{"id":78411,"date":"2009-12-11T17:36:49","date_gmt":"2009-12-11T22:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seattletimes.nwsource.com\/html\/northwestvoices\/2010486142_taxesandbudgetdeficitsfromnearandfar.html?syndication=rss"},"modified":"2009-12-11T17:36:49","modified_gmt":"2009-12-11T22:36:49","slug":"taxes-and-budget-deficits-from-near-and-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/78411","title":{"rendered":"Taxes and budget deficits from near and far"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unjust is right<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gov. Chris Gregoire is correct: Her proposed state budget is unjust [\u201cGregoire lifts budget ax: Don\u2019t make me do this,\u201d page one, Dec. 10].<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, given our current economy, in order to provide safety for those without jobs, those who are low-income, and those without health insurance, as well as to provide a quality education in this state, raising taxes is the only option.<\/p>\n

The governor agrees with this.<\/p>\n

But raising the sales tax should not be an option. Here in King County, our sales tax is already 9.5 percent, which is one of the highest in the United States. Sales taxes are regressive and affect those we are trying to help with the safety net the most.<\/p>\n

Washington must implement an income tax \u2014 now \u2014that taxes those with the highest incomes the most, and which does not apply income tax to the low-income.<\/p>\n

Under this plan, I will pay more taxes, but it\u2019s worth it, because someday I may need to benefit from the same safety-net programs that I am supporting today.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jamie Flaxman, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

A voice from Spokane<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is time for Gov. Chris Gregoire and other elected officials in Olympia \u2014 whether they are Republican or Democrat \u2014 to take a long hard look at themselves and start being held accountable for what they have done. Instead of pointing fingers and blame at each other, our officials need to stand in front of a mirror and then point their fingers to see who is to blame.<\/p>\n

The budget deficit is not just the fault of the governor, but all who throughout the years have spent Washington state funds and did not stop to notice how high the deficit was becoming.<\/p>\n

Do any of our elected officials think Washington\u2019s high unemployment rate is not Washington, D.C.\u2019s, fault, but perhaps some blame should be placed on our state?<\/p>\n

We need accountability; Washington, D.C., does not run Washington state.<\/p>\n

Our officials need to stop looking toward D.C. and find our own ways to get our state on the right track, and get Washingtonians back to work.<\/p>\n

Big corporations, manufacturers and other large organizations are not the only ones that can put Washington state back to work. Incentives and breaks should also be for the small business, for those that exist and those who want to start a small business.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Linda L. Roush, Spokane<\/em><\/p>\n

Living with cerebral palsy<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have had cerebral palsy all of my life, and it\u2019s so important to me to have essential support care in order to stay healthy and live a normal life. I also sent a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire about rejecting the proposed Medicaid cuts.<\/p>\n

I use a wheelchair, always have, always will. I have no other choice.<\/p>\n

Currently, my specialized computer \u2014which talks for me and has the technology to allow me to write e-mails \u2014 is away being repaired, but awaiting government approval for the repair cost.<\/p>\n

So now a friend is typing what I\u2019m dictating. It\u2019s hard to be forced to rely on others for my basic communication needs.<\/p>\n

If the services and support get cut per the Department of Social and Health Services recommendations, I would not be able to maintain the equipment that helps me communicate, and I\u2019m afraid my life would become isolated.<\/p>\n

If the health programs proposed to be cut disappear, I also fear I might end up back in a nursing home, which might cut my life shorter, and would definitely end my ability to live my life as I choose, and run my own business as a filmmaker.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dianne Laurine, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

The opportunity tax<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instead of calling it the death tax, would the term opportunity tax be more palatable [\u201cRepeal or reduce the death tax,\u201d Opinion, editorial. Dec. 7]?<\/p>\n

Over the past 20 years, the Republican tax cuts have helped build today\u2019s wonderful economy and increase the divide between the rich and poor until it mirrors the pre-Depression years.<\/p>\n

The difference is debt. So it makes little sense to fuss over yet another tax cut for the few, without addressing the much larger problem.<\/p>\n

The opponents of the estate tax do not offer up an alternate way of taxing the incredible opportunity for success that being an American provides us. They just want more. But the estate tax is just one piece of a much larger system created to maintain a societal balance.<\/p>\n

America succeeded when it shared the gains created by capital and labor in the \u201950 s and built a strong middle class. But for the last 30 years, as productivity continued to increase, the middle class remained static or fell behind, while accumulating debt. This is the undoing of our success as a nation.<\/p>\n

The Times should look at the larger picture, especially in light of today\u2019s economy, and investigate how we can reclaim our economic engine.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Bill Clapp, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unjust is right Gov. Chris Gregoire is correct: Her proposed state budget is unjust [\u201cGregoire lifts budget ax: Don\u2019t make me do this,\u201d page one, Dec. 10]. Unfortunately, given our current economy, in order to provide safety for those without jobs, those who are low-income, and those without health insurance, as well as to provide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78411\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}