Hey Marty! 2+2 still = 4 in our math
Maybe this is why politicians waste so much money - they can't figure it out!

7/26/02

Dear Editor:

My wife and I read with interest a letter appearing this morning on Virginia News Source from Marty Williams, a state senator from the Peninsula regarding the sales tax increase.  In it he challenged your use of a "22% increase" when referring to the sales tax increase being proposed by the November referendum, so we sat down with my handy-dandy $10 calculator and discovered two things.

Your numbers are absolutely correct; his challenge isn't.  We took the proposed tax increase of 5.5% and from that subtracted our current rate of 4.5% and were left with 1.0, which we then divided by 4.5.  Our answer: 22.22 %  Pretty simple math.  Or so we thought.  But we're not in Richmond spending other people's money.  We're here in Virginia Beach trying to make ends meet with what little is left of our labors not taken from our local, state and federal governments.  So we figure tax increases the old fashion way, the way we were taught in a classroom.... not the senator's boardroom.

Sen. Williams, the coverage given by Virginia News Source on the November referendum only discusses the sales tax increase, none of the other taxes and fees you mention.  We fail to understand why you  mentioned them.  We are talking about the tax increase proposed, comparing apples to apples.

What is it about simple math you politicians don't understand?  No wonder we have a financial disaster in Richmond.  Perhaps it's time to replace the tax increase math wizards with some simple two plus two equals four folks that have to balance their personal checkbooks.

Sorry Marty, but you failed our son's fifth grade math book quiz.

G.V.W.  Virginia Beach, VA

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