Seattle Stupidity By Design

Saw some lovely King5 coverage of this earlier this morn. They are spreading what they called a "reasonably environmentally friendly chemical." At least that's what the news lady said, and Christ knows what that means. Maybe if Gregoire's in heat they can have her walk around and melt the snow with her drippings.

Posted by Andy at December 23, 2008 9:16 AM

I think it's all a ploy so the news can show their annual footage of parked cars sliding down the Seattle hills; they have to keep their ratings up somehow.

Posted by Julie at December 23, 2008 9:28 AM

The salt is actually more damaging to the undercarriage of cars and trucks than to the Sound. But it keeps the car repair business in business. I suppose one could mitigate the damage by hosing off the undercarriage periodically, but many people live in situations were that's not easy, especially in the dead of winter. Nevertheless, the salt is better that sliding headlong into the path of a semi on a patch of black ice, which happened to a friend of ours about three days ago near Martinsburg, WV. They do salt the roads there, but not everywhere all the time. And most of my family lives in Seattle, where they never salt anywhere, ever.

Posted by Demosophist at December 23, 2008 9:55 AM

After reading anything of this nature applying to almost any situation these days; banking, real estate, auto manufacturers, our legislators, try these simple comforting words.

"Surely those in charge know what they are doing......surely".

Repeat a few times and if you don't feel better, continue stocking up on food and ammunition.

Posted by anybodyinpoulsbo at December 23, 2008 12:10 PM

Is some degree of mental retardation a requirement for government work in Seattle?

Posted by Daphne at December 23, 2008 1:29 PM

Yes, Daphne, it would seem that it is: our mayor is a nitwit and our county executive isn't too far behind.
We rarely get this kind of snow (my neighbor said yesterday, "It's a once in a lifetime storm" as he was taking photos). You'd think once, just once, the DOT could use some salt on the roads. Dorks.

Posted by Susan at December 23, 2008 2:10 PM

Bloomin' no-growthers have been showing for years that they care for TheEnvironment more than they do for people. Why else would they let King County's population grow like it did the last thirty years or so and not build any new highways? This no-salt bull is just more of the same.

Posted by pete at December 23, 2008 3:21 PM

What Demosophist said, only more so: salt corrodes car bodies. When I lived in Chicago, most any vehicle more than 3-4 years old had body cancer. In Seattle we have the luxury of cars made in the middle of the 20th century that still look good; in the salted-roads states these are virtually nonexistent. So yes, it's a pain in the ass not being able to drive those briny ice-free streets, but it prevents our cars from premature aging and costly repairs. Sems like a worthwhile tradeoff to me, for the few days every 5-10 years that it's snowy & icy in Seattle--

Posted by Al at December 23, 2008 3:58 PM

Hey Al, driving on salt encrusted, ice free roads once every 5-10 years doesn't ruin your car.

Sliding into on coming traffic will.

Posted by Daphne at December 23, 2008 6:37 PM

Didn't Washington also ban beach campfires for contributing to global warming? Or was that Oregon? Probably Oregon. Since Oregon's farther south, its beaches must be melting at a much greater rate.
Soon we surf Vegas!

JWM

Posted by jwm at December 23, 2008 6:39 PM

We were driving through the city yesterday and the driver had a nervous breakdown it was so bad... Later south of Portland it took us 4 hours to go 10 miles because there was 6 inches of pure ice on I-5. The hippies down at the Oregon Dep. of Transportation have apparently never heard of salt, not to mention a snowplow.

Posted by Sophie at December 24, 2008 6:19 PM

What Daphne said.

I'm a big advocate of making cars last forever. But when that means turning 'em into toboggans and sending families into guardrails and under eighteen-wheelers, screw the damn car, and the oysters for that matter.

Perspective -- please. But who'm I kidding, this is Seattle.

Posted by Morgan K Freeberg at December 25, 2008 8:09 AM