The publisher of our state’s largest newspaper says the state shouldn’t ask the U.S. Congress to help out with Medicaid, and Congress shouldn’t offer to do so, either, but “the state should learn to live without it.” Heaven forbid that this publisher or the CEOs of Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, SAFECO, QWEST, and a host of other Fortune 500 companies who reside in this state should pitch in.

I urge everyone who is capable of seeing through this charade to sign a petition to put I-1098 on the November ballot. I-1098 would cut the state portion of everyone’s property taxes, give small businesses a break on B&O taxes, provide $500 million for K-12 education, and provide $300 million to cover most of the state’s Medicaid requirement.

This would be accomplished simply by taxing the incomes of people who prefer that our taxes be used to build stadiums so they can spend their millions to showcase their millionaire sports teams. It’s the Roman Empire all over again. Only this time, the athletes in the arena are millionaires instead of slaves. Only we can correct that inequity. They will not.

Jim Bruner

Oak Harbor