Letters for Friday, Feb. 20

Washington budget ‘debate’

As the 2026 legislative session intensifies, our leaders are trapped in a vicious cycle. Facing a $2.3 billion shortfall, they are entertaining steep budget cuts while simultaneously pushing the 9.9% “millionaire tax.” Yet, both lawmakers and the media continue to fail the public by ignoring the root cause of this instability: Washington’s “donor state” status.

According to USAFacts, we pay roughly $7,139 more per capita in federal taxes than we receive back. This exports billions annually, leaving our local economy with less capital to compete. These federal “cost shifts” now directly infect state revenue projections, forcing Olympia to choose between raiding the rainy-day fund or further burdening a state already struggling with tax competitiveness.

Our small businesses bear the brunt, struggling against external trade and technology shifts while being starved of the capital needed to survive. It is a profound failure of representation that our officials remain silent on this federal imbalance, leaving voters uninformed about why our state is perpetually broke. Instead of looking to residents’ pockets, leaders must demand a fairer return of our contributions. If our representatives and the media won’t address this drain, they are simply managing our decline.

Randall T. Aamot

Pasco

Heard enough anti-Baumgartner attacks?

For too long The Spokesman-Review has published letters with misleading information about Congressman Michael Baumgartner. (Recently “In praise of the other Washington,” Feb. 8). Especially given that this is an election year we need to make sure that voters are accurately informed about candidates.

First, Congressman Michael Baumgartner was correct to call out Seattle’s tax rate in his speech on the House floor. According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, if Gov. Ferguson’s “wealth tax” is voted into law, Seattle will have the highest marginal tax rate in the country, exceeding California and New York City. Such an increase could again hit owners of small businesses. Washington already is faced with businesses shutting down or moving out of state.

Baumgartner is correct that Washington state is facing a multibillion-dollar deficit after Democrats and Gov. Ferguson approved the largest Washington tax increase in history last year. Democrats have expressed concern about the pending deficit since last fall. As the letter writer said, Washington must pass a balanced budget. But why is their first choice to increase revenue by increasing taxes rather than by reducing spending and lowering some taxes to stimulate the economy?

Meanwhile, Baumgartner has been instrumental in bringing millions of federal dollars to Eastern Washington, from supporting agriculture research to aerospace development. He favors a growing economy, spending restraint and lower taxes. As he said in Congress, “Get government under control. Stop taxing the good people of Washington state.”

Greg Thomas

Spokane

No small segment

In a Jan. 14 letter-to-the-editor, Earl Moore defends Rep. Michael Baumgartner and expresses concern “that The Spokesman-Review only represents the views of a small segment of the population, particularly those who oppose President Trump and are quick to assign blame.” In the 2024 congressional race, Democrat candidate Carmela Conroy received 156,074 votes, hardly a “small segment of the population.” I don’t imagine many of those voters now support Rep. Baumgartner.

There is more resistance in Congressional District 5 to President Donald Trump’s actions, enabled by Republicans in Congress, than Moore or Baumgartner (demonstrated by his prior comments) want to admit.

I appreciate The Spokesman-Review’s independence and its balance-of-viewpoints approach.

Scott Wilson

Pullman