Bryan Kirschner wrote in Saturday’s op-ed that being wealthy, he should be taxed more (“Tech made me wealthy, I should be taxed more,” Feb. 14, Opinion). How very noble of him. I might feel the same way, if I were confident that the taxes and revenues already collected were spent wisely and efficiently by the state of Washington.
However, being a one-party state, there are absolutely zero checks on spending, waste, and fraud. A Republican one-party state would have its issues as well. The lack of a counterbalance to governance and spending is a recipe for fiscal mayhem. The fact that our major news media has minimal (if any) focus on spending issues (waste and fraud) certainly exacerbates the problem. “Everything is fine here, just move along …”
Bottom line: If the state of Washington’s revenues were spent more efficiently and wisely, we would not be having a discussion regarding the “Millionaires Tax” as it would not be required. A final observation: Many states are reducing the tax burdens on residents while maintaining critical services. I don’t expect any sort of tax reduction to happen here anytime soon.
Scott Pierce, Kirkland
