Publisher’s Notes are the personal opinions of The Distorter’s Publisher-in-Chief and do not necessarily represent the official editorial position of The Distorter.
To my fellow citizens of Mercer Island:
If you’re wondering why The Distorter didn’t provide endorsements in this year’s election, you need only look in the mirror. Last year I made my views on the subject perfectly clear. Did the voters heed my advice? No. So I did not consider it worthy of my time to offer endorsements this year. Not that I’m bitter.
After what seemed like an endless campaign, but was in fact merely interminable, the results are in. What have we learned? That only 43% of the top 1% wanted to pay an extra $1 per day, while the other 57% didn’t want to pay an additional 45%, or perhaps only 43%. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
It’s too soon to say whether the defeat of Proposition 1 will turn Mercer Island into the festering hellscape that its supporters have promised, but if you’re looking for evidence that the our community is in decline, you need only read the posts on Nextdoor.com.
Now that the election is over, I boldly call for the Mercer Island community to put all of the divisiveness behind us. If there is one thing that can unify all of us, it is this: The yard signs are gone. No more email, junk mail, robocalls, or social media posts. Soon enough, the hair will grow back on the scalps of the IMS students whose parents paid them to shave in those “Yes on 1” and “No on 1” logos.
We need to stick together, because the end of this election season doesn’t mean that the threats to the Mercer Island community are over. On the contrary, our greatest threat lies ahead. A so-called “think tank” claims that Washington State’s tax system is the most unfair in the country. We may have voted not to raise our own taxes this year, but who knows what will happen when the misguided do-gooders in Olympia get wind of this? They’ll turn our land of opportunity into another — dare I say it? — California!
I cannot imagine what could be fairer than our current tax system. We’ve worked hard to earn our money or, in some cases, to inherit it from our parents. I’m all for paying my fair share, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of remodeling my vacation property on Lake Chelan. Or my condo at Whistler.
And don’t lecture me about income inequality. My family donates generously to Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, the Mercer Island Schools Foundation, and the Mercer Island Football Booster Club. If that isn’t helping to end income inequality on Mercer Island, then I don’t know what is.
The time to stand our ground is now. Tell your elected officials that the status quo is serving Mercer Island well, and we’ll fight to the end to preserve it.
Letitia Snugbottom
Publisher-in-Chief
The Mercer Island Distorter