The Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) has a dilemma. It needs to support Sound Transit’s latest scheme – the ST3 money-grab on the ballot this fall – because there will be some union jobs available with billions in taxpayer dollars being thrown around. However, the union bosses can’t tell the truth about what the initiative will do, because then the rank-and-file members would likely oppose it.
So, WSLC leader Jeff Johnson decided to do what he often does – just make thing up. His biggest lie about ST3 is that the $54 billion boondoggle will reduce traffic congestion.
A recent article penned by Johnson in the WSLC’s online mouthpiece states:
“… relief from gridlock will get major help from the bold ST-3 plan announced by Sound Transit, to go before the voters of King, Snohomish and Pierce counties this November…
“Expanding mass transit will reduce the number of cars on the roads, lower traffic congestion and significantly reduce carbon pollution and green house gasses…”
The WSLC’s claim runs contrary to the facts about ST3, and even contradicts statements recently made by far-Left transit advocates. As Shift reported, an official from Transportation Choices Coalition — a far-left advocacy organization partially funded by Sound Transit and your tax dollars – made the mistake of honesty about how ST3 would impact traffic congestion to the public.
Transportation Choices’ Shefali Ranganathan stated during a Tacoma City Club panel event on the proposed $54 billion light rail scheme known as ST3 does not provide “relief from gridlock” as Johnson claims. Rather, Ranganathan admitted “building light rail will not reduce traffic congestion.” She noted that we already sit in traffic an average of 63 hours a year, so a ‘do-nothing option’ is not viable.”
Ranganathan is right. Something must be done about traffic congestion. However, asking taxpayers to fork over $54 billion for plan that — according to her — does not reduce congestion is unacceptable.
Despite the clear contradiction, WSLC will continue to make its false claims. Big labor’s insistence on misinforming its members – and the public – should come as no surprise, because that’s what it regularly does.
The reality is that ST3 is not about reducing the time working families spend in traffic. Rather, the scheme’s focus is on serving the special interests that fund Democrat campaigns and on advancing a far-left transit agenda.
But you can’t expect Jeff Johnson to write that, can you?
Ol’ Jeff Johnson does what the lefty, liberal, secular-progressives, organized labor thugs includes, do best… lie through their teeth in order to get what they want.
Anyone that votes for the $54 billion dollar boondoggle that is ST3 is out of their ever lovin’ minds!