Random observations about taxes, cycling, Lowe’s, and car names as my favorite month comes to an end. There is no unifying theme.
Today is property tax day in Washington as payment for the first half of the year is due. I sent checks to the Kitsap and Mason county treasurers about a week ago. Property taxes in Washington are sky-high. Most people believe taxes should be progressive, because that’s the “fair” way to distribute the tax burden. Fortunately, property taxes are proportional. Can you imagine how high they would be if the rate went up as the value of a house increased?
Speaking of taxes, a grab-bag of tax increases passed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature kicks in tomorrow. Among them is a $1 per pack hike in cigarette taxes, raising the cost of a carton of Winstons to more than $70. Although I only smoke a few cigarettes a day, I bought several cartons this week to delay facing the price increase for a few months. Even if I pay interest on the credit-card balance until then, it will still be cheaper to have stocked up now. Another thought: at $7 a pack, each butt you see on the ground cost the person who threw it there $.35. Maybe the state, reasoning that smokers can afford it, should add a refundable deposit to help control the litter.
I hit a top speed of 28.5 mph at the end of my bike ride today on the downhill stretch of Belfair-Tahuya Road just before it meets the North Shore Road. That’s not high-speed for people who race. But for me, dressed in shorts, a sweatshirt, and a cheap fiberglass helmet, it was plenty fast. Earlier in the ride, I noticed that Elfendahl Pass Road, closed since December 2007 when heavy rains caused extensive washouts, is looking more and more like a “rails to trails” project. Much of the road is now covered with a layer of forest duff.
Today Lowe’s was giving away free T-shirts. They are nice, white with the store’s blue logo. I was headed home and only a few blocks from the store when I started feeling guilty about not asking for one for my neighbor. If anything he spends more money there than I do. But rather than acting decisively right then, I drove almost all the way home before deciding to go back. The clincher was the thought that every time I wear the shirt I will regret not getting him one. Hope he likes it. It will be the perfect attire for spreading the load of topsoil and manure we got at Lowe’s yesterday for his front lawn.
Finally I’m wondering if the marketing team at Chevrolet is running out of car names. Case in point: from 2005 to 2008 they made a minivan called the Uplander. Doubtless many factors contributed to its short lifespan, but the name cannot have helped.
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