Letters for Feb. 20

You can’t tax right-of-way

What? Did I read The Spokesman-Review’s front-page article correctly – that lawmaker Jake Fey of Tacoma is proposing to tax the use of roadways by the mile? Does he not know that public streets, roadways and freeways are considered public right-of-way, entitling any pedestrian and vehicle to use them in accordance with traffic laws and regulations?

I understand that the cost of maintenance, repair and upkeep is increasing. But in my opinion, taxing by the mile is not the solution, especially in a “loosely structured” system as proposed – “self-reporting to the Department of Licensing.” (I, for one, would be tempted to fudge my mileage numbers.)

If such a proposal should go through, I would expect some type of regulation that would tax my use of clean air by the cubic centimeter, since nowadays, there is a cost associated with clean air.

I hope Rep. Jake Fey thinks of the Tacoma News Tribune newspaper delivery person who travels many miles each day delivering papers, and how much such a proposal would affect him/her.

This whole thing brings to mind the old adage: “The art of taxation consists of so plucking the goose as to procure the greatest quantity of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing.” Let it be known that this goose is hissing!

Forrest Diehl

Spokane

Perfect time for 51st state

There are a lot of issues out there. One was an unthinkable impossibility. Until now.

Could this moment present a perfect storm, occurring once in a generation, to ignite a realistic movement to establish the 51st state of Columbia? Or EWA? Or Wheatia, or Croptopia? Or whatever?

The point is … the time has come for the God fearin’, hard workin’, straight shootin’, common sensical folk populating this paradisiacal patch of planet to break free from the woke-yoke harness of misguided mandates, resource mismanagement, foolish priorities, and thinly veiled contempt foisted on we, their east of the Cascade’s country cousins.

So please, keep your Inslees, Murrays, Jayabals, Cantwells, et alls. Just get off our backs and out of the way. Lord luv ya and good luck.

Fifty-one by thirty-one.

William Baxley

Spokane

Some lawmaker engage, others ignore

I want to express sincere appreciation to state Sen. Marcus Riccelli and state Rep. Jenny Graham for meeting with our group from the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association to discuss housing supply challenges in Spokane and across Washington. Their willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue is exactly what we should expect from elected officials.

Unfortunately, not all legislators were as open. We were unable to secure an appointment with Representative Natasha Hill, and our meeting with Representative Timm Ormsby’s office was disappointing. Rather than listening to our concerns, his aide dominated the brief meeting with her own talking points and didn’t take notes. I left feeling unheard and frustrated by the lack of genuine discussion, and without confidence that any of our feedback would be forwarded to Representative Ormsby.

As a Democratic voter who has supported both Rep. Ormsby and Rep. Hill in the past, I knew we disagreed on this issue, but I was open to weighing my overall alignment with them. Unfortunately, this experience has made me question my support. I don’t expect agreement on every issue, but I do expect my representatives (or their staff) to listen in good faith.

I traveled from Spokane to Olympia to participate in our lawmaking process, believing that all elected officials should hear from their constituents. Sen. Riccelli and Rep. Graham reinforced that belief. Rep. Ormsby’s and Rep. Hill’s office, unfortunately, did not.

Libby Patton

Spokane