We may succeed anyway

To The Eagle:

Our editor’s entrance into the fray with commentary on the ethics of tax assessment might possibly constitute rushing in where angels fear to tread. In the normal course of events, a person setting up a for-profit enterprise gets a tax number from the fed and then later registers personal property used in that enterprise with state (if their state has a personal property tax law). The current imbroglio involves our local assessor placing people on the rolls involuntarily and without due process. In my case protests were simply ignored. Baccellieri’s case was referred to the state department of revenue, which could have caused grave financial and legal consequences. Luckily, Michael drew a fair bureaucrat, and prevailed. In both cases our assessor’s action constituted a tacit accusation of dishonesty or evasion.

One of the glories of living in this country is that rather than gathering admissible evidence of malfeasance and spending time and money on legal proceedings, we can just air our grumbles in public and hope the electoral process will solve our problems. Former mayor George finds our grumbles outrageous, and the assessor’s replies admirable. We find them evasive. Editor Rick finds the assessor’s actions “the right thing” and agrees with George that we dissidents should be partially muzzled.

We may succeed anyway.

Howard Brawn

Puget Island