If the best excuse the mayor and council can come up with to try to justify a tunnel to replace the viaduct is, as Tim St. Clair says, "the viaduct is likely to collapse if the area was hit by the strongest earthquake expected to happen within a 2,500 year period," then they are truly grasping at straws.

On top of that to put a billion dollar-plus levy on the ballot to increase property taxes when they already collect double what they did a few years ago is asinine. Example: If your home was assessed at $200,000 two or more years ago and is now assessed at $400,000, they are already collecting twice what they had been receiving,

Don't kid yourself, it is not just the homeowner that will suffer but we know a landlord will pass the increase onto the tenant.

My question is among others with all the special levies I see on my tax statement what the hell do they do with the basic tax they get already?

The Police Department and Fire Departments are already understaffed at approximately the number they had in the 70's and the population has increased not decreased.

If they think the answer is to annex White Center and parts of North Highline when it has already been established that this move would just increase costs, not add revenue, then the hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

Where is common sense? If you can't pay for it you don't buy it - simple as that.

Harriet Benjamin

Harbor Avenue