I'm going to use the TriMet Theory. When collectively the voters of the three county area turned down Lightrail twice, the TriMet Mafia cherry-picked the voter numbers to deduce that the voters separately in Portland passed Lightrail. So they built their lines without true public support of all their citizens.

This bond measure in various ways was made into a referendum on lightrail, since it was equated with the Milwaukie Lightrail and Lake Oswego Trolley line in many ways through the campaigns and the media.

So, since Clackamas Co. voters in this measure are voting against the TriMet Bus Bonds by 2 to 1, and Washington Co. is voting 62% against it, then I'm sure TriMet will cease with the proposed Milwaukie Lightrail and LO Trolley.

We must be fair and consistent with applying the TriMet's Theory, right?

I wouldn't be concerned if you are a TriMet supporter.

Some backroom, book-cooking, accounting legerdemain will be discovered to get the money.

The Water Bureau seems a fertile field for such revenue-raising. Or Portland's pedophile mayor could just hold the Sellwood Bridge hostage again.

Cynical? You bet.

I have a better solution that is a win-win-win.

TriMet reduces its service district to Multnomah County, plus the MAX lines. (In other words, it eliminates all bus service in Clackamas and Washington Counties).

Clackamas County, following in the footsteps of Wilsonville, Canby, Sandy and Molalla (interesting coincidence that all four of those towns are in Clackamas County!) creates its own transit service district. As a result, they get lots of federal funding to buy new buses.

Washington County does the same and also gets lots of federal funding.

The only real losers would be Metro and Multnomah County, who now have to compete with the other two counties for federal funds as right now everyone is grouped together. But TriMet would be able to retire its oldest buses, keep the new buses on its much smaller bus system, and still keep the MAX lines.

The remaining question is: Who wants WES?