The Seattle Times: Masters of Logic

The Seattle Times editorial board annoys the living piss out of me, but can't they at least be consistent while they're at it?

Today it was another run-of-the-mill dose of anti-tax rhetoric, this time "arguing" that Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn should set aside a bunch of bike and pedestrian infrastructure plans that would have to be paid for by a parking-lot tax and a car-tab fee. Of course, they pull out the usual "you shouldn't raise taxes in a recession" bullshit (an assertion they make all the time in editorials, and always back up with nothing).

But exactly two weeks ago the same ed board was railing against McGinn for "obstructing" the giant tunnel proposed to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct — which means trying to ensure the city doesn't get stuck with a bill for one shit-ton of dollars in cost overruns. The average tunnel or bridge goes over budget by 34 percent (the number's buried way at the bottom of that story) — and this one, at 56 feet in diameter, would be the biggest tunnel the world's ever deep-bored. Nah, not risky at all.

So Seattle can't afford any new projects right now. Except for that mammoth, overpriced freeway, the costs of which dwarf any pedestrian or bike improvements we could ever hope to make. Sure, Seattle Times, that makes sense.

Although I shouldn't be by now, I'm still amazed those guys manage to put out such condescending, uninformed assholery day in and day out.