My letter to the editor got printed today!

[Missy Vixen]

Our ISP has been down all day today, or I would have posted this earlier.

I have never written a letter to the local paper before. I was so pissed about the traffic disruptions due to George W. Bush's visit to the area yesterday that I hurriedly wrote, e-mailed it, and the paper notified me they were printing it today. I'm not providing a link because my real name is on it, and frankly, we live in a small town.

The text of my masterpiece is as follows:

>Traffic even worse thanks to politics

I'm wondering if there is some type of legislation that can be proposed to keep George W. Bush out of Washington state during rush hours <"President Bush in Bellevue today," page one, Aug. 27>.

Considering the fact that our traffic is ranked third-worst in the nation during a normal day, it would seem prudent to suggest this idea.

Mr. Bush's latest visit coincides not only with rush hour, it also impedes those attempting to get to Safeco Field for the Mariners game as well.

In the meantime, when those living in the Seattle area step into the voting booth this November, remember that Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn <"Bush visiting to support Reichert," Local News, Aug. 1>, is more concerned with his campaign coffers than the fact that it took you much longer than usual to get wherever you needed to go Monday.<

Julie

[mindwalker_i]

1. Bush to WA

Fuck you, I'm more important.

[sandnsea]

2. They write these in Little Rock too

Any time Bill Clinton is in town.

[Missy Vixen]

3. I was at a dead stop on 405

one of the major freeways through Western Washington, for 40 minutes yesterday afternoon. Before that, I spent 30 minutes sitting on a surface street, attempting to even pass through town on my way somewhere else. We went to the Mariners game last night. To say that traffic was a mess was an understatement. Seriously -- on a good day, a trip to Seattle from the Eastside can be anywhere from half an hour to two hours for thirteen miles. We bring books and bottled water in our car all the time now.

Bush has made four visits to the area in a short period of time, primarily for fundraisers for his buddies. He disrupts traffic for 45 minutes at the least when he is arriving and another 45 minutes when he's leaving. It's hard to say how many people are affected, but the metro area of Seattle is at least 1.5 million.

:hi: sandnsea!
Julie

[MannyGoldstein]

4. In Boston, We Had to Deal With Clinton's Bullshit

Traffic would be stopped - absolutely, turn-off-the-engine-and-get-out-of-your-car stopped - while Bill would ride around town eating desserts and grabbing fistfulls of cash. Boy, did that suck.

[Missy Vixen]

5. I'm a bit confused

You're complaining about Bill Clinton on a Democratic website?

I might also mention that yeah, we were turn off the engine and get out of your car for 40 minutes yesterday as well. Instead of coming to town in the evening when traffic would be lighter, Bush has made it a point to visit in daytime hours and primarily during rush hour. He and the recipient of his largesse, Rep. Dave Reichert, disrupted the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people yesterday for an estimated three hour visit.

I'm not kidding when I mention that we have the third worst traffic in the US, right behind New York and LA.

Julie

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Sorry, Let Me Rephrase

We in Boston were thrilled and honored when tens of thousands of us at a time were forced to sit idly in our stopped cars, missing all kinds of appointments, our lives put on hold, while Bill Clinton rode around for hours collecting donations that helped the DLC-run DNC hold both houses of Congress during Clinton's entire term as President.

[gratuitous]

9. Political visits don't inconvenience me

It's still 7½ miles in to work, but on a bicycle, it seems like traffic is much less of a concern for some reason. My monthly gas credit card bill is way down, too. And I seem to have lost about 20 pounds this year.

Very strange.

[MannyGoldstein]

10. I Think It Would Have Been Great For Clinton to Bicycle Instead Of Drive

Great suggestion.

[JNelson6563]

Rock on fellow Julie!

:applause: Well done! :party:

The other Julie :hi:

[EFerrari]

7. And then, redefine "rush hour" to include all numbered hours.

lol

Good job.

[Missy Vixen]

8. We were joking about that yesterday

He's free to visit between the hours of 5 AM and 6 AM on Sundays.

Julie