Washington State had a very close election for Governor. So close that Dino Rossi is still maneuvering to get a re-vote because the margin of victory was less than 200 votes and people have already found several hundred votes that were counted from dead people, people living out of state, convicted felons, people who used a Mailboxes Etc. address for their legal address illegal)
The Seattle Times has an interesting report comparing what Gregoire said while campaigning and what she has done since being elected.
What Governor Gregoire said � and didHat tip to Sound Politics for this link. The gas tax is especially galling since the moneys from it are being directed to repair Seattle's elevated Viaduct. The Hood Canal and the I-5 bridge near Vancouver are also being replaced but tolls are being instituted on these to cover the costs.
Gov. Christine Gregoire wasn't pushing for a gas-tax increase or talking much about fixing the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the 520 bridge when she entered her first legislative session nearly four months ago.
In fact, during last year's campaign, Gregoire said she opposed � at least for now � raising the gas tax.
So how did it end up that, on the final day of the session, it was Gregoire who played perhaps the most pivotal role in pushing through the biggest gas-tax increase and transportation-spending package in state history?
The gas tax is labeled an _emergency_ increase so there won't be a referendum either.
The galling part about the viaduct repair is that the pricey part is repairing the seawall. Something that a replacement _viaduct_ would not need to do. On WTV shortly after the Nisqually quake, the chief non-politically-appointed engineer mentioned that replacing just the viaduct with a modern, safe, 6-lane-both-way, modern on-off ramp _viaduct_ would cost 750 million and could be built without destroying the old viaduct first.
The seawall and fixing the Battery Street tunnel are the pricey bits. Specifically the non-emergency bits.