We need a state income tax to fund services, spending

Editor, The Times:

The Times, in its Nov. 22 editorial “State budget shortfall requires urgent action” [Opinion], urged Gov. Chris Gregoire to call a special session to make further cuts in state spending.

The state’s economic crisis — and budget shortfall — is largely due to underemployment. How would firing more state employees help that? Having fewer people with cash to spend on housing, health care, and local goods and services doesn’t seem to be the way to go.

There are people in our state who don’t have to worry about affording those things. They have time and means to make use of well-maintained state parks, ferries, bridges and highways. They benefit from workers and neighbors having an excellent education system, physical and mental hearth, crime prevention, and rehabilitation services.

These people now pay less than their fair share of the costs of such benefits.

Washington needs a state income tax, with a progressive rate sufficient to finance improved education and needed services, while permitting a reduction in the sales tax.

Let those who don’t have to spend every dime they take in, take some load off the rest of us.

— Bruce Pringle, Normandy Park

When will new, fresh leaders emerge?

Lately there has been a lot of talk and some action by city, county, state and federal legislators, governors, commissioners and mayors about raising taxes, fees and other sources of revenue to cover budgets ravaged by the economic meltdown and protect services provided by these entities [“State’s budget hole expands,” NWFriday, Nov. 20].

Well, here’s a suggestion for all of them:

It’s about time that taxes were raised on the people and industries most responsible for causing the meltdown.

The banks, investment firms, insurance firms, Wall Street and all their executives, mortgage brokers, traders, and anyone involved in the latest swindle over the last 10 years. Not to mention the 40 U.S. senators and many U.S. representatives still in office who removed the Great Depression-era safeguards 10 years ago that gave legality to their actions.

When will these people be held accountable? When will the average taxpayer of this state and country be relieved of the burden these people have placed on them? When will we see real leaders instead of professional politicians in office at all levels who are willing to do what’s right for the country as a whole?

Probably next November when every member of the House of Representatives is up for re-election, as well as many senators.

If we, the voters across the country, would concentrate on getting rid of any incumbent of any party who has served in the Congress for more than 12 years, new leaders could emerge.

We might then have a real representative government at the national level, and we could also apply that standard to city, county and state elected officials.

We need to clean house, and until we do nothing will change.

— Bill Davis, Kingston