When I was a little kid my Dad used to tell me that during the LBJ versus Goldwater election a guy told him that if he voted for Goldwater, the US would get up to it's "neck" in troubles in Vietnam, there'd be rioting in the streets, and thousands of people would die senseless deths in SE Asia. His punch line was that the guy was right. My old man HAD voted for Goldwater, and that's EXACTLY what happened.

What brings that to mind is the following article. We were told by the opponents of 695 that if 695 passed there would be cutbacks in police services, etc. It passed (and was almost immediately overturned by the court). The legislature replaced most of the money that cities lost in their police budgets, and a thriving economy replaced most of the rest. But it didn't matter, because the politicians are still cutting back on police services, so they can divert money to daycare workers and keep their $100,000 a councilmember slush funds.

Time for some house cleaning in November.

County reneges on its promise, risking safety 2000-05-12 Just how far afield King County government has wandered from its core purpose is now clearly evident. It is willing to compromise public safety because of a small budget shortfall -- while at the same time spending more taxpayer money on questionable, non-essential programs. The county's director of adult detention, with the support of Executive Ron Sims, has decided to no longer accept prisoners at the Regional Justice Center in Kent between 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. The reason given, of course, is the usual suspect these days: budget cuts prompted by Initiative 695. The new policy, which takes effect Sunday, will save the county $500,000. Before we discuss the consequences for police and the public, keep the following in mind: The County Council, with the encouragement of Sims, recently approved a new program to subsidize the pay of day-care workers in the private sector at a cost of $1 million. This same government also is spending an additional $400,000 to provide bus passes for county workers. And $44,000 to underwrite an anti-growth, anti-WTO political organization based in Eastern Washington. Yet, Sims and the County Council are willing at the same time to accept cuts in an essential county service like public safety. Taxpayers and voters should be outraged. Restricting bookings at the Regional Justice Center to daytime hours means that police officers will have to travel to the county jail in downtown Seattle to hand off prisoners. That additional travel time means that those officers are not on patrol in our communities at night -- the time when most calls for assistance are made. That may result in slower response times to crimes and calls to 911. The decision to shut down the Regional Justice Center at night has angered local officials and police. Kent Police Chief Ed Crawford said: ``If there's a time when cities and unincorporated areas should have the patrol cars on the street, it's graveyard shift.'' Mayor Jim White put it more bluntly: ``Taking officers off the street is not acceptable.'' County officials are attempting to negotiate a compromise with Kent and other South County cities. They want the cities to accept county prisoners overnight in city jails. That's unacceptable. Local jails already are overcrowded. Besides, this proposal would just shift the county's problem to local jurisdictions. The only appropriate solution is for the county to restore funding to the booking unit. The $500,000 represents less than one-half of 1 percent of the county's budget for Law, Safety and Justice. As a portion of the county's overall operating budget of $1.7 billion, the amount is infinitesimal. County Councilman Chris Vance will be introducing legislation to restore the cuts. We urge all of our readers to support his efforts by calling or e-mailing Sims and other County Council members to express your outrage and demand that public safety come first. Their phone numbers and e-mail addresses are printed here for your convenience. When Kent agreed to host the Regional Justice Center it came with the county's pledge to make sure the facility would ``preserve the peace and protect the lives of citizens ... by providing creative, efficient and effective correctional programs and services.'' It's time that citizens of Kent and South King County hold Sims and the County Council to that promise. Call the county! Here's how to reach King County officials to express your outrage at cuts in public safety: King County Executive Ron Sims (206) 296-4040 exec.sims@metrokc.gov County Council Maggi Fimia (206) 296-1001 maggi.fimia@metrokc.gov Cynthia Sullivan (206) 296-1002 cynthia.sullivan@metrokc.gov Louise Miller (206) 296-1003 louise.miller@metrokc.gov Larry Phillips (206) 296-1004 larry.phillips@metrokc.gov Dwight Pelz (206) 296-1005 dwight.pelz@metrokc.gov Rob McKenna (206) 296-1006 rob.mckenna@metrokc.gov Pete von Reichbauer (206) 296-1007 pete.vonreichbauer@metrokc.gov Greg Nickels (206) 296-1008 greg.nickels@metrokc.gov Kent Pullen (206) 296-1009 kent.pullen@metrokc.gov Larry Gossett (206) 296-1010 larry.gossett@metrokc.gov Jane Hague (206) 296-1011 jane.hague@metrokc.gov David Irons (206) 296-1012 david.irons@metrokc.gov Chris Vance (206) 296-1013 chris.vance@metrokc.gov

Mark

-- Mark Stilson (mark842@hotmail.com), May 12, 2000