Under the state component you call for a sizeable increase in the gas tax, vehicle registration fee and License fee. That is in direct conflict with reducing taxes on small businesses. Additionally, working class families who rely on their cars and trucks for various needs are already tapped out and all you want to do is add more taxes Shame on you! What is truly needed is less social engineering that includes tax equity with a reduction on the reliance of taxpayer funded subsidies to pay for alternative forms of transport thereby requiring these options to be financially self-sustainable, and not a sizeable increase in gas taxes and motor vehicle fees. Targets must be set to address transport tax equity whereby the users of alternative forms of transport are provided a path to transport independence without the reliance on taxpayer funded subsidies. Such targets must include: 1) A scheduled strategy whereby a direct bicycle tax paid by bicyclists only is established to fund all specialized bicycle infrastructure; and 2) an objective that aspires to make transit financially self-sustainable starting by increasing the ridership paid share of operational costs well beyond the current 21 percent with the goal of moving all the way to the 100 percentile mark of costs, then reducing the taxpayer subsidies that fund the capitol costs with those dollars replaced by a surcharge on transit fares.

Under the Federal component you call for investments in specific projects that include: 1) Approval of federal funding for Eastside Streetcar Loop – an unnecessary frill that will only increase long term taxpayer indebtedness for both capitol and ongoing operational costs, and divert more taxpayer dollars away from basic services and into the pockets of fat cat developers in the form of taxpayer funded subsidies and property tax abatements. 2) Columbia River Crossing funding – and here too you also want a lavish artsy structure (a monument as opposed to basic functionality) that will also require local match money. If tolls are charged are charged as any part of the funding mix, then they must be equitably balanced with the users of ALL vehicle modes of transport directly contributing to the funding, not just the motorists with another one of your social engineering dictator regime scheme 3) East Burnside Couch Couplet funding and construction – an unnecessary waste of public transportation dollars.
All of these funding requests are done in the vain of furthering your social engineering agenda rather than what is desperately needed in transportation infrastructure. . .

Furthermore, in addition to supporting small local businesses, the City needs to be supporting, promoting and recruiting business with American companies rather than ones owned overseas. No where in your strategies do I see any mention for supporting American industry and companies or a preference to purchasing their products as opposed to foreign brands. This is selling the American workers short and sending American jobs to foreign companies. As an example, instead of the City purchasing foreign brands cars and trucks, no matter what the reason, the purchases ought to be from American owned companies with products that are made in the USA.

And finally, remember it is NAFTA that has allowed Freightliner to move and build trucks in Mexico. NAFTA was approved and signed into law under the Clinton Administration as were the failed economic banking lending policies that President Bush inherited and has allowed for sub-prime mortgage mess this country is in now. Additionally, it is the costly emission requirements on new trucks that has essentially zeroed out the orders to Freightliner making one of the down economy factors also a product of environmental activism. Therefore, it is no time to continue acting like a dictator masquerading around progressive clothing while conspiring for more social engineering taxes and spending schemes that aim to control the lifestyle, housing and transport choices of the people. It is time to start supporting the American marketplace and freedom of choice rather than endeavoring to manipulate the populace from the bully pulpit.