Editor,

We need to pass Initiative 976, and here is why — the current budget for Washington state is receiving hundreds of millions of dollars above what was budgeted. Then, the financial whizkids — Democrats — in Olympia increased taxes raising more than $25 billion over the next 10 years, adding insult to injury using title-only bills, filling them in and passing them on the last day of the session so nobody could read or oppose them.

The state is awash in money.

Taxpayers can get some relief by passing I-976, cutting vehicle registration to $30 and fixing other problems. WSDOT will squeal big time, but it don’t seem to be inclined to trim its budget. For example, WSDOT pays prevailing wages, government-mandated wages and benefits, something that was put into effect to protect 1930s era workers, adding cost to all their projects.

Also, it seems that WSDOT pays sales tax on its purchases. In other words, a money laundering scheme to move money from the transportation budget to the general budget. Another budget buster, building an electric ferry, spending enough to probably build two conventional ferries, demonstrating they are “green,” except for saving the other green, money.

Critics say passing this will prevent rebuilding failing bridges, failing roads, etc., but the DOT had gotten the money for years and hasn’t fixed any of them.

Why should I pay high registrations when all they do is burn up the money doing high priority jobs like putting rumble strips on Highway 20 instead of fixing a critical bridge? They show an ad with the Skagit River bridge collapse, big problems with that.

The bridge was knocked down by a truck, nothing to do with maintenance.

Side note, the government got out of the way and a private contractor fixed it in eight weeks, not like the months or years it would have taken DOT, plus the bridge is federal, not state.

This is not the first rodeo for this issue. In 2002, I-776, the $30 tabs measure, was passed by the voters, but in the succeeding years, the state found multiple ways to circumvent it, pushing registration sky high, astronomically high in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

Once again, we need to send them a message.

I-976 is a small step towards the house cleaning we need in Olympia, but hopefully it will be loud enough to be heard by apparently deaf politicians.

Rick Kiser

Oak Harbor