Taxing doesn’t fix the problems; create them

We are in a time in Lacey, and all over Washington, where housing prices continue to soar. Yet when the time comes to address the issue, we hear no solutions other than taxing people to solve the problem.

Worse than that; not only are many of our elected officials not able to see past taxing and spending to solve our problems, they vote in favor of putting measures on the ballot that would increase the problems they want to tax you to pay to fix! Increasing the property tax will no doubt increase housing costs.

The time is now to focus on priorities. Read each measure that you find on your ballot. If it increases property taxes, really think about how an increase in property taxes could hurt those on the verge of homelessness. Is the item being funded important enough to force them out of their homes? In the case of Lacey and its Metro Parks District, the answer is no.

Renters pay property taxes. People are finding it harder and harder to put food on the table. Knowing this, will you vote to increase housing costs to pay for stadiums, sports complexes, and museums? Make no mistake, those three items make up 80 percent of the proposed spending on Lacey’s Metro “Parks” District.

Vote against the “Parks” district to tell those in power that we care about the poor, and we don’t believe it’s moral to increase housing costs during a housing crisis. Tell them to focus on real priorities.