Tax Increases are not what is needed in Bellingham or the County. Government needs to do what the citizens must do - cut back. People are losing their jobs, their homes and what they spend. Salaries need to be cut or at least frozen and only basic services should be retained at current budget levels. Government needs to feel what the people it governs are feeling. Please do not look to Washington or California for examples as to how to handle the current economic situation. 2010 will be the defining year in how financially it all comes out. Bellinghim needs to see how it goes before increasing taxes.