The state Legislature is in the process of suspending our voter approved requirement that all tax increases require the approval of two-thirds of our representatives and senators. (Editor’s note: I-960 was formally suspended on Feb. 24 till July 2011.) This is because they are considering adding a 1 percent sales tax, doubling the tax on your inheritance, tripling the tax on oil companies, therefore raising our gas prices and many more taxes. Many analysts predict thousands of jobs could be lost as a result.

According to a local news station, all of these could be added at the last second as an amendment to a phantom blank tax bill already moving through the legislature, without a public hearing. And we may never know how our legislators voted if they remove individual voting records from the state voter’s pamphlet. So much for transparency and representative government.

Join me in letting our legislators know that in these difficult economic times, raising taxes is not the way to solve the budget crisis they created. We deserve better from our legislators.

Mark Hargrove

Covington