Letter: High taxes, requests for more add up

My wife and I recently returned from a trip through seven states. Of those, our state, Washington, had the highest fuel costs. That is unacceptable. The Legislature has raised our gas taxes numerous times. They have increased our vehicle registration taxes (they may call them by different names to get around the initiative we as citizens approved). They have initiated tolls on I-405.

Snohomish County wanted a large tax increase to further fund law enforcement in spite of the fact that, as I understand it, is already some 75 percent of the budget. Yet they are also giving significant raises to some key executives.

Our cities want more of the pie for their various reasons.

Our school districts keep coming back to us for more money. And the Supreme Court wants to give even more of our money to schools.

Sound Transit is asking for a large increase in taxes to fund transportation that many cities in Snohomish County will never see till 2030, or so they say.

We as citizens are tired of all this burden being put on us. We want our share of the pie in the form of lower taxes. But we can’t have it since these government entities keep taking it from us. When we establish budgets as families we cannot spend more than we take in without going into debt. We cannot go to another entity and ask for money as they can. We must live within our budgets. They must do the same! If we don’t have the money we can’t go out and spend what we don’t have. They need to stop coming to our trough. They must live within their means as we must do!

Vote “no” on all tax and fee presentations by these government entities whenever they come up.

Sherwood Sage

Mukilteo

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Nov. 7

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Warner Bros.
"The Lord of the Rings"
Editorial: Gerrymandering presents seductive temptation

Like J.R.R. Tolkein’s ‘One Ring,’ partisan redistricting offers a corrupting, destabilizing power.

Schwab: Trump continues course blithely as voters begin to rouse

Against a backdrop of Democratic election wins, Trump continued with the same old, same old.

Democracy is worth staying, fighting for

In response to a recent letter to the editor suggesting we offer… Continue reading

Issue of Epstein files hasn’t gone away for Trump

I really don’t care about your politics but I’m really concerned that… Continue reading

Bouie: Election shows Trump as albatross around GOP’s neck

Voters are telling Trump and Republicans that they’ve baldy misread the mandate of the 2024 election.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, Nov. 6

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Stephens: Why do dumb ideas — from left and right — persist?

A little reflection on past failures ought to be enough to have us keep searching for solutions.

Comment: Food banks are indispensable, but can’t replace SNAP

SNAP has been the most effective anti-poverty program in U.S. history. Its work must be restored.

Comment: California’s gerrymander is sleazy, but necessary

And, as Tuesday’s vote shows, it had the support of a majority of Californians who oppose Trump’s agenda.

Comment: The devil for GOP is in the details of the election

If they care to listen, Republicans were given a warning about their prospects in the 2026 midterms.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.