Gonna Cap Yo A$$...

Logansport Mayor Michael Fincher spoke to members of the House Ways and Means Committee at the statehouse yesterday. And what he had to say wasn't all that good.

"Residents seem to think public services come at them at NO COST and don't realize that property taxes are paying for them", he said.

BELIEVE ME, Mayor Fincher, we (homeowners) already KNOW we don't get something for nothing. We know it every time we have to hand over a larger portion of our paychecks.Why the hell do you think they call it GROSS PAY???

Fincher was among mayors, LEOs and firefighters who testified about the proposed "caps" and legislature that seeks to ultimzately amend them into the state constitution. As proposed (and passed by the House), the pending bill before the Senate would cap homeowners bills at ONE PERCENT of their assessment value beginning in 2009, with TWO PERCENT limits on rentals and THREE PERCENT caps on businesses.

Seems fair enough to me.

These "caps"- also called CIRCUIT BREAKERS - are projected to save property owners about $635 MILLION in 2010 (now that seems like a nice economic stimulus to me). But that also is $635 MILLION LESS in tax revenue that schools and local governments would otherwise be projected to collect that year. Of that, the schools are expected to receive $171 million LESS, while local governments receive $464 million LESS.

Lawmakers (more like the law-GIVERS from Planet of the Apes) are under pressure to pass SIGNIFICANT property tax relief and reform during this session. Maybe it was because of that 24 PERCENT INCREASE in property taxes (on average) last year. Many saw much larger increases (ask the "Aboiters" who were annexed into Fort Wayne).

Granted Mayor FIncher spoke to his OWN city's needs and issues, but everyone is interconnected here, in every city. Rep. Jeff Espich said they would STILL get their property tax money, it's just that it would come at a slower rate.

That's the story as covered.

Now it's my turn (strap yourselves in).

These city officials who are singing the blues ALREADY over this change are maybe a bit peeved that their "gravy-train" has gotten a bit sidetracked. This incessant RELIANCE (more like a dependant drug-user) upon those who are FORTUNATE enough to be able to OWN a home (and let's face it, in today's economy, that's not as easy as you think...it's a HUGE undertaking, with huge responsibilities) has got to stop.

Just look at the damn FORECLOSURE RATES in this state...that alone should tell someone something about the current state of home ownership (uh, it's going down the crapper?), but apparently the city officials across the state aren't concerned with THAT.

They're way too busy assessing my house at over $76K when they know damn well that this area hasn't seen any house in that price range for decades, but I have to pay the TAXES on that $76K regardless. Yeah, and how fast do you think I can SELL my house for that same $76K anyway? People haven't been able to get even $35K for a NICE house around here. All those that have moved have taken a nice hit in their selling price. And that's what brings people who don't PAY taxes into our area in droves.

We can blame that on these city officials..and why not?

They already HAVE their homes bought and paid for, thanks to THEIR healthy paychecks. This is one of the biggest arguments against BIG government. We've allowed this juggernaut to go unchecked and unfettered for SO long, that the local governments have become complacent with their "Great Expectations" (with apologies to Dickens) of more and more money from OUR pockets. Now it's coming to a screeching halt, and they're all scared $hitle$$, because they can no longer feed this enormous cash cow they've created with OUR money in the first place.

And the larger the city, the larger the problem.

Maybe if property taxes were the ONLY single, solitary thing that "went up" every year, we might be able to live with that. But such is far from that ever happening.

Homeowners have to pay for:

--WATER & SEWER

--ELECTRICITY

--NATURAL GAS

--PHONE

--TRASH REMOVAL

--HOUSE INSURANCE

--REPAIRS and MAINTENANCE

--FUEL FOR VEHICLES

--CAR INSURANCE

--FOOD

--CLOTHING

--EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES (if they have kids)

None of those item prices remain STATIC...not ONE!

Try and tell me ANY "cost-of-living" raise will cover ALL the above every time just one of them goes up. And that's only the short list of NECESSITIES...try doing without ANY of them for a while, and see what happens. In some cases, you can't have one without some others, so you're "locked" into most of these things. Sure glad I didn't mention HEALTHCARE in there.

And we won't even get into items people "think" they need, such as alcohol, lottery tickets, ciggies (guilty there), or even (dare I say it?)...illegal DRUGS.

Be nice to not have to waste ALL that money GETTING TRASHED, or hoping to "win" a quick million, or even EATING, wouldn't it? And by the looks at most of "my locals" down here, some have foregone house repair, car insurance, AND bathing!

But along comes the local governments (and all the other "taxing entities") with THEIR hands back in YOUR pockets.

The Airport wants another runway...BAM, tax levy.

The Library wants to expand...BAM, tax levy.

Crime goes up...BAM, tax levy.

Schools need fixing...BAM, tax levy.

City wants ballpark...BAM, tax levy.

Emeril Lagasse would have a field day here...LOL!

The city must think we either crap out Franklins (I wish, however painful it might be), or pluck some Grants off of the money tree out back (I wish even more, although I know it would be more of a "seasonal" thing).

Where the hell does it end? And where the hell does that leave a homeowner?

Sorry, foreclosure and a ticket to the poor house aren't in my "gameplan" for THIS life.

And I hope it's not in YOURS.

Yet something has to be done until these city officials can RELEARN how to handle a smaller government with less money.

Homeowners have learned to do more with less over the past few decades. Blame that on taxation, devaluing of the dollar, inflation, and global warming (had to toss that LAST one in there for the hell of it). If a homeonwer can do it on a microcosmic level versus a city budget, then I say let the city take some notes. All it takes is the WILLINGNESS to make it happen.

But the time of getting blood from turnips is about over.

There is an answer to all of this, and it doesn't require another REVOLUTION in warpaint tossing tea into the nearest body of water to enact it. We can do a sales tax raise, or a personal income tax raise, which although I don't particualry like, can be a nice TEMPORARY measure to wean all these city officials off of OUR financial teats and get them onto "solid food".

We just have to stand clear when they're BURPED.

They might blow chunks.

Drive safely and stay warm.