Posted on 01/09/2008 3:52:03 AM PST by databoss
"Instead of the town saying, 'Oh, my God! What kind of ravenous vampires have we become?' and lowering their...damned taxes, 'The town is pushing a program that would let seniors work part-time...to help pay off some of their property taxes.'"
From AP, we can't believe our eyes when we read, "Plan Would Let Seniors Work to Pay Taxes". It seems that in Greenburgh, N.Y., the damned local government is eating the financial guts out of its citizens. For example, a 76-year old woman named Audrey Davison lives alone, gets a $620 Social Security check per month ($7,440 a year), and has to pay $12,000 a year in property taxes on the house that she has lived in for 43 years! ...
(Excerpt) Read more at safehaven.com ...
sounds like slavery to me.
,,,,,, same thing in PA
Seniorworks
TAX REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM Seniorworks 2006 will run from:
January 1 – December 31, 2006
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Background: With escalating property values in the County, many homeowners are faced with property taxes double or triple from previous years. This can be a significant hardship for some of the county’s senior citizens, especially those on fixed incomes.
http://www.yorkcountygov.com/hr/Senior%20Works%20Application.pdf
Because that’s what it is.
This story has been making the rounds for a few weeks now. What I would like to know before jumping to conclusions, is what kink of house Audrey owns. Is it a 2 bedroom 1,800 square foot rambler sitting on a 1/4 acre lot, or an 6 bedroom 5,000 square foot Victorian mansion sitting on a 6 acre parcel? Does she have a nest egg worth millions to take care of her and her house till she dies, or is she house rich, cash poor and on verge of being put out on the street? There is not enough information here for me to get all upset.
Oh, aren’t the government overlords nice. They’re going to ALLOW people to work to pay taxes!?!??!!?
Who do these control freaks think they are?
does it matter if she has it and its paid for?
Let’s ask this question- since when are free landowners obligated to pay tribute in order to possess something that they own free and clear? Yeah yeah, that’s the law bla bla bla. But think about it- how far have we strayed since 1776?
I agree $12,000 a year is pretty stiff...my bet it is one of those classic NY frame house with lots of millwork and detail.
why should it matter what kind of house she has, or what assets she might have? Is there some threshold above which she is ‘deserving’ and below which she is ‘undeserving’? If so, what is it?
the point it that she obviously cannot afford to pay her property taxes and therefore has been designated - by the government - as a serf directed to toil for the government at whatever said government deems appropriate for her - whether she likes it or not - or face the loss of her long-time residence.
if this isn’t outrageous, then what is?
” Who do these control freaks think they are? “
They think they’re the people we elected to give us all the good things and protect us from all the bad things, and damn the consequences.....
The irony is that the people in this town are likely to do whatever it takes to keep retirees like this woman living there -- because if she moves out, she'll likely be replaced by a family that will place an enormous burden on the tax base (if they send their kids to public schools).
Do you know the derivation of term Real Estate? It’s from spanish for the King’s Land...
who says that you cannot expect to live on your own property for as long as you wish once it is paid for?
It seems to be a slow eminent domain process and a sneaky way to get those "old farts" out of their property.
Local governments' are in reality, letting you rent the property for the taxes.) They own it and will take your property if you don't pay the taxes.
That's what happens when the population has become a bunch of cooking frogs...you know, they just never catch on to the fact that they are being cooked until it's too late.
There are no property "rights" in the U.S.A.
I didn’t know that, and I always wondered about that term.
Human nture is an amazing thing, how people are so afraid of freedom, how we always want a king, how easily we subjugate ourselves...
Unfortanately she is one of millions that will surfacing in the next few years that are using 60’s economics in the 21st century...
That's an excellent point -- but keep this in mind:
The minute you build or buy a house with a driveway on a paved street, with public utilities providing you with all the comforts of modern life, with a fire hydrant on the next corner and a fire department ready to answer a call to your address, a 911 system with a police department ready to address any emergency in your home, a public school system to educate baby-sit your childern, etc. . . . I think it's safe to say that the notion that you own your property "free and clear" is a delusional pipe-dream.
Cooking frogs, excellent description.
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