Mary Margaret - You're kidding, right?
Posted by Scott "The Piper" St. Clair - November 16, 2008
What with the bid for new ferries for the Port Townsend - Keystone run coming in further over budget than a spendaholic's VISA bill, the operative question has to be: What now?
According to Senate Transportation Committee Chair, Mary Margaret Haugen, D - Camano Island, the answer is, "Beats me," followed by essentially not much.
Really? Didn't know it was April Fool's Day so soon...
Quoted in The Whidbey Examiner, she first exhibits a total state of cluelessness about why the bid was so far off state estimates by saying, "I'm not a shipbuilder."
Yeah, well, you don't play one on TV either - you're supposed to be a legislative leader on transportation issues, including ferries, which means you better golly-bob figure out what went wrong.
Then she says she's commited to building two boats for the run, a run that represents a bare 3 percent of ferry traffic, and she expresses disregard for getting any 144-car vessels built.
WSF insiders routinely express concern over this type of attitude since the 144-car boats are regarded as the future of the fleet.
And the august Senator refuses to consider having any boats built out of state claiming, "We need jobs here."
Uh huh...
What's that budget shortfall again? Since when did the building of new ferries become a jobs program? Or has the new New Deal started already and I wasn't told?
WSF insiders tell me all the time that new ferries could be built in, say, Mississippi, where there is more expertise, skilled workers, and capability to build them than there is here, for roughly one-third less than the local cost.
Who among us wouldn't shop out of state for a new car if we could get a deal like that?
The net, net for the good Senator is that she wants what she wants for her district and bugger anyone else - except, that is, for unions (read, special interests) in the state who continue to hold reform, public accountability, and respect for taxpayers hostage to their political power.
Throw the cliches overboard, Senator, and act on behalf of all the citizens, not just a chosen few. If you can't do that, then maybe you ought to reconsider chairing the Senate Transporation Committee...and a few other things I won't mention right at this moment.
You can always go back to cutting hair if the Senate gig proves too much for you...In the meantime, could you do your homework, show us some respect, and, for once, earn your pay?
The Piper
Add Comment -
Saltherring said on Nov 16 2008 at 8:54pm
I guess all the money the unions dumped on Democrats during the election cycle paid off. Anything to protect their deadwood from actually have to compete for work.
NWconservative said on Nov 17 2008 at 7:29am
Damn, Piper! And some people thought I used to be too caustic! I'm going to sharpen my snarky pole. I never would have mentioned MMH's hair-cutting past and how that gives her permission to run WSF into the local dock.
givemeabreak said on Dec 02 2008 at 7:46pm
if you think you can do a better job then why didn't you run against her? the costs of getting a ferry built outside this state may be more, but what are the other costs that are not built into that equation? i.e. taxes, transporting the ferry to WA, etc.
