My View – Wayne Snoey

I cannot afford taxes any more than the next person right now.  As a Real Estate Broker, my income is significantly less than it was in any normal market.  In fact, my industry is one of the hardest hit in this Recession.  We don’t show up on any unemployment charts as we are Independent Contractors and do not qualify for unemployment insurance.  While the regular unemployment rate hovers around 9.5%, there are about 20% fewer Realtors in Washington then there was only a couple of years ago.  Further, most of the remaining 80% are lucky, in general, to earn 50% of what they did in a normal market.

I point this out only to emphasise that it is a pretty big deal when an Industry, which has fallen on such hard times, actually steps up to the plate and endorses local school levies.  Realtors are much worse off than most in this Recession, yet they see the important community value of education.  We recognize that we cannot sacrifice the future of our children because times are tough right now.  We know that character is defined, not when times are easy, but when times are tough.  Our children need us to show our character right now, when important funding for their education is at risk.

As a Realtor, I support our local school levies and King County Rural Library District Proposition No. 1.  All of these votes are to maintain educational opportunities for our children.  They need not only schools, but the Libraries for after school studies.  In fact, in voting for the Library levy, you are also supporting many adults in the community who rely on the library for its many services besides just checking out books.  Many rely on them right now, for example, for resources to help in job searches.  Libraries, like schools, also function as important community centers for all kinds of events as they have space that is not generally available anywhere else.

Please vote YES on your ballot for these important community resources!