Don’t be fooled

Don’t be fooled with Tim Eyman’s latest tax-reform initiative [“No budget distractions,” News, Sept. 23]. This proposed property-tax cap will have a devastating impact on Washington schools, state health care and public transportation already hurting from deep cuts due to the recession.

I was a high-school student in California when a similar measure, Proposition 13, was passed. As a result, schools did away with school buses and summer school, there were massive teacher layoffs and school closures, class sizes expanded, and students who wanted to participate in after-school sports had to pay to play.

Presently in Washington, school districts have done away with music and arts programs, guidance counselors, and like California 30 years ago, class sizes are expanding and up to 3,000 teachers have been laid off. The Office of Financial Management has said Initiative 1033 reduces state general fund revenues that support education, social, health and environmental services, and general government activities by an estimated $5.9 million by 2015.

If I-1033 passes, 40,000 Washington residents will permanently lose their Basic Health Plan coverage. Our state has been battered enough by the recession. Don’t let this initiative do even more damage.

— Martha de Carbonel Patterson, Silverdale

Long history of failure

Tim Eyman has a long history of failure. More often than not, his wacky initiatives fail to qualify for the ballot, are defeated by voters, or are struck down in court [“Judge won’t edit voter’s pamphlet for I-1033,” NWSaturday, Sept. 12]. Eyman’s latest scheme, I-1033, is designed to make our state a failure too, by locking us into a permanent recession.

Eyman would cap revenue for all levels of government and make it illegal for local lawmakers to spend more than the previous year’s budget on schools, police, fire protection, roads, libraries, parks, hospitals and other services. This effectively cements all the tough budget cuts forced by the 2009 recession.

So when our economy bounces back, we won’t be able to return money to counties and cities to restore cuts in police and fire departments. We won’t be able to return laid-off teachers to our classrooms. We won’t be able to restore cuts to health coverage for our most vulnerable, or to bring back critical hospital, nursing home or public transportation services.

Eyman’s 1033 scheme is a proven failure: Colorado suspended a similar law after it shredded their education system and left thousands of low-income children with no health insurance.

We can’t let Eyman make our state a failure, too.

Say no to a permanent recession.

— Rebecca N. Johnson, Seattle

Reduce the gap between rich and poor

We do indeed need to reform our state’s tax system so that the gap between the rich and the poor is decreased, not increased.

Our state is one of the most backward in the nation because the lowest-income citizens have to contribute more of their income in taxes than those of higher income. That’s ludicrous.

The state’s smallest businesses also should not be unfairly paying more into the state than large businesses.

The most economically vulnerable in our communities need to be considered, not ignored. During our state’s current economic crisis, passing Initiative 1033 would not only seriously worsen the current financial situation, but would also impact our ability in the long term to protect the most susceptible citizens in our communities.

Deep cuts to child care, public health, health care for adults and children, housing, care for senior services, and education have already taken their toll in Washington. This tax initiative would cause devastating long-term impacts on all of these public services when they are needed the most. With so many people unemployed and losing health benefits, it’s our moral obligation to step up, not step away.

Faith communities and faith-based agencies across the state have stepped up adding more charity services to help families during this economic crisis, but the religious institutions are not equipped to maintain such services in the long-term or act as the safety net in place of the government.

As a person of faith, I believe God calls us to love thy neighbor, not ignore them.

As you stand back and look at the whole picture, remember to consider that it is a constitutional right and moral obligation for our government to care about and represent all of its citizens, ensuring that at the least, our most basic needs can be met.

— Jeannine Daggett, Snohomish