Nice piece, Bill. You'll remember me from way back when when you were working for Charlie and I was with Bill Hudnut. Having lived out here for 13 years now, I'd add that Seattle metro really needs to get off its high horse, the politicians on both sides need to do more than just squirting each other, focus on things that are necessary and not on things that would be "nice to have." Your bike lane comment sums it up. The quarterly forecasts have to have an influence on policy, which means priorities must be set, not sacred cows to be protected. Last time I checked, the Nisqually earthquake was more than 10 years ago....how's that viaduct replacement thing going? NYC built the Manhattan part of the subway system...all of it....within a 10 year period, despite a small interruption known as WW I. Different political times, of course, but they got it done. 520 bridge replacement? Every interest group of one had to be consulted....ridiculous. Anyway, enough of me. Good luck to you!

I don't know who NWC is but agree completely with him and with Mr. Stafford's analysis. Good job bill and I'll be watching for Rooster.

James Farley's view of our area was summed up with his 1936 quote as the Postmaster under FDR that the USA was comprised of 47 states and the 'Soviet Republic of Washington'. Even today, the Seattle region is overly unionized and dependent upon monopolistic corporations, non-profits, and oversized governmental bureaucracies. The area is very hostile to small business and individual business success. Competition and 'level playing fields' are negated by crony capitalism favoring the large named institutions in this article (add Amazon). The 9% unemployment rate lingers on despite favoritism given to the big fish. Maybe we can learn something from North Dakota and Nebraska regarding jobs and long term expectations.

Bill, you dance around the fact that the state's got no money. We aren't going to have an expanded trade promotion mission in a state government that's laying people off right and left. Hint: cutting money for bike lanes isn't going to get you much except Republican fans and Democratic scorn.

Also, I'd be interested in your ideas for how to address the regional tension between the Seattle, King County, and the rest of the state -- who seem to love to stick it to us, even though they're hurting themselves in the processs. Economically, we'd be a lot better off if all of King County were a single Greater Seattle with a central government and budget willing to make tradeoffs and think strategically.

You also don’t need bicycle lanes if the bicyclists aren’t going to use them…in my neighborhood, I am routinely confronted with bicyclists riding on the sidewalk, even though marked bicycle lanes are but a few feet away…and we’re talking about a 25 mph street!

My point was that bike lanes aren't very expensive and anybody who says we're going to pay for expanded trade outreach by cutting funds for bike lanes is just being silly. It's just popular in some circles to mock bike lanes because they are the mark of the Devil (whose name is spelled Mike).

I'm surprised this piece has drawn such little comment. Maybe that means most readers agree with Bill -- I do. DannyK makes a great point about regional government for/via King County. Something tells me its inevitable in some form, for all the reasons cited above.

And on our poor little bike lanes....
Gosh, they really are the whipping boy of the moment. Funnt too because Bill remarked on the Dutch model of industrial strategy --- If you travel in Holland you'll notice all the bikes co-existing with cars, world-class industry AND the environment. It's very impressive all around, and it will pop any knee-jerk "We're #1" ballon real quick. So yeah, our bike/car culture is still evolving, but I'm sure people will figure it out in time. More importantly, we could learn a lot from the Dutch.

Hey, I happen to know that the bike lanes were used by 10,000+ bicyclists during "Bicycle To Work Month." That represents a pretty large group of users, for which the city spends 3% of it's streets budget on. And happens to be about 3% of the total commuters. It's another red herring to cr*p on a mode of transportation as if it would fix the unemployment situation.

As for moving toward protectionism, it's about time. A local company which has to comply with the environmental rules, like not dumping it's wastes in the Duamish river for free with a company in some place like Mexico where you can dump whatever, can't compete. It's not an even playing field. We should enact an "Environmental cost" tariff to even things out.

"The metropolitan area is the basis of success in the global marketplace"

Yet one place where it should work, the Port's of Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, Bremerton, and Bellingham should work together to bid for shipping etc. Each has something unique to offer, yet they function as independent entities that bid against each other and yet to a shipper they are nearly the same place, Puget Sound (or the Sammimish Sea) All to our detriment. One can explain why this animosity exists historically but it makes no sense going forward. We get beat out by Long Beach and Prince Rupert when if they worked together we could whip their shipping hands down.

Next we argue over spending 3Billion on a downtown Seattle tunnel, when clearly if we spent that money connecting the region via Light Rail and Rapid Bus service, we could let our brightest people work where they are most needed. (of course one has only to re-read the numerous postings by Cross-cut as to how the financing of this has enriched bond salesmen at the expense of the taxpaying and riders.)

The bicycle lane comment is very apt metaphor for all ultra-local, ultra-parochial issues.

Seattle-to a huge extent-and all Washington voters to a great extent simply don't vote for candidates who talk about trade and business related issues. Whether at the school boards, or the cities, or the counties, or metro or the state legislature voters want to vote for politicians that make them feel like they are morally superior voters. (Education, peace, green stuff, etc.) However these very same voters much more self serving when it comes to personal income tax, enabling tax increases, or public officials going on trade missions.

I suggest that Puget sound voters are going to have to experience a lot more economic deprivation before they will be as keen as the Scots to do business with Johnny Foreigner.

Bill, good piece. (I didn't know you could write.) And many thanks for your years of good service to the city and region.

Phil705
Winthrop WA