Is it worth is to save on motor vehicle registration at the expense of local transit districts, county health departments, criminal justice, police and fire depts???? These are just some of the services that receive huge funding cuts if I695 passes. Whatcom county, alone, would receive $8,575,640 in revenue cuts- many of these cuts affecting our services in rural communities. Do we want to support these cuts in services just some some wealthy people can save money registering their expensive cars and motorhomes??? I don't see a need to subsidizes the more well off individuals at the expense of the general communities needs, Cars are a luxury. Health and law enforcement save lives.

-- Sue Burke (Sprampi@aol.net), August 06, 1999

Answers

We stand to lose NOTHING except an outrageous tax. If cars are a luxury then you and people who believe like you should willingly give up that luxury for the good of the huddled masses. Again I bring to light the situation with the Mariner's stadium. When Olympia discovered there was a major shortfall in their planning they simply transfered some money from some obviously unneccessary program into the General Fund to cover their boondoggle.

Why do none of you whining doom and gloom liberals address this topic?

If I-695 puts too much of a strain on ONE pocket they have hundreds of other pockets just bursting with unused cash. I want direct documentation that Whatcom county is absolutely, and without any doubt going to receive an $8,575,640 revenue cut. Your post does not constitute a verified document.

You are relying totally on unsubstantiated FEAR and class envy to spread Your untruthful rhetoric.

I started the post with an aboslutely verifiable report of what government does when they find themselves with a shortfall.

They do NOT cut back necessary services because there are SO MANY useless prgorams that they re wasting money on that they can be flexible.

They can attempt extortion by THREATENING us with a reduction of normal services but it is only a threat that is developed into terrifying proportions by people who get on the Chicken Little bandwagon and proclaim that the sky is falling.

-- maddjak (maddjak@hotmail.com), August 06, 1999.

The problem is not I-695, which seeks to end an onerous, unfair tax. The problem is R-49 and previous legislation that dedicated the MVET to specific programs, many of which the people will support and vote to continue. I-695 cuts only a small fraction of the increase in the current bienniel budget over the previous budget. The problem is that the loot obtained by the MVET is dedicated, instead of going into the gereral fund so that the legislature could allocate it to the most important needs. It ain't the fault of I-695.

-- Arthur Rathjen (liberty@coastaccess.com), August 06, 1999.

More typical bleeding heart liberal blather from a whiney cheesey tax- and-spend pollyanna. You are so stupid that you probly think Santa Clause actually lives at the North Pole! You Liberals are so alike, you think that government is good for us. This is a story: I went into a building that was run by the government, the Office of Spend All Your Money, I think it was anyway, I went to use the bathroom and wash my hands. Their was no hot water! This just goes to prove that the government is inept and tirranical, like the British were just before the Boston tee party. They dont know how to use the money that they steal from us always so they shoud'nt get any. You liberals never talk about issues, just insult people who are right, are just jealous cause you have no reasons, logic or no common sense like us. You shuold just shut up and get a job like the rest of us intsead of getting paid to sit at your 1,000 dollar desk in Olympia and make up lies to tell to the people! Another thing is that health thing is so stupid. If people dont work hard enough to afford to get sick then they shouldn't. You want to give all our money to lazy people. Work for your money if not then go back to russia and see how you like it their! We NEED cars so that we can work to buy more important things. Like things for our cars. Stop trying to say we have enough cars cause I'm not easily fooled I see empty streets all the time. There's plenty of room for people who value FREEDOM and not Commie values to drive there cars FREE from greedy tax and spend Liberals!

-- Sheraton (JREwing@troll.net), August 09, 1999.

Things are not always what they appear to be.......I'm reading allot of classist comments that people who can afford to drive SUV's and expensive cars should be forced to pay the taxes for all the poor people. Can't believe in this day of diversity training in all walks of life, one would make such comments. Yes, for some....cars may be a luxury, that's true, but you cannot judge every SUV owner as a rich person with nothing better to do than drive around showing off their expensive car....here are some reasons to drive a nice car.

1. A widow may choose to lease a vehicle rather than have the problem of car breakdowns.

2. A single Mom may need a dependable car to drive her children to school, sport activities and church activities.

3. A widow may have no mortgage and choose to make the payments on a car that is dependable.

4. She may work at a confidential shelter for battered women and go pick them up and take them to safety.

5. She may use her vehicle to pick up donations, or take donations to women in need.

6. She may want a car that is safe to be on the road in, with all the crazies out there.

These are just a few of the reasons I choose to drive my SUV.....I can afford the payments....but the taxes are another thing, it is a hardship on me. So before you judge someone in a "luxury car", remember that "things are not always what they appear to be." YES for I-695!!

-- Terri Schweigert (yourfriendterri@juno.com), August 11, 1999.

When I was a kid, I worked in a service station. We did business with many state agencies including the state patrol, among others. One day the county accessor (an elected official) came in to fill up driving his county provided Black Chrysler New yorker (with air conditioning.) I asked why he gets a big Chrysler, and why not a Pinto or a Pacer? He said the only reason he drives it is because that's what they give him. I work for a government contractor, and we drive in vehicles the average Mr. Joe Public could never afford to drive. I heard that in Olympia they put up a new building with a parking lot so big, it looked like a port of entry. The idea was to save money by consolidating services in one place thus eliminating the costs of multiple leases on buildings across town. Sounds like a great idea, until I hear they hired new personnel to fill the new building, and then kept the old ones. These are a few of the areas where budgets could be trimmed, and who cares if they all have to drive Geo metro's. That brings up another point: If they had to pay licence tabs, they wouldn't be driving expensive government vehicles.

-- Sig Landoe (slandoe@bentonrea.com), August 15, 1999.

Even though I agree with the sentiments of one of the other respondents, I dont think being called stupid lends itself to swaying the reasoning to your point of view. My parents feel the way you do, and of course I wouldn't want to suggest they have rocks for brains either, regardless of how I feel. I think either you have genuine inerest in people, or you work for the state, (or Whatcom county). If the former is the true statement, realize not all poor people ride the bus, some drive cars like you and me. If you care, give em a brake. Vote for I-695, be a friend.

-- Sig Landoe (slandoe@bentonrea.com), August 15, 1999.

I moved here several years ago from a state that has a tab renewal fee of less than $30.00 per year. The sales tax in that state is the same as in Washington, and there is no state income tax. The infrastructure is better maintained, gasoline is much cheaper, and the schools receive more funding per annum than in Washington. I have often wondered why, with all of the taxes Washingtonians pay, the citizens do not reap more benefits. It IS possible to have well- maintained roads, well-funded public education, and amply funded local governments without gouging the citizens. It's too bad that this Initiative wasn't in place a few years ago. We could have saved the $400+ million that has been spent on a baseball stadium. For me, a car is a necessity, not a luxury. I am not wealthy, and need a car to commute to work (the bus system takes 3 hours to get there). The $300 it costs for me to register my vehicle causes a very real financial hardship for me. You don't have to be wealthy for the vehicle registration tax to impact you financially.

-- Nancy Nowlin (nowlin@hotmail.com), August 16, 1999.

Your observation is right on, Nancy. As a native Washingtonian and resident all my life, I've noticed the same thing. We are paying much more in tax money, and yet services and facilities have declined. I have noticed this especially in roads, shabby parks and education. And, in the case of roads, it seems it takes longer for repairs and improvements to be made after a problem is recognized. Washington's roads used to be in much better condition. I can't believe that with the growth this state has experienced in the last 10-15 years, and the subsequent increase in tax money to government coffers at all levels, we should be in this kind of fix. I'll bet the percentage growth in state revenues has consistently exceeded salary increases for the majority of residents in the state. Throwing more money into the bureaucratic maw won't make much if any difference except to lower the living standard of the productive people who produce the taxes.

Through the tab rollback, I-695 gives us a chance to address this issue by forcing government to be better stewards of our hard-earned taxes. 695's vote requirement for new taxes allows Washingtonians to give more thought to how large and intrusive they want state government to be. The ability to have more "power of the purse" is very important.

-- A.C. Johnson (ajohnson@thefuture.net), August 16, 1999.

I moved here from Texas. NO state income tax and MUCH LOWER MVET in Texas. Also, lower gas prices. Transit (at least in San Antonio) was better, and so were the roads. Course, the road maintenance went to the lowest bidder, not to "prevailing wages," and we kept with a good solid bus service (VIA) and didn't try building $4 billion rail transit systems. Mainly, we built an awful ot of roads because that's what the customers wanted. Interesting concept, that.

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crossings.net), August 16, 1999.

Oh Sue, Sue???? where are you?????? I guess you can spew your garbage but can't back it up!! And do you really think for one second that the state is going to cutback on important service? Besides, if these services do get cut, then Olympia can try and justified it to the voters and most likely we will for to increase taxes to support it. Remember? That is the under heard of part of the initiative!!!

-- hammer (hammerhead1@hotmail.com), August 18, 1999.

Typical politics of envy from Sue. These liberals are constantly pointing at 'the rich' as beneficiaries of any and all tax cuts. In reality, if everyone in this country making over $100K per year were taxed at 100% of their incomes, the additional collected revenue wouldn't run the federal government for a single week.

Of the 4.7 MILLION cars registered in the state of Washington, less then 20,000 of them generate motor vehicle excise taxes in excess of $1,000, and only a little over 200,000 more are in the $600-$1,000 range. That leaves over 4.5 MILLION ordinary Joes and Janes out there, many of whom are driving inefficient, polluting, unsafe older cars just to keep their annual license tab renewal as 'affordable' as they can. Meanwhile, the truly 'rich' are more aggravated at the time wasted sending in their registration renewal than at the amount of MVET they pay--after all, they probably spent more on their last box of Cuban cigars.

-- Tom Evans (evans_tl@hotmail.com), October 15, 1999.