The purpose of this letter is to ask you to oppose I-1185, an initiative that will be on the ballot this fall in Washington state. Since 1999, I have been working on a masters research project, which I call “Transition 2030 Today.”

Washington state faces some serious financial issues. Because of lower revenues, it has cut support for colleges and universities. Tuition at the University of Washington has grown by more than 242 percent in 20 years. It has a total state debt of more than $18 billion. State spending has dropped each year since 2007, while the net number of new driver’s licenses has increased to more than 100,000 each year. The number of Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) employees has decreased 3,855 since 2008.

I believe the answer is to completely replace the current tax system with a moderately progressive income tax. This could be done by the Legislature and should help them to be politically popular. They could lower tuition, save DSHS, save basic health, lower the state debt and save law enforcement and fire departments to protect them.

Eric Paulsen