metrognome
wake — unless the property owner is a complete incompetent, money-wise, renters do indeed pay taxes as part of their rent. And having a vibrant city is part of what attracts worker bees and businesses to this area as part of the economic re-growth that is happening. While dot.com hierarchy might be able to buy a house quite easily, their employees, not to mention the folks who cook their lunch, drive their cabs or Ubers, do their dry cleaning and make their espresso or microbrew, can’t. Of course, that begs the question about at what point taxes make housing unaffordable or small businesses not viable. And then there’s the tourists. Governing is complicated!
I think stable operational funding for our incredible parks is crucial. The reason for (hare-brained) ideas like ziplines is because Parks was desperate for long-term sources of cash and some people prefer going with privatization and ‘fun’ over tranquility, listening to the birdsong and watching the waves.
The question is whether Prop 1’s ‘benefits’ override it’s risks. I am not as concerned about the ‘permanence’ of the change. I’m also not too concerned about the City Council vs independent board issue, having seen the pros and cons of both as a Metro employee in the 80’s and 90’s. I’m not sure which Seattle JayDee has been living in, but we’ve been tossing out mayors and councilmembers with some regularity over the past 15-20 years.
I kinda wish voters had line-item veto authority or were offered a choice between Prop 1A and 1B, like a cafeteria benefits plan offered by employers. Too often, voters end up making decisions based on a single section of a proposal.
au, I’d like to thank you for starting this thread. Lately, when people whine about fixing politicians, my response is to ask how we fix the electorate, as we are as broken as our political system. Too many either don’t vote or don’t take the time to gather the info to truly understand an issue and where it fits in the bigger picture. Too many knee-jerk voters *and* politicians.