Local worthy Bill Gates has decided that the best thing that could ever happen to our local community is that more of its funds be rerouted through Olympia. Why would he say this? This is ossified thinking at its best and here’s why.

Now if I had many millions or billions of dollars and I lost most of it, I still would have some few millions or billions remaining. I’d still be a millionaire or billionaire. Or if a tax came along that trimmed off a little of my billions or multimillions I could probably stand it, at least for a little while anyway. Or, maybe I’d stop grumbling after a short while and just get used to my reduced circumstances as a poorer billionaire.

But if in my case I only had hundreds of thousands or only thousands and most of it was taken away, I’d be wiped out.

Similarly, if a tax came along that trimmed off a percentage of my money and made me pick between the higher standard of living choice at one store, or the lower standard of living choice at the store across the street, I’d go with the lower standard of living choice naturally because that’s what I could afford. Thank you very much indeed for your new income tax, which has lowered my standard of living. I appreciate it very much. What we need is tax policy that is people oriented and is almost cartilaginous in its freshness and helps ordinary people in their choices, not calcified and making things worse.

Miles F. Holden, Kirkland