Also not the original poster, but I give you this graphic: http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ea57/CityLead-CLICK.jpg http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ea57/Cit

Also not the original poster, but I give you this graphic: http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ea57/CityLead-CLICK.jpg http://www.thestranger.com/binary/ea57/CityLead-CLICK.jpg It depicts the denser, more urban, and/or more populated counties of Washington State contributing more and receiving less from the overall state pool of revenue than less populated, rural counties. (The graphic frames it as Democratic-voting versus Republican-voting but the population difference is also similar.) Here are some examples from my own time living in an urban setting versus the suburbs: - Road packages are always a given and almost never subject to a vote unless, as in the case of Washington State, someone bothers to get an initiative or ratification on the ballot. Urban mass transit, like buses and light rail, always come with a vote. So transit has to clear the legislature, the governor, and then the people. That presupposes that the legislature actually does anything. Roads only get stuck with the first two and "building the future" is wildly popular. - Going back to roads for a second dip: Road funding for rural and suburban areas tends to be at the state level. A highway through Okanogan or Ferry counties is paid for by King county residents. In contrast, cities in King county tend to fund their road needs through local taxes--usually through the much-hated vehicle registration tax--and have to do so in a series of piecemeal ballot votes. So rural areas get taxed once, urban areas twice or three times depending on how many taxing jurisdictions are at play and how much roads versus transit is needed. - Services which would be inefficient to fund through direct charges, like sewer systems or electric, get paid for at the state or county level and the urban areas pay into those pools but get little back. In Texas, there is a saying that "build the houses and the roads [or electric lines or what have you] will follow." I have lost count of the number of times my electric bill in my former residence went up because the poles-and-wires company needed to serve more far-flung suburban sprawl. There is a lot to be said for taxing ourselves as a society to pay for our shared good. Education, clean water, sanitary sewers, transportation; all good topics. The problem comes with, as inevitably happens, those folks in the suburban and rural areas both declaring that they "did it all by themselves" and also denying the urban areas the ability to tax ourselves to build what we now need. Is it an intentional act by the individuals who move to the suburbs? No, but it sure feels that way when the ballots are cast.