This is in response to the editorial, “Don’t Wait to Solve Educational Mess.”

Like it or not, we are “the state.” We elect officials to coordinate programs, like our public schools, that benefit everyone.

Unfortunately, these programs do not run without a source of revenue. Taxation is a fair way to collect funds so that we all shoulder the burden of our obligations to our children. Teachers and principals must be paid, buildings need to be kept safe and learning materials must be kept up-to-date.

When we reject taxation proposals like placing a tax on non-essential food items or (back when gasoline was only $1.29/gallon) a 5 cent per-gallon tax on gas, we deny ourselves (“the state”) the ability to fund vital programs and to have reliable revenue sources for educational and social services, as well as the infrastructure we need to remain a vital economy. If you blame “the state,” you can point your finger at yourself.

We should ask ourselves why we back down so easily when those businesses who believe their profits may be threatened fund “no vote” campaigns on reasonable taxation proposals. Is it because we are using them as an excuse?

Sharon Paxson, education director, Kirkland