I can't gripe about this enough. It's what I do. I even have a quote on the right side of this blog that attests to "driving in the point." To tax everyone the same amount is Socialism to the extreme. The people it affects the most, the middle working class and the poor, don't have two extra nickels to rub together and if they do, they want to spend it on feeding their families.
In capitalism, everyone works for his own wealth. We live in a style that we can afford whether it is a house on the golfcourse worth $300,000 on up to over a million or a condo in the western community occupied by retirees with small incomes or only struggling by on social security. With Socialism everyone works for wealth which is distributed equally to everyone. In this case, all of us are being taxed the same amount, wealthy and poor alike for a special assessment. The difference--I don't have that house on the golfcourse AND I don't have the same income.
Now, according to the City Manager's Report, she is reducing the millage by 1.3 mils to make it even more "fair" for the wealthy. How did this decision come about? Who made it? It was brought up in a statement by Commissioner Maxwell but no one on the Commission said "that's a wonderful idea."
If you own an expensive house, then you know that you will be paying more in taxes. That is a given. If you know that you live in a little modest property because the wealthy banks committed all sorts of atrocities and drove down property values, your taxes will be much lower...that has always been a given. You know when you buy, you buy what you can afford. People are taxed per their ability to pay and the value of their property, the American way.
The City believes that those who have worked all of their lives and now retired on fixed incomes as well as working class families should now subsidize the wealthy and those still working and earning good incomes. Those living in properties worth under $50,000 or properties that are valued low should subsidize those living in homes worth much, much more? What is this City coming to? Progressive, my azz. This is the Commission's fault, the very commission that was to protect all of us residents with modest incomes. The Commission is the fuel allowing this train wreck.
The two nickels on the $60 bucks are my last, unless, of course, we have a $30 dollar street lighting assessment this year that the Commission also thought a wonderful idea. At that point, I will have to find a few more nickels.
The City has a direct line to the Palm Beach Post for PR. They agree with Stanton. Marra must live in that expensive house. Read about it here. It tells part of the story. Our City Manager says it is not about the rich and the poor. That is exactly what it is about and this Commission agrees with the City Manager. Right now this is class warfare and our Commission has forgotten about all those who helped them get elected.
Ed Fry said that we don't have to special assess--we can take this money out of the CIP. Why don't you do that, Commissioners? We should go back to the roll-back rate which will allow the city to make the same amount of revenue as last year. No special assessments. Do not allow the City Manager, the conductor who is driving this engine, to grab the cash. No new taxes.
11 comments:
Yes, yes, yes. I believe that we should all pay towards services but not be gouged. Do you think any other commission would be doing anything differently?
Who knows. They all sold out. I'm just happy to see that Peter Timm is paying more, although slight, as he was one of the biggest gripers about paying for poor people. Bless him.
You want me to pay my fair share CM? Then do it by square feet. I have no problem with that.
To take from the rich, to give to the poor is Communism...
That sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me
Yup, we both have a different opinion on what is fair. But then, I seldom ever agree with Peter Timm on anything.
I'm convinced that the CM has absolutely no idea what the hell she is talking about. Actually, she is penalizing the poor with the electric rates far more than the wealthy. By assessing a flat 'cost of service' fee, the poor will pay in excess of 30% more than the larger user. Are you certain that the CM is intellectually honest?
Lynn,
I don't always agree with your view and I don't always agree with Mr. Timm's View but many times I agree with both of you.
On the current craziness of this city I'm finding that almost all of us are finding common ground to stand on and want this commission to be literally SLAPPED Awake and get a clue.....
The People of Lake Worth are just at a state of hysterical proportions and have watched our city leadership run us in the ground and the CM tax us to almost cases to Bankruptcy not as a city but as individuals.
The added expenses that this Commission approved based on this "out of her crazy head CM" has forced many people into more desperate times and as I have always done I go out and listen to the public.
There are many "Alternatives" that are going to be sent into the Commission but I would almost bet a "Fake" $20 that the CM will call it as nothing to be considered.
While we struggle I hope that this commission (except for Scott regardless if you like him or not I do) goes down in FLAMES and the CM is run out of town as she is nothing short of Stalin, Hitler and everyone else that kept a strong hold on the people and if you do not agree with her...heads role.
Don't believe me just look at the employee roster and in some cases good ridence and in other cases your just WRONG.
To answer the taking from the rich and giving to the poor thing--
We have all degrees of rich and all degrees of poor in this country. We have a majority of poor that are working poor--those people working and giving their labor to the rich or to that corporation so it can be more wealthy.
The rich and poor are supposed to pay a percentage of their earnings to the US. The extremely poor pay nothing, those making less than $10,000 a year. The extremely wealthy in some cases pay nothing--they hide their money in trusts, off shore or in other ways.
No one is taking from the rich here. Everyone should be paying what they are suppose to pay. In Lake Worth, they are rewarding the rich in this special assessment as they will be paying the exact same fee as the very poor. The CM is now giving the more affluent a big tax break by eliminating 1.3 mils in our millage rate in order to tax the very poor and the very rich the same.
It is far from Communism here in this country or in LW. It is becoming Socialistic here in Lake Worth, however, and it is favoring the more affluent.
Lynn, before you could take a double exemption what did you pay in taxes?
Look Pal, this is NOT ABOUT ME. Get that straight. You are either poor or you are middle class or you are wealthy. The City wants to screw the poor. So take a hike.
To the person who tried to come back on here to harass me, I have answered your question numerous times over the past week. I have said that I want to pay my "fair share" which only can be determined by 1) the value of my property and since that doesn't work for you CM 2) square footage. GOT IT?
And for the hundredth time, this is NOT about me. It is about the entire concept that the CM has devised.
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