The public buses on the city streets and back roads of Pierce County, Washington, provide breathtaking views of sweeping shorelines and majestic mountains. While savoring those sights from a comfortable window seat, one would scarcely know that the public agency that operates those buses, Pierce Transit, is in severe financial crisis. But the recession has cut so deeply into its principal revenue source - a local sales tax - that a 40 percent reduction in services will likely be required unless new funding is secured.