A good approach to car tab fees

Charles Sweet’s letter suggesting analyzing and shifting budget needs before passing a drastic reduction of car tab fees (“We need evidence, measures when considering car tab fee reduction,” Feb. 21) makes a lot of sense. Which means, of course, that neither Tim Eyman nor those who regularly support his initiatives would ever give it any consideration.

Ask about the math involved in determining the workability of $30 car tabs, and anyone, including Eyman himself, is loath to identify a logical, thoughtful calculation process. This is because there wasn’t any; Eyman simply fixated on the base fee from over 20 years ago, when Washington had a lower population and much more modest needs.

Now he wants to convince us that “budget by gut feeling” is a desirable approach in the state’s highest office. I can just imagine the slogan for his gubernatorial campaign: “Tim Eyman: Arbitrary tax cuts for disregardful dissent.”

– Al Eufrasio