Dear editor,
In your editorial “Referendum dilemma resolved” (Record, Dec. 1) you rightly point out that our taxes provide for the “greater good” of the community. I think that your decision to go and vote was the correct one. Even if you are a renter here, you nonetheless pay taxes indirectly through your rent. Your landlord might even decide to pass along the new cost of supporting the Valley’s homeless, feeling justified in giving you a rent increase to cover the added levy of a few dollars a year.
All residents have a right to vote, whether they own property or rent or live in a supported facility, because all residents have a stake in the community’s well-being. It is ironic that the only residents not able to vote in the recent referendum were those homeless without proof of an address.
I feel lucky to have a comfortable home, and I’m happy to give at least a few dollars a year to assist those without. I’m also very willing to pay my school taxes despite having no children in school, happy to contribute to the greater good of our community. When you think about it, we’re really all in this together.
Tom Pater
Courtenay