Letters: The unbearable madness of taxes

My family moved to Cloquet 17 years ago. In that time, our property taxes have more than doubled, with an increase of 129 percent. This is before the pending new firehall gets added onto the bill. The valuation of our home has increased 98 percent, which plays a role in how much our property taxes are. I like an optimist as much as the next person, but I am highly skeptical that we could sell our home for what the assessor is valuing it at. Thoughts of appealing the value of our property sounds like a waste of time, as I have to believe the success rate against the county in this task is miniscule.

Now there are reports that Gov. Walz wants to expand the state budget by 26 percent? We currently have a budget surplus, but that will pass as quickly as a northern Minnesota summer. Then the burden of this expanded government will be imposed on the backs of the taxpayers. It seems government only has one path, to get bigger.

I am nearing the age of retirement but don’t know how people on a fixed income can keep bearing these spiking costs of government. It is disheartening and unsustainable. In case you have forgotten, our federal government is $31 trillion in debt.

John Sanders, Cloquet