As we close in on election day, the disinformation in the campaign materials presented to the voters is alarming. Where are the candidates with integrity? When I start reading a platform mailer that only contains information as to why I should not vote for said candidate's opponent, I am instantly suspicious. I want to hear what the candidate stands for, and not the mud he or she can throw at the other candidate.
Although there are six examples on a recent campaign mailer, I will detail only one. There is a claim that the current administration is hiring 87,000 employees to hunt down and harass taxpayers. Boy, is this a creative spin on the truth of the matter.
After a little research, I found the IRS ended 2021 with 16,000 fewer employees than they had in 2020, due to attrition and retirements. And between now and 2031, they expect to lose about 50,000 employees due to retirement. The new employees are to replace these projected losses over the next 10 years. The new hires are expected to be mostly customer service personnel and information technology personnel to upgrade the IRS. Maybe they will be able to answer the phone, which is an annoying current situation.
They will not be armed agents hunting down middle-income taxpayers. In fact, the agency hopes to improve audits to those wealthy taxpayers who have patterns in hiding income in more creative business and finance deals. At this time, they don't have the manpower to complete and follow these audits.
So, I will not be voting for any candidate who has nothing to offer but discrediting their opponent or uses misinformation in their campaign efforts. It takes a lot of work to ferret out the truth. I wish there were rules that the candidates had to put truth and facts in their campaign materials, or have some integrity themselves to present factual truths. Sadly, neither exists.
Diane Borden
Chehalis
