The June 7 issue of The Mirror had a front page article whose headline stated “Public safety takes a big hit.”

I read the article. WOW! There is a budget shortfall and we are about to lose fire and police protection. Only the most serious cases will receive legal attention. Criminals will be freed from jails before their time.

This is serious. We cannot let these dire predictions come to pass. Go ahead and raise my taxes!

Oops, not so fast. The article could have done us a better service if it had been a more balanced piece. For instance, are there really no other places to cut spending? Are there no other sources of income or other ways to increase income? Are there some departments that have more money than they need, and maybe they could share with those that are short?

I take it back. Do not raise taxes. And next time, please don’t scare me like you did in this article.

Leo J. Thoennes,

Federal Way