity transit in 2012 to a subdistrict — such as Vancouver and its urban growth boundary, for example — or before the agency’s entire service district, meaning voters in Yacolt also would have sway over service in downtown Vancouver.

Vancouver’s three representatives from the city council threatened to use a bloc veto to stop the board from deciding last month, saying more information was necessary.

Clark County Commissioner Marc Boldt, who is the C-Tran Board chairman, said Tuesday that the board shouldn’t drag the matter along.

“We’re very committed to going to voters in 2012 for our part of the Columbia River Crossing,” Boldt said. “Rather than carry this on, I think we need to make some decisions. We can’t keep talking about districts or subdistricts.”

More:

Have you ever noticed that when these slime want to screw us, their tendency is to do it "quietly?"
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