To the editor:

Forty dollars a year of additional real estate taxes? $3.33 per month? That’s the additional property tax I would pay for a $250,000 home if Prop. 1 passes. That’s less than one ferry ticket each month. I think most property owners can afford $3.33 a month, don’t you?

I’ll gladly pay $3.33 a month to ensure that my elderly neighbor gets her one meal a day delivered by the meals-on-wheels program; to ensure that new mothers who can’t otherwise afford it are provided maternal support and effective parenting education; to ensure that we don’t lose seven to 10 deputy sheriffs, so we are all made a little safer; and to ensure that our drinking water is tested and declared safe to drink.

The list goes on and on. It’s such a small price to pay to ensure that we all continue to enjoy our high quality of life in Island County.

I simply cannot understand the mindset of those who oppose Prop. 1. I assume that most opponents of Prop. 1 aren’t totally heartless, but rather just rigidly adhere to the no-tax-is-a-good tax philosophy, and to the discredited notion that tax increases inevitably lead to job losses and a weaker economy.

The point here is that tax increases do not inevitably lead to fewer jobs and less growth in the economy. In fact, history has shown quite the contrary. The taxes we pay provide all of us direct benefits — public safety, clean water, parks — while also generating jobs and wages in our community that help sustain our economy.

Conservatives go absolutely apoplectic when anyone challenges this debunked pillar of their strategy that “government is bad, so eliminate it, and give the money to the wealthy so they can create jobs,” but the truth is the truth — if Prop. 1 passes, the increased tax revenue will save many jobs that will otherwise be lost.

As mentioned above, seven to 10 deputy sheriffs will keep their jobs (and we will all be safer) as will numerous other county employees. Many of these people are your friends and neighbors — members of our community. These employees will then spend much of their earnings at local businesses, thereby increasing county sales tax revenues as well as circulating the money in the local economy so its impact is multiplied. They will also be able to pay their mortgages, which helps to keep property values stable — foreclosures drag down property values.

What happens if Prop. 1 fails and all those county employees lose their jobs? Foreclosures will surely rise, and their income will no longer be circulated in the local economy, thereby causing sales-tax revenues to decline further. Additional layoffs by local business owners become even more likely, as is the increased likelihood of businesses having to close their doors due to lack of business.

So, neighbors, won’t you agree that $3.33 a month to keep our community vibrant, healthy and safe is worth it? Please vote YES on Prop. 1. It’s the right thing to do.

Nels Kelstrom

Clinton