Last week, the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) board voted (6-3) to ask voters to approve a 0.3% increase in the local sales tax to fund a $72 million electric trolley line that would six miles – “from Spokane’s Browne’s Addition neighborhood, east through the Gonzaga University campus and ending at the Spokane Community College campus.” If approved, the local sales tax would increase to 9.0%—“one of the highest figures in the state.”
According to the Washington Policy Center, “STA officials are considering batteries and inductive charging technologies to power the system.” Charging ideas range from “charging pods built into the pavement” to “a claw-like arm atop each trolley bus that would periodically grab a power source.”
Additionally, officials estimate that the electric trolley bus would serve 880,000 trips per year. The Washington Policy Center points out that “divided by the operational costs alone, that amounts to $4.73 per trip — more than 20 percent higher than current operational costs for a regular STA bus.” Because a large number of the 880,000 riders “would be folks who already use bus service along that route,” Spokane taxpayers “would simply be paying more to move the same people.”
Considering the facts, it’s no surprise that Commissioner Shelly O’Quinn called STA’s new plan “unsustainable” and the Spokesman-Review editorial board advised the plans be “scaled back.”
Photo from transportationissuesdaily.com
These politicians seem to think that our money is really theirs and that they have only “loaned” it to us. How long is it going to take for the people to realize this and revolt against the high tax and spend Democrats?
As soon as they realize that our country has been invaded by communists! Schools, TV, Government, Newspapers, If you want to see a great allegory to what’s happening, just watch the 1956 hit sci-fi movie ” Invasion of the body Snatchers ” Starring Kevin McCarthy. First they start the indoctrination, that there is no God, that we all evolved from a single cell , then, progress from there. elementary school, up thru college. They call it progressive, then, they go on from there, labeling the ideas’ as anything but Communism. They go on telling that capitalism is bad, and that we need to apologize to the world for taking advantage of minority groups, and that only the state can resolve our problems, and that anything that feels good, is okay.
The sales tax in Spokane is only 8.7%? These guys are just trying to emulate King County liberals who really know how to piss away money. A 6-mile trolley line @ $12 million/mile is peanuts compared a multi-billion dollar tunnel that will never open.
They’re morons if they agree: The first loot rail rip off in King County was supposed to cost $2.2 billion… but after they got voter approval, it ballooned to four, leading to our State Supreme Court’s infamous “it’s perfectly OK for government to lie to the voters” edict.
Trollys? Who is riding around on trollys? Just another example of following the WA liberal madness of tax & spend that go’s on in this state, and from Spokane no less! Who ever came up with this needs to be sentence to live with their own kind in the land of the 206’ers!