Socialism at it's finest

Welcome to Seattle: the world's greatest place to be homeless. Decent weather, great public transportation, near-water location, and always someone to give a handout. That's right my friends, not a hand up, a handout. If you need a hot meal: covered. Warm bed: done. Reduced fare on public transportation: not a problem.

If, however, you pay taxes (read: supply the homeless with reasons not to work) and need something to be done, it is not looking good. Case in point: the snow that has buried the city and left thousand of people stranded is still here. No plows, no salt, no sand, nothing. Just....nothing. The city has not even acknowledged that they messed up.

One would think that with over 3,000 people stranded in the airport on the day before Christmas, the city would respond to assist those in need. Nothing. Instead, the reason why the planes were grounded was released. They ran out of de-icer. Ran out. Excellent planning fellas, excellent. For the first time in quite some time, I am speechless at the amount of people in high places who dropped the ball. 5 p's: proper planning prevents poor performance. This is unbelievable.

I waited for the bus today for 75 minutes before deciding to drive. During that time, I watched as three busses loaded to capacity drove past me and the other waiting at the bus stop. The snow has made people in this city crazier than they are normally. They are afraid to drive anywhere and rightly so: the streets are covered in snow and ice. With the influx of people in need of public transportation, a smart city would have added transportation options. Not here in snowy Seattle: the city with the most college educated people per capita. Wasted.

Maybe I see things just a bit differently, but as a taxpayer, I expect the bare minimum from my government. Something as simple as plowing a street and spreading salt to prevent icing seem like clockwork as the winter months approach. Don't purchase snow plows? Run out of de-icer? Don't extend public transportation options? Are you new to this whole city management thing?

All the while as the snow falls and busses nearly fall off of overpasses, the homeless of the city are well fed and warm. I wonder how New York, Chicago, and Boston are handling these winter months. Probably a bit better than the wealthiest city in America per capita: Seattle. All those dollars and no sense. Seems like a waste to me, that's all.