TAX DOLLARS; THE INFINATE RESOURCE

The Logical View ^ | 11/01/02 | MARK A SITY

[logic101.net]

Dear Supervisors,

It seems that the lessons of the spring of 2002 were short lived on the Milwaukee County Board. Do you remember a guy by the name of Tom Amnent? He used to work there; he used to be the County Executive. He's not there anymore is he? Neither are a number of your former colleagues. Yet, again I am hearing the all too familiar rumor of Property Tax Increases from the County Board. Perhaps the lesson wasn't strong enough? Although, having Scott Walker as the new County Exec should be a constant reminder since he ran on a plank of bringing fiscal responsibility to County Government - and still means it.

Many of you might think that these former colleagues of yours were just collateral damage from Mr. Ament's cash grab with the pension scandal were he and others would have received millions upon retirement. However, there is more to the story. Mr. Ament, like many of the former and current supervisors on the board had a world view that the taxpayers don't share. They viewed tax dollars as an infinite resource. When they needed another truck load of tax dollars, they felt there was plenty more where the last truck load came from.

However, in the real world; the private sector, we realize that this money isn't infinite. This is because we actually have to EARN it. Those of you in government just demand it from us, and expect us to hand it over in larger amounts each year. In the real world, when times are tight, people don't get raises. Often benefits are cut. Sometimes jobs are cut. Sometimes companies just can't make it, and all the jobs there are lost. Maybe, in extreme cases, employees are expected to pay for their own Christmas party (imagine that)! In government, at all levels; you are insulated from all these horrors - you just demand more money from the taxpayers.

Let's review exactly where your money comes from. If I am correct, the vast amount of your cash comes from property taxes. But what exactly are property taxes? Are they something that grows on trees? In fields? Do they drop from the sky? Nope, every piece of land, every building, every home is subject to them. Since the property is intimate, those that own the property are expected to pay them. These people have limited resources, and when you demand more from them they must cut back on other things.

I view property taxes as one of the most offensive taxes because they never end and there is no way to avoid them (short of becoming "homeless"). Many renters think they are immune from this tax; they aren't. As a land lord, I know that part of the rental price is property taxes. If taxes go up, so does the rent price. Another reason I find them offensive is that they are used in large part to fund the educational cesspool called Milwaukee Public Schools. I have to fund that morass of ignorance, while also paying for private school for my daughter. I have no choice since I want her to actually learn things like reading, writing, and history in school.

Now let's look at some of the people that pay property taxes. Young couples, struggling to get established pay them. High tax rates make it harder for them to buy a house since they raise the cost of rent, making it harder to save for that down payment. High property taxes also make it harder for them to buy a house since their costs of owning will be higher. This keeps them renting longer, and keeps them from building equity and wealth.

Families struggling to save for a child's college education have to pay property taxes. This allows them to save less for their children's future.

Families who have had one or both of the parents laid off still have to pay property taxes, and the mortgage. Neither entity will care that their income level has been shattered.

Poor single mothers, struggling to put food on the table for their kids and clothes on their backs have to pay property taxes (usually as rent). When you raise property tax rates, their rent increases. This makes it much harder for these women to feed and clothe their children.

Ninety year old widows on fixed incomes have to pay property taxes. Even though their home may have been paid off for 30 years, when the husband dies, and Social security checks are cut as a result, often they have to sell their home. They may have lived in that home for 60 or more years, raised a family there, had many memories there. However, they can't afford the taxes with only one SS check coming in.

When you raise property taxes, all the people above have to cut back on their budget - sometimes with very sad results. Yet, it never occurs to the "public sector" that just maybe they could cut back on their expenses instead. Rather, agencies like CYD continue to be funded, even though they can't account for 30% of the cash they receive (but I'm sure the yearly trips to Jamaica have nothing to do with that). Agencies like SDC, with similarly dismal record keeping still are fully funded. But of course, it would be just plain cruel to expect any government funded agencies to scale back their wildly inefficient operations. That would be almost as bad as expecting county employees to pay for their own Christmas party.

Oh, speaking of that. Since I looks like I'll have to pay for their Christmas party again this year, why don't I get an invitation to it? After all, I am paying for it!

Sincerely,

MARK A SITY http://www.logic101.net/

[logic101.net]

Ok folks, I need to explain some things. Mr Ament, our former Co Exec hatched a pension deal that was so good for both the elected officials and the union members that the union was shocked. It would have neted him and several others millions upon retirement, in a lump sum. Well, this was too much for even Milwaukee County! He was forced to resign when he saw how badly he'd do in the recall. Then alot of the CO supervisors were kicked out (only one recall failed). Scott Walker won by a landslide for the top job, formerly held by Ament. Walker is really trying to bring spending under control. However, there are still way too many CO Supervisors that are of the Ament school of taxation left. They are talking about raising taxes already (less than 6 months after we got rid of the last one. It seems it is just too unthinkable for any government to have to cut back on it's expenses!

Also, CYD and SDC are both run by black women, and are both scams to enrich those that "work" there. The do little if anything to actually help the poor. Yet, since they are run by black women; they can't be held acountable for the tax money they recieve. If I'd have pulled a tiny fraction of what these people get away with daily I'd have been linched!

MARK A SITY http://www.logic101.net/