Our Readers’ Views

Pet projects get pushed upon us

After reading the March 9 story “Light-rail alignments divide community,” it seems like a foregone conclusion that light rail is going to be shoved down our throat. Clark County voters have voted this down in previous years, yet our elected officials are following the example of our elected officials in D.C. and Olympia by going against the will of the people.

We hear every day how the city, county, state and federal governments are broke, yet these officials continue to spend our money on pet projects. It is time for all elected officials to treat the funds they receive through our taxes with respect and begin to act responsibly. A good start would be to treat the tax dollars like they treat their own household budget. If you do not have the money, you do without. The sooner all elected officials figure this out, the sooner our fiscal woes will be resolved.

Quentin Smith

Vancouver

Change course in mode of transport

I have to agree that texting while driving is dangerous. So is talking on the phone or to the passenger beside you. So is drinking before driving, focusing on music, news or talk shows, or drinking coffee while the car is in motion; or shoving a CD into the car’s player while going 60 mph; or trying to control unruly children. I can’t quote accident statistics for each of those distractions, but I’m sure the toll is high for each one, whether legal or outlawed.

Making distracting driving practices illegal won’t stop them from occurring.

People have grown accustomed to multi-tasking, and most people find it easy to convince themselves that they won’t get caught or that accidents happen to other people, not them.

Which brings me to my point. What we need to change is not specific behaviors. We need to change our whole system of getting from one place to another. Instead of moving cars, we should have moving highways, track or conveyor belt highways that move vehicles automatically from on-ramp to off-ramp.

Would that be costly? You bet. But compare that cost with the devastation that takes place daily on our highways. If car wash businesses can do it, so can Washington’s Department of Transportation.

Joel Littauer

Vancouver

Level the field for shoppers

I am much in favor of removing the sales tax exemption for shoppers who show an Oregon license and are immediately exempt from paying the sales tax. I am of the firm opinion that the overwhelming majority of those individuals really live in or around Clark County, in the state of Washington. Repealing the exemption would remove the reason for drivers to register in Oregon, but live in Washington.

If a person works in Oregon, but lives in Washington, that person pays Oregon income tax. If a person purchases anything in Washington, then that person should pay the sales tax regardless of where that person lives. I am sure that we all know a friend or neighbor who lives here but drives with Oregon plates, most likely to avoid our sales tax. Let’s level the playing ground and remove the sales tax exemption.

Bill Linehan

Vancouver

Whose income sets the standard?

The March 5 story “Senator suggests income tax vote” about Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, progressive senator from Spokane, was interesting. Her plan to start an income tax on anyone she considers a high-wage earner does not go nearly far enough. The tax would be 4.5 percent on income over $200,000 for an individual. The problem I have with it is her definition of a high-wage earner. To me anyone who makes over $24,000 per year is a high-wage earner. So I would be all for the plan if we used my number.

And while were at it, let’s use some of this money to redistribute the wealth by giving every one who makes less then $24,000 a $1,000 a year for every $1,000 under $24,000 they earn (i.e. a person who makes $12,000 would then get $12,000 from the state). After all, to someone making $12,000 a year, anyone making twice as much as them is wealthy.

The progressives will never be happy until 100 percent of everybody’s income is taxed. So instead of slowly moving it that way, why can’t we just do it all at once? Then the progressives won’t have anything else to progress to, and then maybe they well finally go away forever.

Darel Maden

Vancouver

Cantwell comes through with support

I’m writing to thank Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., for standing up for the use of majority rule to pass a public option. A public option is essential because it provides Americans with an alternative to private insurance, reduces the deficit, and helps to keep private insurance companies honest. The public option will ensure: losing your job no longer means losing your health care insurance; a pre-existing condition is no longer a barrier to getting insurance; and if you pay your premiums, your policy cannot be canceled In addition, the public option will provide an alternative that is always available to individuals who need health coverage and small businesses who want to provide coverage to their employees.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that various public option proposals in the House saves at least $25 billion. Even $1 billion in savings would qualify it for consideration under reconciliation. Put simply, including a strong public option is one of the best, most fiscally responsible ways to reform our health insurance system by bending the cost curve. I’m proud that Cantwell is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the American people.

Angela Marx

Vancouver

Are leaders smarter than 3rd-grader?

As I expand my volunteer experience, I joined the Lunch Buddy program and was assigned a bright 9-year-old third-grader who is mature for his age, intelligent, and a good student with good manners. I asked him what was his favorite subject in school. He told me, enthusiastically, it was subtractions. So we played with numbers, doing additions and subtractions in various forms, including subtracting larger numbers from smaller numbers, resulting in negative numbers.

My little buddy seemed to have an understanding of abstract negative values. That impressed me a lot, especially since our government, our president (current and last), our economists, our congressmen, etc., don’t seem to understand the concept of negative numbers. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Obama and Bush paid a visit to my little friend and tried to explain to him how he now owes $40,000 as his share of the deficit? Furthermore, his little sister and single mom also owe $40,000 each, so the total share of that household obligation to balance our budget is $120,000. Perhaps it’s time that our president and members of Congress take a refresher course in third-grade subtraction.

David L. Crosland

VANCOUVER