First off Kieth I do want to apologize for starting this fire storm you were just looking for a shaft.
But as for the rest of the comments on the state of California's economy all I know is I moved here in 1989 from New York. So far as cost of living I went from the fire into the frying pan. Just a bit less here than on Long Island. But the Island can't compete with the wethere here so that's another plus. When I got here California's economy was booming as far as I can rememeber. The education system was doing well, now I admitt I could be wrong about this but wasn't California like 3rd in the country or something like that back then???? Then they started electing Democrats to everything and it all went down hill from there!!! LOL!! Please don't take that too seriuosly. Sincerely, Robert Devino 14252 Delano St. Van Nuys, Ca. 91401 (818) 770-0475 ________________________________ From: Richard Berger <richardber...@sbcglobal.net> To: ShopTalk@mail.msen.com Sent: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 10:33:39 AM Subject: ShopTalk: California I agree with Tom. Prop 13 was a great thing for California. If you can afford an $800,000 house, you should be able to afford the taxes. If you are grandfathered into the neighborhood, you pay less. My opinion is that 3 unions control California politics...the Teachers Union, Prison Guards, Government workers...they own the politicians in Sacramento, will NEVER allow their contracts and/or benefits to be renegotiated...and keep asking the taxpayers for more money. We already have the highest sales tax, the highest business tax, the highest state income tax, etc. in the US. We have the highest paid teachers...we're 47th in the country in terms of graduating kids from high school....As long as the people of the state go along, nothing will change. Our state legislators have no concept of what the real world is like. The only thing that will wake them up is if we (the voters) pass a resolution cutting their salaries and perks. We ask them to represent us, but allow them to represent special interests. If we don't change it...it won't change. R... Tom Flanagan wrote: > Trying to blame one thing for the majority of CA's problems is like herding > cats. The problem with CA is/are the imbeciles in Sacramento. Where to start? > Goodwin Knight? Pat and his son Jerry "Moonbeam"Brown? Big Daddy Jess Unruh? > Willie Brown? Reagan, Gray? Arnold? > I don't know if you were here when people were losing their homes because of > the rapacious increases in assessed values and property tax rates - I was. I > knew several people who had to go in debt to pay for tripling and more > property taxes - and I was pretty near the same. Assessed value of my $18,800 > home went to $29,900 within 3 years, and the tax rate went from 3% to 5%. My > income didn't increase though. Fortunately Prop 13 came along and returned > > Today in CA, property tax income is higher than ever. Why? Because each time > a new home is built and sold it's taxed at the sale price. When it's resold, > it's taxed again, at the sale price, unless the sale price is lower than the > current tax - then that rate continues. > Consider also Oregon and Massachusetts (I have relatives in both places). My > niece owned a nice, small house in Ashland OR. It was assessed at $20,000. A > house two doors down from hers sold for $29,950. Her house was immediately > reassessed at $29,950. OR passed Measure 5, which capped the percentage rate > of assessment at 5%, but not assessed value. What happened? OR increased the > number of assessors and reassessed every property in the state. Massachusetts > did much the same thing. Was there ever any consideration of fiscal > responsibility? Nope. Just raise property taxes. > The real problem as regards Prop 13 lies directly at the feet of the boobs in > Sacramento who never heard of the term "live within your income". Sure the > dot com bust hurt big time. Of course illegal immigration is a problem (but > were it not for them, who'd supply the nation with half the fruits and > vegetables it uses)? CA legislature is dysfunctional, and that in large part > is the most significant reason CA's in fiscal trouble, not Prop 13. > So go ahead and blame Howard Jarvis and Prop 13. I voted for it. I'm glad I > was able to keep my house. > TFlan > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 07:36:15 -0800 > To: ShopTalk@mail.msen.com > From: alan.bro...@comcast.net > Subject: Re: ShopTalk: EI 70 Tour "S" > > It was such a simple question. > Prop 13 is largely responsible for where we are in California. Immigration > (legal and illegal) and the subsequent shift in demographics is a factor (a > larger percentage of low income people). So is the end of the Cold War and > subsequent reduction in defense spending and the dot com bust. All that > coupled with the obscenely partisan politics disease we seem to share with > the rest of the country and you're in the boat we're in today. It's still a > pretty great boat - just not the luxury liner of days past. > > Alan Brooks > Livermore, CA > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. See how it works. > <http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_howitworks_022009> -- Shoptalk ** Sponsored by the new Aldila Voodoo. Learn more at http://aldilavoodoo.com/
