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Posted Oct. 18, 2002

We Are Already Taxed Too Much

To the editor:

I applaud the excellent letter last week by Scott Mackenzie that so aptly articulated the no-tax increase position.

On the surface, a half (percent) doesn't sound like a lot. However, that is not the issue. The issue is that we are already overtaxed: federal, state, local, sales, real estate, personal property, utilities, gasoline, energy surcharges and tolls. The list goes on.

The government must learn how to do its job with the resources it already has. Citizens are not "greedy" in their desire to keep their own money. Fairfax County is the richest in the nation and its school budget is astronomical, but the superintendent contends we cannot afford to have janitors replace light bulbs under the current budget.

This is nonsense and proves the obvious: Money is not the problem. Those who would do away with the Department of Education are not anti-education, as the media likes to portray them. We care passionately about the education of our children.

Regarding raising taxes for road construction, who guarantees that this will actually solve the problem? City planners have seen this coming for a long time. Traffic in Northern Virginia is not fixable to everyone's satisfaction. Nevertheless, there is money for road construction or maintenance being generated by gasoline taxes that is more than sufficient.

Citizens must vote no to the tax increase. Let's make our government responsible to use the resources they currently have, which are plenty.

Ruthie Rosati

Reston