Letter to the Editor: it's time that Washington state lives by its values

To the Editor

I have lived in the greater Seattle area for 22 years (and in Shoreline for the past 9 years), and I love our state. Washington to me represents beauty, innovation through education, and hope for a better world because of our values.

I have also seen rents increase by over 100%, many good people being priced out of their neighborhoods, homelessness increase as a select few have gotten extraordinarily wealthy, and our tax code has become the most regressive in the US. I don’t fault those who have been successful, but I do believe that they should be willing to invest some of their fabulous wealth back into the things that make this state so successful and special.

That’s why I believe in the Democratic led House Bill 2186, which creates common sense revenue for investments like education, infrastructure, and social services for the most vulnerable brothers and sisters. Closing the capital gains loophole is especially smart policy that 42 other states have already enacted, and is projected to raise $715 million for our state while affecting only 2% of Washingtonians. It is time that Washington lives by its values and passes a budget that stops placing so much of the financial burden on the backs of those least able to pay.

Mary Hobbs

Shoreline