Tax is least painful way to fund protection

I've never worked harder than I did after the flood of 2008. I would not trade the last few years of my life for anything. I learned a lot and met some incredible people, but I never, ever want to repeat that experience.

The March 6 vote to extend the sales tax is our best - and maybe our last - chance to make sure that, as a city, we never again have to go through what we did in 2008. There were a lot of reasons to vote “no” last May, but the ballot language this time is solid: 100 percent for flood protection on both sides of the river; simple as that.

Maybe you don't trust our government, but unless we want to leave homes, schools and businesses at risk of another 2008, we need flood protection. The only realistic way to get it is through our government, and an extension of the 1 cent sales tax is the least painful way to pay for it.

Some people say it would be better to get rid of all structures in the flood plain rather than pay to protect them, but the cost of that option would make a 1 cent tax look like peanuts.

Courtney Ball

Cedar Rapids