State convention:
Deck was stacked
From May 29-31 1,351 delegates from around the state attended the State Republican Convention in Spokane. Nearly 600 of these delegates were Ron Paul supporters (about 40 percent) yet they were only able to come out with 10 percent of the state’s national delegates. As an alternate at the convention I witnessed foul play within the party in support of McCain.
First of all, Ron Paul alternates were delayed in getting on the floor to replace missing delegates because no one informed the alternates waiting in the alternate section of what to do. It was only after a Ron Paul supporter spoke out at one of the mics that alternates were being seated out of order that I realized that we had to go up stairs through credentials a second time. By this time we had missed several critical votes of which Luke Esser had called a two-thirds majority when in fact there was none. He ignored the calls for a count and violated the party’s rules several times.
Friday afternoon we broke-up into U.S. Congressional Districts to vote for national delegates. The first and second ballots had two names (Some CDs only had one name) of hand-picked McCain representatives that we neither saw nor heard speak. We had to pick one of these for the ballot to count. On the second and third ballot we were instructed to pick two, but there were many names and some Ron Paul people to pick from. The nominees did get about 30 seconds to speak, after which a McCain supporter was allowed to go to the front of the room and wave a green sheet which she said was the McCain slate, then she went around the room passing them out.
The 10 at-large delegates were hand-picked in a back room by McCain and Huckabee Campaign representatives. We did not even see the names of these people in print that are supposed to represent us, much less see them in person or hear them speak. Thus, the state delegates had no say in who would represent Washington for more than half of the national delegate seats. Is this any way to run a convention.
Many thanks to the Spokane delegation who were over 90 percent Ron Paul supporters and some of the best people you could ever want to meet. They did their best to make this a fair convention but the cards were stacked high against it.
Dan Goebel
Keyport
Ferries:
NK Commuters get short end of the ferry
As a Ferry Advisory Committee chair I routinely hear allegations that commuters are driving up ferry costs. Here’s an example from a WSF briefing paper “a high percentage of regular commuters traveling at the most congested periods are in fact paying the lowest possible price for their trip.” In other words, ferry commuters get a generous benefit which should be eliminated. The numbers, however, say otherwise. These are the subsidies for all vehicle fares on all ferry routes: 77 percent, Bremerton and Port Townsend frequent user fare; 73 percent, San Juan Islands frequent user fare; 68 percent, Bremerton regular fare; 63 percent, Port Townsend regular fare; 62 percent, Anacortes Sydney regular fare; 58 percent, Point Defiance frequent user fare; 57 percent, Flauntelroy/Vashon/Southworth frequent user fare; 42 percent, Point Defiance regular fare; 40 percent, Flauntelroy/Vashon/Southworth regular fare; 39 percent, Bainbridge frequent user fare; 30 percent, Mukilteo frequent user fare; 25 percent, Kingston frequent user fare; 22 percent, San Juan Islands regular fare; 15 percent, Bainbridge regular fare; 2 percent, Mukilteo regular fare; and -4 percent (extra charge), Kingston Edmonds regular fare.
Compared to other riders, North Kitsap commuters actually receive a low level of state support. So what does this mean to you? Peak hour pricing proposals, which will be explained at June public meetings, put North Kitsap commuters in the cross hairs of a big fare hike. It’s clearly unfair but may happen unless we have the will to stop it.
Walter Elliot
Kingston
Appreciation:
Thoughtfulness was appreciated
Thanks to all who called, sent flowers, food and cards during my illness. Your thoughts and prayers were greatly appreciated.
Em Reynolds
Suquamish
911 Briefs:
Driver was pretty lucky
Regarding Wednesday’s June 4th Briefs, the woman being held on $20,000 bail for drunk driving on June 1 may be feeling like a victim, and that she’s had a string of bad luck, but chances are, she has no idea how lucky she is! As she careened her way, at high speeds, from Silverdale to Keyport Junction, she avoided a head-on collision.
As the two cars were waiting to make a left turn on Silverdale Way to Island Lake, both swerved to get out of the way of this woman’s speeding car. She seemed oblivious of any danger or care. An event written up as being almost comical, but, for the Grace of God was not tragedy for my family and possibly others.
Thankfully, the family wedding and reception at Horsley Community Center was a joyful event. My family had jangled nerves, but were able to enjoy another day and have a great time. Miraculously, this lady has another chance to straighten herself out and, hopefully, learn from this expetrience.
Gary and Lila Morris
Hansville
What gives?
(This letter is an open letter to Kitsap Transit.)
On Wednesday the fourth of June, I checked the Web-based schedule for a trip to and from Bainbridge Ferry Terminal commencing and ending in Kingston. I noted that the #90 schedule said specifically that pick up in Kingston was at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and 1st street. There was no such mention of a similar pick up point for the #92 bus. The schedule indicated that the terminus was Kingston Ferry Terminal. To reassure myself I phoned the helpline for Kitsap Transit. I was told that pick up would be at the Ferry Terminal. As there is a lane reserved for buses and a stop location marked by yellow lines painted on the curb and walkway, this seemed reasonable.
At 10 o’clock the number #92 bus came down route 104 toward the ferry terminal and turned left on Washington Boulevard proceeding to immediately, without pause, take another left onto 1st street and depart Kingston. I was left standing at the ferry terminal.
The scheduled departure time of the Kingston/Edmonds ferry is 10:05, the #92 bus turned onto 1st street at 10:01. While a young and fit person unladen with packages might have sprinted from the bus to the ferry in time for its sailing, this 68-year-old fellow with a bum knee would never have made it. Is it unreasonable to expect, that since there is a reserved lane, and since there is a sheltered designated spot for the passengers, that the bus should terminate its run at the ferry terminal and not at a distance across traffic to an unprotected location? Why was I, standing in clear view, and in the obvious place to board the bus, left without transport after having checked via the helpline to make sure I was in the correct place?
As a result of this fiasco, I was forced to return to my vehicle, drive to the Agate Pass park and ride and wait for the #90 bus to get to Bainbridge. That morning had I filled the gas tank in my car with $4.25/gallon fuel; hence the cost to me of the unforeseen drive to Agate Pass was approximately $8. Please remit.
In scheduling my trip, I looked at the feasibility of leaving my car in the park and ride at George’s Corner, catching the #92 to transfer in Poulsbo to the #90 and then returning in the evening via the #91 to George’s Corner. That’s fine, except the #92 does not stop at George’s Corner it stops, once again at an unsheltered location, Kountry Korner. As it was raining on the morning of June 4, I deemed the walk from the park and ride to Kountry Korner unattractive.
Do the people who devise these routes and schedules ever think about what they are doing, or look to see what the issues are? Are the drivers more concerned with meeting these designated schedules than transporting passengers? Response requested.
Charles B. Mitchell
Hansville
