Over the years, I’ve listened to friends who own homes bitch about their property taxes. “I don’t want an NBA team here if it means I have to pay one more dollar in property taxes…I’m thinking about moving to Eads so I don’t have to pay city property taxes…Developing the riverfront is nice, but not if it raises my property taxes…blah, blah, blah.” I must say, I’ve been unsympathetic to their complaints. Living in a town with culture and quality services costs money.
But yesterday, it hit home. One of my friends went condo-shopping at the Shrine Building, and found out that the property taxes on the unit she wanted would add almost $300 a month to her payment, thereby pricing it out of her range and forcing her to remain a renter for the time being. And I doubt she was looking at the penthouse – probably a studio or 1BR at the most. Three hundred bucks! I had no idea. I thought property taxes were like, 40, 50 dollars a month for an average homeowner.
(By the way, there was a party on my building’s roof last night, and this same neighbor showed up in a tube top. Just thought that needed to be mentioned.)
No wonder people complain. Now I understand a little better why people fall for the Republicans’ dog-and-pony show about cutting taxes. Of course, their portrayal of themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility is utter bullshit, but I can see why people would latch on to any fleeting promise of a plan to cut their tax bill. And now it makes more sense why people move to the far reaches of the county, to get outside of the city limits. And I thought it was just because they didn’t want to send their children to the horrible city schools.
All right, that’s it for now. I have ideas for at least two more journal entries, but it’s 11:00 on Sunday morning, so that means it’s time to go to church. The kind of church that serves mimosas and bloody marys. See you later!