Letter: Taxes and traffic are tolerable

It personally makes me ill to read issues going on here, especially the Columbia River Crossing project and making such a major issue over building a new bridge.

I am used to paying tolls, driving on roads with tolls in many areas of the East Coast. It’s no big thing. I feel it’s good for the economy and helps pay for the project.

Here it is a major issue because this area has never had to drive in real traffic jams or pay tolls. You’ve been spoiled in the Northwest, folks. Wake up, people.

I don’t complain about the high state sales tax rate when it is compared to 4 percent in Virginia. In fact, I support it and shop in Washington instead of Oregon.

I am from the East and recently went back during the Thanksgiving holiday. The region has major naval bases for people to commute to, so the traffic jams are terrible when exiting and entering the Interstates.

Here, I have never seen such a comparable traffic jam except when there was an accident, so our crossing over the Columbia River is nothing.

In the East, the HOV lanes, however, are fantastic and very different from this region, which we really enjoyed driving on.

Kathryn Cave

Vancouver