About this blog

My name is Bill Hirt and I'm a candidate to be a Representative from the 48th district in the Washington State legislature. My candidacy stems from concern the legislature is not properly overseeing the WSDOT and Sound Transit East Link light rail program. I believe East Link will be a disaster for the entire eastside. ST will spend 5-6 billion on a transportation project that will increase, not decrease cross-lake congestion, violates federal environmental laws, devastates a beautiful part of residential Bellevue, creates havoc in Bellevue's central business district, and does absolutely nothing to alleviate congestion on 1-90 and 405. The only winners with East Link are the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington and their labor unions.

This blog is an attempt to get more public awareness of these concerns. Many of the articles are from 3 years of failed efforts to persuade the Bellevue City Council, King County Council, east side legislators, media, and other organizations to stop this debacle. I have no illusions about being elected. My hope is voters from throughout the east side will read of my candidacy and visit this Web site. If they don't find them persuasive I know at least I tried.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Seattle Times Car-Tab Malfeasance Continues


The Times Oct 22nd editorial “Addressing The Confusion I-976 Created” continuing their slavish support for Sound Transit qualifies as journalistic malfeasance: “wrong doing or misconduct”.   Again they chose to disparage the messenger rather than the message.   

It’s journalistic “misconduct” to suggest Tim Eyman’s legal problems justify I-976 rejection.  The Times claims, “The dishonesty is Eymans” yet gives no examples.  It was Sound Transit who “misled” voters with their 7/08/16 post claiming “An adult owning the median value motor vehicle would pay an additional $43 per year in MVET if ST3 were passed.”  

Yet the Times abided Sound Transit’s response to objections to the higher taxes in an April 2017 post headlined “Sound Transit 3 car tab rollback threatens light rail to Everett” claiming, “During the campaign, Sound Transit was completely transparent about the taxes.”

The message is a Joel Connelly June 8th, 2017 Seattle PI article concluded that mendacity enabled ST3 since it would get “only 37% support were voters given a do-over”.   Yet the Times continues to abide Sound Transit mendacity.  That Sound Transit claims the $6.5 billion loss out of their projected $64 billion in tax revenue. per 2019 budget, will add 20 years to light rail completion.

The Times claims this proposal will also “eviscerate transportation solutions chosen by gridlocked communities across our state” such as “sidewalk repairs”.  Yet the Times laments the fact “voters hundreds of miles from Puget Sound can weigh in.  Apparently concerned “communities across our state” aren’t that supportive.

Even the Times admits the car tab taxes are based on inflated car values.   That the “lawmakers should have reformulated the tax to better reflect car values”.   Yet the Times neglected to include that legislation as one of their top ten priorities.   

The bottom line is any “confusion” about car tab taxes is more the result of Sound Transit mendacity and the Seattle Times continued support.  That surely qualifies as journalistic malfeasance.  


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