Letters: Taxes and the common good

Re “Soaking taxpayers, again,” Opinion, April 17

Each law that Lloyd Billingsley considers as “soaking taxpayers” is aimed at rectifying some of the many social costs that occur when the notion of some mythical freedom includes destroying the environment and our well-being. The price of a healthy society for all is taxes.

Billingsley can deride these taxes if he wishes, but when he says that “hundreds of millions of dollars” spent on mental health care and affordable housing will never be enough for the politicians, you have to wonder where he thinks our social resources should be going.

Ralph Mitchell

Monterey Park

Where has Billingsley been all these years? Doesn’t he know that Californians have willingly elected officials who favor the expansion of government and the accompanying tax hikes? Doesn’t he understand that we live in one of the most left-leaning states, punctuated by our unfriendly business climate, high taxes, high unemployment rate and stratospheric public pension obligations?

Here is an Op-Ed article writer who apparently evaluates our state using logic and reality. This is California, where we don’t view things in the context of what is but base our votes on what could be, should be and would be.

Have we forgotten that California is home to the original Fantasyland?

Glenn Toth

Playa del Rey

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