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Conservative Compass Blog
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Written by Bob Sordahl
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Tuesday, 03 February 2009 |
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President Obama: I love ya man! You’ve done something in your third week as President that will forever make me grateful for your clear thinking and excellent judgment. I know there have been a few bumps in the road with that thing about Geithner and Daschle and, oh yeah, Killefer but I’m going to give you a pass on all that. You see, with one stroke of the pen, you have accomplished what the Conservative citizens of King County in Washington State have not been able to do in 12 years.
By nominating King County Executive Ron Sims for a cabinet level position in your administration, you are removing from office, a politician who during the last 12 years has presided over: - A $1.75 billion dollar sewage treatment plant that includes public art and a multi-media interpretive center. The cost of this project doubled even before construction began, in part because Sims chose a location 14 miles from Puget Sound requiring a tunnel be bored to carry the treated water to the outfall. The County now hopes to defray costs by renting the grounds to wedding parties.
- A commitment to fight homelessness by allowing a large community of “urban campers” to pitch their tents on church parking lots, transit centers and vacant county land for the last five years.
- A Critical Areas Ordinance that made it illegal for rural property owners to clear, improve or build on up to 50% of their land, effectively making that portion worthless and seriously de-valuing the rest. No similar requirement was imposed on urban residents of the County, and an appeals court eventually overturned the ordinance.
- The construction of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport that cost over $1 billion dollars, five times the original estimate, and many times more than similar projects across the Country.
I could continue, but I don’t want to pile on. The fact is, by appointing Mr. Sims to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, you have effectively gotten his hand out of my wallet. At least at the Federal level, the money he spends will be spread out among more taxpayers than just the residents of King County. I’m sure I speak for most of us when I wish him all the luck in the world, and hope he has a long, long, long career in DC. I just pray to God that he doesn’t have any unpaid back taxes.
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