It's hard to get real concerned about the King County Budget "Shortfalls" that are described as " Deep, Searing..." with an 8.6% reduction levied on the County Justice System that amounts to a $33 million dollar cut on a Total Budget of $383,721,000.

You see I came through an era with The Boeing Company where a billboard bearing the statement "Will the Last Person Leaving Seattle Shut off the Lights" and those were really Deep and Searing cuts.

Besides King County Executive Ron "Tax to the Max" Sims has shown through his actions of returning parks, swimming pools...without any financial off sets or transfers of funds to various cities that county government is indeed superfluous.

And Sims always with the card up his sleeve where he subjects specific critical services to a levy vote like EMS whereas non critical "services" like millions in Art work for the Bright Water Sewer Facility, or contributions to the various Arts to promote diversity never seem to be touched by reductions in expenditures or subject to citizen voting on their priority.

But I'm certain that Ron Sims and the King County Council will show true leadership by cutting their own staffs by at least 17.2 %.

Let's see that would be two more council position and their staffs, bringing their numbers down to seven and that does not strike me as severe because other comparable cities, e.g., San Francisco, get by nicely with 5 similar positions and maybe Sims can drive himself to work or better yet take the bus!

Gary L Kennedy

Des Moines