To the editor:

I am responding to the letter comparing the creation of national parks during the Great Depression and a proposed levy to build the Langley Marina. The WPA was funded by the government for the sole purpose of creating jobs and kick-starting the economy in hopes of getting the United States out of the Depression. The tax structure was reorganized. Taxes on the wealthy and corporations as-well-as government bonds, not a tax levy on U.S. citizens, were used to fund the WPA.

The Depression caused a serious hardship on the majority of citizens who were forced to forgo recreation as they struggled to survive financially. Only the wealthy were financially secure enough to indulge in luxuries such as memberships to marinas and the boats docked in those marinas. Eventually most of these marinas were forced to close due to financial struggles and bankruptcy.

The creation of national parks has been a wonderful gift to people of all walks of life for many different reasons. We all benefit from magnificent places to escape the hardships life throws at us.

However, many people are struggling to pay for the necessities they need just to survive. Their efforts are directed toward making a living wage, food, housing, transportation and medical care.

The citizens of Island County cannot bear the burden of a tax levy to build a marina in Langley or anywhere else. If the economy continues to spiral downward then once again only the wealthy will be financially secure enough to indulge in the luxury of a marina while the citizens of Island County continue to be weighed down by the burden of the tax levy used to fund it.

What will happen when the Langley Marina struggles financially with the possibility of going bankrupt while the citizens of Island County continue to fund this sinking ship?

Kim Buckhalter

Freeland