Yes, I voted for I-695. Yes I understand what I voted for. That is to change our government. Make them spend our tax dollars with proper representation and force our leaders to spend wisely.

I also feel repetitive excise tax is for the birds, or maybe for our government public servents. Hey Tim, are you ready to try another initiative? How about Real Estate Excise Tax?

How fair do you think it is for a seller of a home to pay 1.65% of its sales price to the government. What do we as tax payers get for that service. Doesn't our government get enough out of our property taxes alone. I encourage you to start this next initiative. I'll help get signatures. My bet is most anyone that owns real estate will be for it, except our government servents! Booohooo! Go for it!

-- Mr. Bill (bspencer@kalama.com), November 02, 1999

Answers

Mr. Bill has a point. Why stop at the MVET when most of the taxes we pay are things like Real Estate Excise Tax and sales tax. Tim, gut them too so we can live as full libertarians. If we want services from government then we can choose to pay for them, do them ourselves or totally forgoe them. For instance, if I have a fire at my house I could choose to call the fire department and pay for the service, try to put the fire out with my garden hose or just let the house burn down and let the insurance company pay me for it. Let's have more choice and not be paying for things we don't want.

-- David (unified@whidbey.net), November 02, 1999.

I am there! Sign me up! Will volunteer for whatever I can do to help. My wife and I posted over 75 Yes On I-695 signs in Vancouver just this weekend, added to the others we stuck in the ground over the past 30 days.

P.S. And we will also be taking our signs down this Saturday so as not to pollute this great state with political grafitti.

-- Jim DeFord (jimdeford@home.com), November 02, 1999.

I agree we need to get rid of the Real Estate Excise Tax. Excise: 1. a tax levied on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of a commodity. ( Commodity: moveable goods) 2. any of the various taxes on privileges, often assessed in the form of a license or other fee. Webster's Dictionary of Law. By the very definition, it does not apply to real property which is not "moveable". Private ownership of property is not a "privilege" granted by the government, but a Constitutionally secured Right.

-- Leithel Lady (leithellady@yahoo.com), November 03, 1999.