Vote no on all levies and bonds. This will tell all levels of government that property taxes are too much a burden on many homeowners.
It will give levy-writers a chance to pare down their proposals; to separate the real needs from the wants. If this passes as-is my total taxes increase maybe $1,000, no small amount to me. It’s hard to pay my utilities, and I’ve put off my needed new roof and pumping my septic. My modest house is now supposed to be worth some astronomical sum which I can’t tap without selling out.
Maybe a state income tax for schools makes sense, but I understand why voters don’t trust politicians to use it carefully. Without trying to pick apart the proposals, I am especially troubled by the feeling that they threw everything in. Austerity is a virtue we all need to learn, including kids. I know that the tax break Boeing got isn’t tied directly to education. But it shows that politicians respond to power, and the only power we have is the vote.
I would support a real bare-bones proposal, but not the ones I have seen. Vote no this time.
Doug Grandpre
Lake Stevens
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