Thanks for Island Transit

Dear Editor:

People say that drunks and druggies ride the bus. Aren't you glad the people in this predicament do ride Island Transit instead of driving?

Remember that a lot of these people are trying to change their lives around and need Island Transit to make their court appearance or rehab. It's a lot cheaper to give them a free ride on the bus than to have the sheriff give them a ride to Coupeville.

We pay every day for services used on a limited basis through property and sales taxes.

For example, I pay for schools and have no children in school and never went to a public school here. I pay gas taxes for roads, but drive less than 8,000 miles a year.

I have not had to use the fire/EMS/sheriff services yet, but I want them there when I need them.

I thank everybody that voted to pass the sales tax increase. You would have to spend $4,000 on taxable items to give Island Transit $36 in revenue at the current rate — the cost of one tank of gas.

Transit does not work for everybody, but I encourage you to give it a try.

Talk to the people who ride to Everett every day and ask them how transit is and how much money they save every year.

Thank you for helping to keep our planet green and saving the jobs at Island Transit. Thanks to our neighbors on Whidbey Island, who were a huge contributor in passing this tax measure and pay the majority of the sales tax that pays Island Transit as they do most of their shopping in Island County, on Whidbey Island, unlike us here on Camano Island.

Terry Baumann Camano Island