Something needs to be said about Erica Barnett's article in La Strangeur concerning the possibility that the City Council will make the final decision on the Viaduct without the requisite and meaningless public referendum, and that something is: "Hell Yeah!" Do we have to vote on every damn decision that's made around here? The City Council exists to make decisions on transportation infrastructure. That's what they do. Seattlest's job is to spend a little time every week trying to make them see how any decision besides the one we've made our personal lord and savior is blasphemous, and then to ridicule them when they end up worshiping at the altar of a viaduct rebuild. That's what we do. We're Americans, damn it! We rank voting just above walking on the scale of shit we hate to do!
Here's where Seattlest talks about how we're entirely in favor of voting and informed citizenship and yadda yadda yadda. We live in a representative democracy, though. If things go on in this direction, the big initiative in front of voters in 2012 will be whether Councilman Licata can have a bathroom pass. Could the system be better if, say, the Council was elected by region? Of course, and that's a whole nother rant. You don't go to the polls with the voting system you wish you had, though. You go to the polls with the system you have, and that system is voting for Council members and petitioning them to vote for surface boulevards.
From the article:
The Seattle City Council, defying expectations that it would put at least two, and as many as four, viaduct-replacement options on the November ballot, appears to be leaning against asking the citizens to vote at all. Instead, the council seems likely to choose its own preferred replacement option, eliminating any direct citizen participation in the process. "The governor and legislature did give the city council the responsibility to make a decision," council Transportation Committee Chair Jan Drago says. However, she adds, "They also gave us the choice of how to make it."
They're actually apologetic about it! "You know, we're just going to stand up and do what we're paid to do. Sorry."
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YES, YES, YES, Editor Dan! Do your jobs, Council! That's what we pay you for!!!
Halle-fucking-lujiah! This is exactly how other cities have pushed through transportation changes way faster than we have.
Now for their next trick I would like to see the Council pull all the money for the Big Dig magically out of their ass instead of sticking the rest of the state with the bill for their pie in the sky Big Dig.
Moving here from the midwest, I've yet to understand the West Coast's infatuation with initiatives. Especially Seattle. It's called "representative government" for a reason, people.
Of course, that doesn't stop me from voting for the initiatives I like.
If the city council puts this to a vote, I'm going put them to a vote. WITH MY FISTS!
Seriously, if they put it to a vote, we should just cancel their jobs, get a city manager and be done with it. Because otherwise all they do is figure out which traffic islands to put where. Surely they don't deserve big 'ol salaries for that. Get them back to their first love, law.
Have elected officials make decisions...this sounds like it would make a great initiative.
hell yeah! and i'm right there with you for electing council members by district.
Why let the council place traffic islands? Let's just make Seattle.gov a wiki and let everyone in the city create and edit traffic patterns. We'll rule by consensus!
>Let's just make Seattle.gov a wiki and let everyone in the city create and edit traffic patterns.
awesome