Some Taxes Make a Good Investment
I think we all feel our taxes are too high. But we also need to consider what we are getting for our money. Years ago, I thought of how we needed to get out of debt on the federal level. Some suggested a voluntary system where we could donate extra to pay down the national debt.
That didn’t work. Why? We cannot bring ourselves to pay into the national debt when the politicians seem to have no desire to live within the income. It appears if we give more, they will spend even more.
But what of those who are truly working on our behalf? When that happens, I am wholeheartedly willing to get behind them, and I am even willing to pay higher taxes if we can see that the job is getting done. What if, by paying a little more, we could see a savings in another area and have a system that runs even better? We should be all over it!
We have such an opportunity on a local level. There have been some recent developments in the Newaukum Valley Fire District (Lewis County Fire District 5). Having worked for over 40 years in the fire profession, Gregg Peterson was willing to work as our fire chief for significantly less than the previous chief. This has helped to keep the district afloat.
But he has also been working to improve efficiencies of the response team, such as reduced response times. The numbers have become quite impressive. For a predominantly volunteer fire district, the numbers are approaching those of fully paid districts.
I live in the district and noticed that my insurance rates have dropped slightly. There is a rating that applies to the efficiency of each fire district. Our insurance coverage applies this rating to each structure we insure. As our fire district rating has improved from 8 to 5 (10 being the worst), my insurance cost has dropped. I did not know why until recently.
Gregg would like to do more for the fire district. No, he is not seeking a wage increase; he wonders if people would be willing to pay more on their taxes to regularly replace old equipment to maintain this fire rating into the future. He’s hoping for a tradeoff: We would pay more in taxes, but save on insurance — and actually be better protected. He thinks we should try for a rating of 4. I am all for this kind of efficiency.
I learned the 1 percent tax increase limit annually also applies specifically within the tax structure to our fire department. One percent each year does not even keep up with inflation.
It would take a vote of the people to make a change. I think a serious increase is worth it, and I am a numbers guy. I suggest you talk with Gregg yourself. And while you are talking with him, you might want to thank him for what he has already done.
John Lawrence
resident of Newaukum Valley Fire District
Decisions in Pinotti Case Create Confusion
Let’s see if I understand this correctly:
The courts cannot find any reason to fine or jail Phillip Pinotti for escaping a misdemeanor warrant arrest, while at the same time it justifies an officer trying to kill him.
I’m confused here. The prosecutor addressed and condoned a fictional action. While the officer did threaten to kill Pinotti, eyewitness testimony tells us that he did not shoot at the subject. What he actually did was use his gun as a hammer when it accidentally discharged in the middle of a busy downtown morning. (It’s still not clear where that errant bullet went.) Does the prosecutor also claim that the officer was justified in doing that?
We have legal department policy and public opinion operating in different directions here.
Legally, nobody did anything wrong? Department policy says there were errors in judgment. Public opinion (on the airwaves anyway) goes so far as to say that an officer is justified in killing anyone he or she perceives as dangerous or disrespectful.
I’m told that it is simply a matter of the “style” of law enforcement that we are talking about here. Some police departments can capture a bank robber without firing a shot, while other jurisdictions prefer to use safer methods, such as pumping eight shots into a man who is not wanted for anything except a conversation.
One may be arrested for bank robbery and his or her day in court, or be murdered in the street for stealing a burrito: It’s all a matter of “style.” Either way, the authorities will tell you it’s all perfectly legal. Thought you’d like to know.
Dennis Shain
Centralia
