People Who Have More, Should Pay More!

"Supporting it with a property tax allows those who have more to give more." posted by anonymous..

And that statement is what scares the living daylight out of me. Is it the keyword "give" because taxing and taking money by force is not giving? We must not take enough from the rich, or middle class, we must "allow" the government to take more unjust taxation from us. But any property tax applied to homeowners does not just hit the rich and middle class, it hits the poor and senior citizens too. They own homes too.

Living in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, we have people that actually believe that people who have more, should pay more. Redistribution of wealth is so unfair in every way, yet more and more Americans support it. One might say its not fair that your neighbor has more than you, but somebody else has more than him. Life is not fair, but that doesn't make you entitled to anything that someone else worked for and achieved. Entitlements are killing this country, and going to the Zoo is not an entitlement. Its a luxury. Its not a need, its a want. No one will die if they cant go to the Zoo.

Any form of taxation should be fought like they did with the Boston Tea Party. We are being nickle and dime'd to death. We are placing no priorities on anything, because people feel they have a right to go to these events and places for a cheap price. But the price is not cheap. It is just added to already huge tax bills placed on property.

This does not hurt the rich, they can afford it already. It hurts the people living paycheck to paycheck, and there are a lot of people living this way in Michigan right now. We are debating this over a Zoo! Not whether a baby has formula, or a roof over his head in winter. Whatever happened to making a business profitable to stand on its own? Why does everything have to be bailed out by the taxpayer? Never to paid back? Not even a free visit for the money?

Actually, now here's an idea! Why doesn't the Zoo do a fundraiser on PBS asking for donations? Kind of like the Jerry Lewis Telethon, and the ones that want to donate can, and the ones that think its so valuable can give a huge donation. Sort of like putting your own money where your mouth is. And leaving mine alone.

Most families left in Michigan are trying to keep up with the basic necessities of life, you know, like food, and mortgage payments, and gas, and putting clothes on their own children. The very bottom of that list is any more taxes, no matter what its for.

Enough is enough. Why is that so hard to see?

The Elitists are Angry that Seniors dont want to pay School Taxes!

Are you kidding me? These Gated Communities that Seniors seem to love, have to pay NO school taxes? Well, somebody just smack me! I didn't know this!

Its about damn time! Why should seniors with no kids in school have to pay school taxes? In fact why should anyone that has no children in school have to pay school taxes? It looks like finally someone came up with a good idea, and the elitist left, the liberals who feel everyone else should pay their way, don't like it!

Read the articles here and here...

Ive been paying school taxes for over 30 years, and its not a small amount either. And I have no kids in pre-K or K-12 or college, or University. Yet every year, I get the honor of paying for all of that in property taxes, and income taxes, and more. For other people's crumb crunchers to go to school. It gets old, and its not my responsibility anymore.

So, these liberal snobs decided that it is not right that seniors in the Villages in Florida and Phoenix get away with no school taxes. And that is just plain unfair! It doesn't matter that they worked for 45 years, paid school taxes in those years via property taxes and income taxes. Its never enough for our fine feathered enemies on the left. Its just never enough.

They come up with more ways to take our money everyday, and expect the American public to just hand it over. Like it or not. And to shut up about it. They feel that since seniors are getting Social Security and Medicaid, they OWE the people that are now paying taxes to "give back", one way or another. In other words, these senior citizens have not paid enough over their lifetime, and they owe the generation that is coming up a free ride.

Its time to end financing of public schools through taxation. Our children are not getting a good education, they are being indoctrinated. Parents should have to fund their children's schooling, and if they did, they would make sure that they learn, with good teachers, or the parents pull them out. Liberals could send their children to the school that fits them, and conservatives could send their children to a conservative school, without fear of anyone brainwashing our kids. Superior teachers would be rewarded, and bad teachers would be fired.

Its time that we get back to the days when we only paid for what we use. Its pathetic that if you want to place your children in private school that you still have to pay public school taxes on top of paying tuition.

And for the whiners that say poor people cant pay for their own kids to go to school, there is home schooling. And besides that, don't have kids if you cant afford them. Raising children is not cheap, raising children when someone else has to pay for it is theft.

The only ones making out from public funding of schools are the teachers and Administration. Go to your city school district online and see just how much money they have to work with. Its huge, and when I looked up my Grandson's school district, 88% of all funds went to salaries. The average salary was about 66K, and that is not tenured. That's not much you say? Try working just 180 days a year, about 6 or 7 hours a day, with full benefits and retirement and every holiday off, along with the summer. Half a year of work. HALF A YEAR..and if your tenured, or a University Professor, its much, much higher.

Go ahead..go to your city school district web page and look up the financial statement. Study it! And the next time they cry that they don't get enough money, make sure you show them that page. Go out of you way and find out what the average teacher makes, include benefits and retirement packages.

Then hide your money in your mattress.

Vote NO to the Zoo on August 5...

Detroit once again wants some more money. The suburbs already have to fund Smart Busing, Cobo Hall, and now they want to tax our homes for the Detroit Zoo. Detroit is a mess, with money being extorted for special Friends, and City Council Members allegedly dipping into the honey jar too, and with the Mayor's antics, the suburbs have to say NO. Let the chips fall where they may.

People argue with me (nicely I might add) that we need to keep this gem of a Zoo. I don't find it a gem, but some do. We all have differing opinions, but its a Money Pit, one that is never going to get any better. It doesn't draw the crowds it used to, and it cant pay its own bills. Any private sector business would go under, and maybe it is time for the Zoo to do the same.

At a time when Michigan residents are struggling just to feed their families, and gas up their cars, any extra taxation is completely insane. And like most families, we want to pay for what we use, when we use it, and that's it. Maybe its time to sell it! Look at the privately run Aquariums around the nation, they do great and cover their own bills! Imagine that! Now that's a novel idea!

Just like Cobo Hall, unless the deed to the Zoo is signed over to the suburbs, and the same with Cobo Hall, we are just throwing our money away. Detroit and its politicians cant run their own city, let alone anything else. And the suburbs are tired of bailing it out. When they pass out millions of dollars (and I mean millions!) to their buddies and pals in contracts, with alleged kickbacks to the Council Members and I can take a wild guess, the Mayor, its time to shut off the spigot to Detroit.

And now the mess with Fanchon Stinger and the Sludge mess..which once again leads to the government in Detroit City Hall, we cant just keep giving them more money. What really aggravates me is that they put these increases in taxation on the primary ballots, like the Smart bus tax, and most people don't have a clue that their property taxes are about to go up, unless they get out and vote.

I wouldn't have known about it, except for the letter that our County Commissioner Ronaele Bowman sent out, and for that alone, she has earned my vote. Unfortunately, this primary you have to declare your political affiliation, so I have to vote Republican until the November ballot.

Get out on August 5, 2008 and vote NO on the Detroit Zoo property tax.

Michigan Residents Speak with their Feet!

As they flee the state for lower taxes and less restriction on their freedom and liberty! And our elected officials scratch their heads and wonder why. And the rest of us Michigan residents that are still here wonder how so many stupid people get elected.

The
Detroit Free Press online reports this..
Detroit and many other Michigan
cities are continuing to bleed residents, according to the latest population
estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In fact, many
Michigan cities with populations over 100,000 saw population drops in 2007 over
the previous years.

Detroit, the state's largest city, lost 28,000
residents, or 3% of its population, from 2000 to 2007, the census reported.
Other cities with big losses included: Westland (-6.3%), Livonia (-6.8%), Dearborn (-8.9%) and
Highland Park (-12.3%).

Now some of this I can understand, like Detroit and Dearborn. No one wants to live in either city anymore. The crime rate in Detroit is out of control, the neighborhoods are in serious decay. And Dearborn, who would want to send their kids to Fordson High School and have them ruled by Islam and Sharia Law? I wouldn't let my enemy go there, to be subjected to Calls to Prayer, and Christians discriminated against freely and openly!

But Wayne County has more problems than those. High property taxes and state income taxes, and taxes up the kazoo everywhere, makes Michigan the place NOT TO BE! There's a lot of us that still want to leave, and when the time is right, more are going to leave. Especially people that rent homes or apartments, they have no monetary reason to stay.

And our government wonders why people are not stepping up to buy these bank owned homes and foreclosed properties. Its easy to see why. If you happen to already own a home in Michigan, you cant get lower taxes on a rental. Its about 40% more to own a rental home. And the hassles that these cities put on the buyers just isn't worth it.

So, when I heard on the radio, WJR 760, that Wayne County has a TURBO program for investors, I had to look it up. What a scam. It doesn't apply to most Fixer-uppers, I guess the house has to be a complete Money Pit to apply. And then they take it one step further, which made my head ache..you must put the home in their name, until I guess they approve what you have done to the property at which time they sign it back to you. HUH? I don't trust government in the first place, and to save one years property tax with all those conditions wont make a whole lot of investors even want to try.

From the site:
Why do I have to convey my property to the Wayne County Land Bank
(WCLB)?
In order to tap into the financing incentives available to
land banks, the TURBO Development Agreement will require the Property owner to
convey his/her Property to the WCLB. This is a necessary element for the TURBO
Program but under no circumstances will the WCLB retain ownership fo the
Property beyond a mutually agreed upon date. The deed to the property will be
held in an escrow account with the Investor’s title company. The Investor should
be aware that this transfer of the Property will trigger the uncapping of the
taxable value of the Property.

The State, the Counties, and the Cities are having a hard time making ends meet because of the flight of its residents. Vacant homes collect no taxes. Families are fleeing to new states and new jobs collect no taxes in Michigan. Home values decreased, SEV's decreased, taxes should be decreasing too. I haven't seen that happen yet.

You would think that using a one year tax rebate, along with 5 years at 50% taxation would be good, but it comes with so many strings, and so much capitol to rebuild these homes, that it is not worth it. Anyone with a brain would never risk so much money if the title to the home is not in their name.

From its website..
Minor improvements or additions to existing property do
not qualify. Examples of minor improvements are replacement of aluminum siding,
adding a deck, painting, replacing windows, replacing a roof. Alone, these types
of improvements are not adequate to qualify the property owner for the TURBO
Program.

I have to laugh at the gall of these mental midgets in government. You would think that they would be jumping at the chance to sell these homes, no matter how small the improvements may be. i just cant imagine what its like to be a politician in Michigan. They need to lay off the stupid pills.

Here's a few ideas!
1. Have the Governor sign an Executive Order that no cities or towns are allowed to have City Inspections (at almost 200 bucks a pop), or for the city to demand that any homeowner selling their home has to fix certain items to be able to sell it. Private Home Inspectors tell a buyer what is wrong and what is right with any given property. Get out of the inspection business, and save money on fewer city employees and their benefit packages, and gas! What a triple bonanza!

2. Have the Governor sign an Executive Order that all homes are taxed at the same rate whether they are a rental or occupied by the owners. Lower these taxes for everyone, and adjust the taxation now for the drop in value to our homes. You have no right to tax us at the older, higher values, but most cities got used to that extra money and spent it!

3. Restore property rights to the fullest extent to private property owners. Get rid of city and town employees that just drive around all day looking for someone to ticket for not cutting their lawn. Think of the savings in that one! No salary and benefits for a rat fink passing out tickets, and the gas that would save! Now that's another triple Bonanza! Neighbors, pitch in and mow the grass of a property that is in distress or foreclosure. Keep the government out of our neighborhoods.

4. Cut city employees and give aways. When they make the kind of money they do, there is no reason to supply them with cars, pay the insurance, and gas it up for them. Make their health insurance have a higher co-pay, dental, optical, and prescription drugs should be eliminated. City employees should have to do what the rest of have to do, and that is purchase these insurance programs on their own.

5. Stop useless and expensive programs like the Leaf Program. Most residents have no idea how expensive that must be to run. Equipment, salaries, the time involved in that stupid idea could be eliminated. Pay some youngster or lawn care company to do the job in the fall, private business would love that! Once again, savings on less employees, no maintenance on equipment, let alone the cost of it initially, and saving a ton of money on gas. Bonanza, bonanza, bonanza.

6. And the last idea, at least for now is, repeal the new taxes that were passed last year, including the State Income tax and the new Business Tax. Have the state trim employees, in large numbers. Eliminate Public TV and Radio. We are the Land of the Free, we have no need for all these people running around telling us what to do. So many government programs should be eliminated, and government funding to any outside entity should end. People struggling to buy groceries do not want to see the Museum of Arts in Detroit funded with our food money, or state and federal money going to abortion clinics. We worked for that money, its not yours. And decrease welfare and prosecute the people that fraudulently collect free money. That's my money, not theirs.

No one will move here with these present conditions, and government leaders just don't see why the moving vans are heading out. To us "little people" we see clearly why they are using their feet to show how incompetent our leaders are. The best businesses to own in Michigan right now are the moving companies!

The Corruption in Detroit Continues..

Al Sharpton, Monica Conyers, and Kwame Kilpatrick

Gateway Pundit tells the story of Monica Conyers, the Shrek screaming nutcase on the Detroit City Council. It looks like Monica Conyers has been caught with her hands in the cookie jar, allegedly. Now does that surprise you? It sure doesn't surprise me!

And then when she talks to the press, she says this..

"I'm not feeling well right now," she said in a brief telephone interview. "When I get back to work, I'll get back to work."

How arrogant, and as usual, how typical of politicians trying to save their rear ends when it comes out that they haven't been upfront, truthful, and representing the people. Just like Kwame and Beatty, and many more, they represent themselves, enriching their own lives as much as they can, as much as they can get away with, before they are voted out.

Much like Kwame's Mommy did, I am waiting for the Congressman Conyers to come out screaming that we need to protect his wife, and not let the bad things she may have done take down his wife! Like Kwame, she is much too valuable to society to dump her, and whatever money she has supposedly stolen from the taxpayers is just the cost of doing business in Detroit, my friends.

Now shut up, and go back to work. We need more of your taxpayer dollars to support these cheats and schemers.

Let's Tax Homeowners for the Zoo!!

Here comes another scam down the pike for the Tri-County area! And of course like the Smart Bus issue, (when you see a Smart Bus notice how many people are on it, if you can see through the tinted windows, because most are EMPTY!) they put it on the Primary Ballot, instead of the General Election in November, because they know people do not turn out in high numbers so its easier to pass this moronic idea.

The Detroit Zoo wants a .1 mill tax, which basically is 10 dollars for every $100,000.00 that your home is worth. That's every year, for 10 years, which of course will then be renewed, I'm sure. So, just for an example, if your home is worth 150K you will pay 15 bucks every year whether you visit the Zoo or not. Times 10.

So, for 150 bucks, you get nothing! Unless of course, you visit the Zoo. Then a family of 4 will get to pay 11 bucks per adult (and note that the Zoo considers a 13 year old an adult!) plus 7 bucks for the children, under age 12, and parking at 5 bucks a car.

If you visit the Zoo, once a decade, the cost for the visit (including the new tax they propose) will be 190 bucks! Now that sounds mighty fair to me! NOT! If you go to the Zoo twice in the decade, it will be 230 bucks! And that's not including any food or souvenirs..

I advocate that if they cant keep the Zoo open by the money they collect at the gates, then it needs to be shut down, and the land sold to the highest bidder. The same applies to every Museum, service and program that doesn't show a profit on its own. Michigan taxpayers are tired of being taxed to death for things that they don't use.

For example, get out your yearly property tax bill and look at it closely. I pay for schools that I don't use, a library that I don't use, Community colleges that I don't use, Smart busing that I don't use, and if we don't stop this new tax, a Zoo that I don't visit. I'm sure there is more in our property taxes that we pay for, but I would have to pull out the bill.

We are taxed too much in Michigan as it is. This new tax will give the Zoo $5,299,640.48 of Michigan overtaxed and one state recession dollars! FOR WHAT? AND THAT FIGURE IS JUST FOR ONE YEAR..TIMES THAT BY 10!

Pay attention Michigan Residents and vote in the primary on August 5. Vote NO! Tell our government NO MORE TAXATION!

Ive said it before and Ill say it again, how can the government justify taxing us for these programs and then charging us to use them? They pay for these programs with OUR money! Then turn around and charge us again if we want to go see the monkeys at the Zoo! Its easier to watch the jackasses in government make a monkey of themselves, a lot more entertaining, and its free!

How about we just close the Zoo, and use the Toledo Zoo, which isnt that far away, and suppose to be much nicer? And if people don't go to visit, they don't have to pay for it!

ACORN Marxists roaming Michigan Neighborhoods! DONT SIGN!

I got a visit from our fine pals at ACORN the other day. Right at my front door, with a big, fat, red t-shirt on was a young Marxist. With petitions.

And what were the little Marxists petitioning for? Your money? Well, sort of! Because its the right of every liberal American to take other people's money, you would think that was part of it, and it was.

Our home grown Marxists want to stop Predatory Lending..that's right! Lenders that give huge loans to Americans for the American dream of owning a house, are predators. The banks and lenders that are going broke from so many people "walking" away from the contract they signed, are the bad guys. So, I would assume that ACORN expects people to get homes free, or for other Americans to have to pay for them.

What have Americans that stiffed their mortgage lenders lost? A home? Big deal, obviously that didn't mean that much to them, (except maybe the kitchen cupboards and copper plumbing and bathtubs, that they take with them!) because the home lost a bit of its value, walk away!

Now the banks, and mortgage companies get to sell these homes at half the value, and take the hit. Not the buyer, no no no..they walk away with their head held high, they screwed those chumps and feel damn good about it. And we target the lenders?

So, of course the next step for the little Marxists, is to attack the banks again and blame them 100% for the mortgage mess. Government and ACORN seem to think they can change a contract, between 2 entities, and all will be well. What they neglect to understand is that if this happens, banks will only give mortgages to the cream of the credit scores. And who could blame them?

As a retired Realtor, I have attended so many closings on homes, and at every closing the Title Company explained every detail of their mortgage, including points and interest. Mortgages are explained, and every penny is accounted for at a closing. As a Realtor I never advised anyone to take out an adjustable rate mortgage. But what happened was that ARM allowed people to qualify for a higher mortgage amount and a bigger home.

Liberals feel that they can get in between everything and make it go their way. The free market is not run by Moonbats that don't happen to like the terms of a contract. They don't have to use that bank, they don't have to buy a house, and they don't have to take out a mortgage. Its that simple. If you don't want to pay it back, you don't deserve your home. Life is not a free ride.

ACORN is a pitiful group, self serving, and pathetic. They have to indoctrinate young people to go door to door to try and get petitions signed. These young kids are getting the doors slammed in their faces, (they told me so) and they cant understand why! The hope of having a couple of kids and the house with the white picket fence disappears with every signature they get.