#81 May/June 2006

FREE THOUGHTS

READER MAIL
Next stop, bus improvements; Bush on way out
cartoon by Tristan Hobson "State of Denial"
cartoon by David Logan "Republican Balloon"

Searching for Common Ground
by Todd Huffman, MD

ELECTIONS

Voter's Absentee Ballots Not Counted--Twice in Two Months!
by Doug Collins

Court Strikes Down WA Ex-con Poll Tax
from the ACLU of WA
cartoon by David Logan "Give me your tired..."

CONTACTS/ACTIVISM

NORTHWEST NEIGHBORS
contact list of subscribers who like to talk with you

DO SOMETHING! CALENDAR
Northwest activist events

WAR

Spying in Seattle
Surveillance and retaliation for the U.S. Navy
by Glen Milner

Questions in Iraq
opinion by Joseph Sonntag

Bush Seeks Funds for Laser Space Weapon
from Global Network

HEALTH

National Academy of Sciences: Fluoridation Can Be Unhealthy
No Milligrams are Good Milligrams
Oregon newspaper helps expose the risks
two articles by Robert Carton, PhD
cartoon by John Jonik "Parasito Insurance"

Fluoridation and Cancer
It's been known for a long time
from NY State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

Toxic Flame Retardants Still Unregulated in WA
from WA Toxics Coalition

TRANSPORTATION

Wanna Faster Bus Ride?
Driver champions transit change
by Andrew Jeromsky

More Causes of Slow Busses
by Doug Collins

BOB'S RANDOM LEGAL WISDOM by Bob Anderton
WA Bike Laws: They may be different from what you think

ENVIRONMENT

UW Plagued by Biosafety Problems
from Labwatch Seattle

TRASH TALK by Dave & Lillian Brummet
Growing Green Kids
Extend the Life of Books & Magazines

RIGHT BRAIN

Tires
short story by Vincent Spada

"When Not in Victory"
"The Patient"
two poems by Raymond Cavanaugh

About Family:
"Uncle Teddy Pekrul"
"Family Portrait 1920"
"We Three"
three poems by Robert Pavlik

POLITICS

MEDIA BEAT by Norman Solomon
The Lobby and the Bulldozer: Mearsheimer, Walt, and Corrie

BOOK NOTICE: "What Democracy Looks Like"
New book argues that 1999 Seattle WTO protests were a cultural turning point
from the publisher

The Puzzle of Jack Abramoff and Quid Pro Quo
The basic problem with US politics is that it's a pyramid scheme
by Steven Hill

More Causes of Slow Busses

by Doug Collins

1. The quirky Seattle system of sometimes "paying as you leave" and other times "paying as you enter" causes constant confusion, even among people who have used the Seattle busses for years. It also causes more delays because people waiting outside to get in the front door of the bus typically have to wait for people who must exit out the front door of the "pay as you leave" busses (the farebox, after all, is up front by the driver). If everyone always simply would pay as they enter, and if the front door of the busses would always normally be the entrance door--and the back doors always for exits--then the process would be speeded up considerably.

2. Very often the bus will stop at a bus stop, not to pick up a person standing there, but to hear the person ask questions like, "Does this bus go to Georgetown?" or "Do you know what bus goes to Beacon Hill?" etc. Occasionally the driver can help, but often not. Nevertheless, much time is wasted for a couple reasons. First, the numbered routes typical of many city busses are so meandering, that nobody can really guess where any of them end up. Second, many bus stops (I think most stops in Seattle) have absolutely no helpful information posted. No maps, no schedules, nothing but mysterious bus route numbers posted. No wonder drivers spend a lot of time trying to answering questions about what busses go where.

For Doug Collins' extended article on how city busses could be much better, see "Hey Metro Bus!" at www.wafreepress.org/80/heyMetro.shtml.

The Washington Free Press
PMB #178, 1463 E Republican ST, Seattle WA 98112
WAfreepress@gmail.com

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