Eliminating low-traffic services a blow we can take
Editor, The Times:
Rather than threatening the usual deep cuts to police, courts and public health [“County sales tax could go up,” page one, April 29, 2010], I have a novel approach to King County’s budget woes.
The proposed increase in the sales tax would generate $47 million to the county and $32 million to the cities for a total of $79 million. Sound Transit and Metro Transit already receive 1.8 percent of the sales tax, which should equate to $711 million in subsidies.
I don’t know about you, but I value the police, courts and public health considerably more than subsidizing a transit system I don’t use. I suggest our fearless leaders get real and increase the fares on the various bus routes to cover the shortage, or get real innovative and thin the ranks of the county work force and maybe even reduce their lavish benefit program.
— Robert Fluke, Woodinville
Tough cuts part of Constantine’s career
This is King County Executive Dow Constantine’s version of water torture — dribble, dribble, dribble until you are choked broke.
He offers false choices: We pay more or he lays off law-enforcement personnel. A made-to-order guilt option. It is blatant political manipulation to always use fire, police and rescue services as the budget victim.
Let’s take a hard look at other cost-cutting choices, such as delaying a renovation or replacement project, eliminating the nice-to-have West Seattle passenger ferry or rescinding a part of the pay increases for county employees.
How about living within your current budget, just like the rest of us have to do?
— Tom Ruszala, Seattle
What happened to Constantine’s no-tax promise?
Although he pledged not to raise taxes in a recession during his campaign, here we have it. Dow Constantine wants to raise the sales tax five months after his election.
When I buy something for $1, I am going to be taxed 9.7 percent. Where do I get the .7 cents? That is impossible, so I am actually going to pay 10 cents.
Sure, it makes a difference if I am buying something for $30,000 —it is going to cost me an extra $90 in taxes. But would I care if I could afford to spend $30,000? Constantine displays a graph showing the “projected” gap between county expenses and revenue for the next 20 years. How ridiculous is that? Need I remind him it was just a few short years ago the state of Washington enjoyed a surplus? What happened to it?
Those in the political fish bowl say increase taxes. That is all they know because they cannot think outside the fish bowl, as long as it does not affect their benefits.
I hate to say it, but, when the elections in November comes, I am voting straight Republican —something I have never done. That is my way of protesting the passage of more taxes on the people in the state of Washington, passed simply by Democrats in a time when millions of working-class folks need anything but that.
It is time for politicians to stick by their agenda and pledge to the voting public and stop taking the easy way out.
— Richard Lambert, Auburn