I'm just curious. I have a parcel of land with a well and septic. I have a gun for home defense, a fire hose for fires, and everything is insured. I am educated enough to give my children a basic education. I own a 4-wheel drive that can get by whatever problems the road has and have no need to go to Seattle, ever. Just what does government do for me? How and why should I care how deep programs are cut?

There are a large number of people like me in this state who work hard to take care of ourselves. I think the real loud opposition to 695 stems not from outrage at our "greed" for wanting to lower our taxes, but the greed of these people who have placed their lives in a position where they are dependent on government. The stupidity of this cannot be overstated. Not so much the poor, but the middle-class who know that they also have benefits far beyond what they actually earn. In other words they contribute far less to society than they receive, and howl when faced with losing it. When many of us say we are tired of paying, we are called selfish. Stadiums, mega-highways, buses, etc. These Seattle liberals have earned none of this but expect all of use to help pay for it for THEM. If just Puget Sound taxpayers had to pay for Puget Sound benefits, I think there would be a different refrain up in Seattle.

It is a similar tune in many other states. Few in the rest of California would shed a tear if L.A. and San Fran fell into the ocean tomorrow. Ditto with Seattle and whining about congestion on 405. If you big-government types had done a little better job, this may not be necessary. The government apologists are just as responsible for these problems as their government diety.

-- Brian (tigger@mashell.com), October 20, 1999

Answers

Brian

Sounds like you got it prety good. But so did the Branch Davidians

Ed - got my bunker, uh basement all prepared

-- Ed (ed_brigdes@yahoo.com), October 20, 1999.

Pray you are never injured in a traffic accident. Is that the kind of state you want your children to grow up in? No family or friends less "self sufficient" than you? No family? No friends?

-- dbvz (dbvz@wa.freei.net), October 21, 1999.

Just what does government do for you? Here are examples:

Local government (city / county): build the roads, water and sewer lines leading to your property, maybe electricity and cable. They also keep those in shape, repair potholes, feed pipes with power and water, dispose of your garbage and sewer wastes. It's especially expensive if you live far out. In your town, there's shared stuff like more roads, sidewalks, benches, pools or parks, centers. If you fish or hunt, people maintain roads and stock game for you.

State / federal: huge projects like bridges (for cars), dams (for power, water, crops, including cattle food), pipelines. Think about it next time you eat something from Walla Walla. You insure your belongings. The state insures your job in a way by enforcing and monitoring employee rights. The feds insure your bank. I hope you'll never need to cash in on any. There's plenty more, there are so many things we take for granted nowadays.

How and why should you care how deep programs are cut? Check out for yourself. Go to http://www.ofm.wa.gov/i-695/695august.htm, and look up your city and county in tables 3 and 4. These tables don't tell you exactly which road won't get maintained or which fire station will close (because local counties are waiting for the outcome of I- 695), but it shows you how much money is cut from where. Then decide for yourself.

-- Jeffrey Belt (jeffounet@msn.com), October 21, 1999.