Editor’s note: This letter is in response to the column, “A community center is neither fiscally responsible or fair,” published April 10.

Libertarians have always confounded me when it comes to their outlook on what government should do for the good of our society.

Every one of them rail against taxes of any kind for anything, no matter the benefit to the community, and it looks like Bobby Martinez is no exception. Quoting from his recent article in the Courier-Herald, “Pushing taxes under the guise of community responsibility is a coercive practice that undermines individual autonomy, perpetuates dependency, and stifles economic prosperity. Instead of resorting to manipulation, we should focus on fostering voluntary cooperation, promoting economic freedom, and upholding the principles of individual liberty and autonomy. Only then do we respect the rights and dignity of all citizens.”

Now I will have to admit, up front, that I do not live within the city limits of Enumclaw but I consider it, in all respects, my home town and would certainly support the bond issue if allowed to vote on it and be taxed for it. Martinez’s previous statement gives the impression that the city council is attempting to tax the voters of Enumclaw without their consent, at least that is how I view it.

It’s a bond issue, which means that the citizens are being asked “to tax themselves” for the good of the community. This is exactly how local government should work as I’m sure most would agree.

I’ve never been able to figure out where libertarians think our government should get the money to provide all of the services that allow all of us to make that hard earned money that he refers to, you know, services like roads to drive to work on, police to protect us from crime, and firemen to keep our homes from burning down. these things cannot be provided by the altruism of our communities, they take our tax dollars.

One more thing that he mentions is that he doesn’t think our taxes should fund private entities and on this point I wholly agree but I fail to see how a community center for the city can be referred to as a “private entity?” Near as I can tell, libertarians expect the money for these services to fall from the sky. Just sayin’.

Larry Benson

Enumclaw