By All Ears Vashon
“Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Build a giant something down at Point Robinson.”
“Why?”
“It will attract many people to the Island.”
“Oh, that makes sense. So many ferry runs are almost empty. It would be nice to fill them up. But how would they get to the park?”
“Public transit.”
“There is no public transit to Point Robinson.”
“Oh, you’re right. So, by cars.”
“And by trucks and by motorcycles?”
“Yes, and even by motor scooters and by e-bikes.”
“Wouldn’t that add a lot of traffic, which can be noisy and even dangerous?”
“Sure, but almost nobody lives on that road, so it’ll be okay.”
“That road isn’t in the greatest shape. A few of the dips could just about swallow a compact car.”
“We’ll get the county to fix it up.”
“Okay, but wouldn’t all that traffic add to pollution emissions?”
“I suppose so. We could look into buying carbon offsets.”
“What about all the tire particles that can wash off the roads into the waterways and poison the fish?”
“Have you not been paying attention? There are almost no fish now, anyway.”
“So, it wouldn’t require an environmental impact statement?”
“Nah, that’s for big projects. Little environmental hits like this aren’t important.”
“Brilliant … sort of like guilt-free ice cream when you’re on a diet.”
“Yes, and another bonus is all the extra money that will flow into local businesses, which will allow them to hire all the unemployed.”
“And those workers could fill up all the unused low-cost housing that is going wasted.”
“I think you’re beginning to see the big picture.”
“So, what would this thing be?”
“Imagine a big imposing king sitting on a throne.”
“I’m not sure how that would go over with the public. Wasn’t our country founded by overthrowing a king?”
“Sure, but that was a long time ago, and no one knows any history now. Besides, there is a big trend toward autocratic rulers … it’s all the rage.”
“You’ve got a point there.”
“And he’ll be pointing too.”
“Pointing where?”
“To all of his subjects who make the pilgrimage.”
“Since this is a public park, we should probably send out notices about the project and its location.”
“No, no, no. This king wants a cloud of secrecy. We don’t want to let the cat out of the bag.”
“Okay, but do you really think people will be interested in this thing?”
“Trust me. Build it and they will come.”
