Sometimes we want to just scream, "Take a position, blast it. Stop dithering and ducking for cover."

That is the feeling we have with Proposition 1, the regional measure that would raise a lot of money to fix roads and extend Sound Transit.

The dithering is embodied in the personification of King County Executive Ron Sims, who is a long-time board member of Sound Transit and a mover and shaker in transportation issues. During the long construction process of this three-county multi-billion dollar measure, Sims sat silently with the proponents and drafters. Once the measure was in the can and on the ballot he suddenly flip-flopped and came out against it. Talk about expedient leadership.

We have no brief with those who are opposed to the measure that would raise $38 billion over the next 20 years (a higher $47 billion includes debt service, which is like saying you paid $2.4 million for your $500,000 house).

We do strongly disagree with those who oppose this measure but offer nothing but the "it will hurt global warming" alibi. Proposition 1 may, indeed, add to global warming, just as the storied city of Kyoto is adding to increased greenhouse gasses 10 years after the Kyoto Accord.

Is that a reason to keep the Puget Sound in perpetual gridlock, both the automotive kind and the political kind?

Don't cars stuck in gridlock for over a week each year add to global warming? Oh, we are supposed to get out of our cars and ride the bus or train or light rail? How do you do that in Seattle unless you are going directly from West Seattle to downtown? The bus system isn't broken; it was never working to begin with. It is a total failure to all but about 10 percent of our citizens and even they complain about noisy, uncivilized passengers while they go downtown so they can get a bus to their real destination.

Light rail? Fine if you live on the eastern side of Seattle, a decision made by our political leaders when they exterminated the Monorail Project that would have given transit to us Seattle westerners.

Let's be clear and say that $7 billion for roads is not going to solve all the problems, but it will help get people from West Seattle to downtown. It will still be slow, but anything is better than sitting still. The $10.8 billion for Sound Transit will do absolutely nothing at all for West Seattle - it will only help those in the Rainier Valley and other points east. But at least they won't be on the freeways, too.

For those who proclaim we are harming global warming and that Proposition 1 is anti-green, we say come up with a workable alternative and then we will listen. Leaders ponder and propose alternatives, not just cater to the babbling crowd and say No to everything.

Let us fix a bit of our transportation mess while we wait for a "green" solution.

Vote for Proposition 1 on Nov. 6. Help West Seattle cope with gridlock.

- Jack Mayne