There have been many letters recently explaining how they are going to vote yes on our hospital expansion. They all say how wonderful our hospital is and how great it will be to have single-occupant rooms. I agree with them completely. In the years that I have lived on Whidbey I have used Whidbey General many times in events ranging from a heart attack to knee replacement surgery. In each and every instance my care has been excellent and everything I could have asked for.

Having said that however, let me tell you why I am going to vote no on the expansion.

I am retired and on a fixed income. Because there was (and I quote) “no inflation” I did not get a cost of living raise this year on either my retirement nor my Social Security check. Nevertheless my health insurance took its annual $25 a month increase; gas prices have increased by more than a dollar a gallon;  food prices have risen because of increased fuel prices; etc; on and on.

I quite honestly cannot afford more taxes, no matter how small they might be.

I’m sure I’m not the only one in this situation and I hope they will join me in voting no and saying no new taxes.

Meryl Gordon
Coupeville