I'm a huge fan of a new commenter on this blog. He or she calls themself "voiceofdoom." Recently voiceofdoom pointed out that he or she heard some bitching on the radio and it reminded me of when I had tuned into the local talk and heard some bitching as well. It's a major problem here and the precise reason many people don't want to get involved in politics. Let's review.
voiceofdoom was specifically talking about the zoo fees and how people were calling into a show to bitch that they were going up. His or her point was that most of those people don't visit the zoo, so what's the point in bitching about it? Exactly. That old sayings ending in "the price of tea in China" applies here.
Nobody uses the zoo therefore they have to charge more per person to keep it funded. It's a simple concept, but it brings out the bitchers and complainers.
Those same bitchers and complainers failed to wake up and realize that impact fees are going to drive up their taxes by increasing the values of all new homes in El Paso. Of course, that in turn drives up the price of all existing homes. Buy hey, they really showed those homebuilders and developers, right? Nope - they increased their own taxes.
Speaking of home prices... I tuned into Strelzin the other day to see if he was going to continue to hang himself with his own words. To my surprise he had the lady on from the CAD. Guess what happened? The 15 morons he counts has listeners each called in with their own little sad tale of how their house or their neighbor's house went from being valued at $1,000 to $3 million in just one year. Half were making the shit up as they went along.
I exaggerated the numbers, but one guy in particular was a real estate appraiser and talking about houses in a neighborhood near where I live. The increase in value of his neighbor's house that he was bitching about was exactly in line with ever single house I looked at in that neighborhood when my wife and I were searching for our home.
These assholes whine and complain that their house isn't worth that much and it's highway robbery to increase the price of their home. If they had to sell their house tomorrow they'd have it listed for higher than what the CAD listed - I guarantee that on my grandfather's chat covered grave.
For literally 20 years nobody's appraisal moved an inch. The local leaders at the time were not tax happy fools and owned significant acreage of their own they wanted to protect. Sometime in the last six years that all changed and it was time to match the property values to today's reality. I know for a fact that people paying $350,000+ for homes on Broadmoor (Coronado Country Club) had their houses on the tax rolls for $125,000 in 2004. There are still folks they haven't gotten to.
If you don't want your property values to go up, make sure your neighbors don't put their house on the market for more than your house is currently appraised at. The more they ask, the more you pay. You yourself should ask next to nothing for your home when selling it if you are really really really worried about appraised values.
The problem with El Paso is that we bitch about high taxes, but then we want the government to provide everything. The upcoming budget session is a perfect example of the bullshit that goes on in this city. I'm going to call Emma Acosta and Susie Byrd to the carpet on this one.
Every single time they do a budget the city staff recommends they cut some senior center services. Acosta and Byrd will hear nothing of it. Basically the senior centers get used as free daycare for old folks when there is already federal dollars set aside for them to go to an actual adult daycare. Instead, we pay for these people twice to have daycare services. We pay through the nose for services at our senior centers that no senior center in the country would offer - they would tell you to put your grandma in a nursing home rather that provide the enormously expensive services we provide. The old people have taken advantage of the system and your tax dollars have to cover it twice - once locally and once federally.
As the budget process goes along you'll notice that Acosta is a total bitch about the process. She worked for the city for 30 years and allegedly helped many a person defraud the city out of millions. A little research on Hector Villa will show just how bad she was. Acosta hates city staff and is jealous of them and decides to give them a bunch of shit during the budget process to throw her circus midget weight around.
This costs you money.
If you want to complain about high taxes, then you need to stop voting for democrats. I have some very good friends that are democrats, but they will solve all your problems by spending your money and it's wrong.
If you don't want appraisals, fees etc. to go up, start doing something different than you are doing or stop complaining.
All we do here is complain.
The bridges are too slow
The bridges are too expensive
The bridges are in my backyard
The traffic is terrible - do something about it
Don't do anything to the roads - it's too expensive
We need more police!
The police are out of control!
No fireworks!
You have to let the kids have fireworks!
We need better neighborhoods!
Don't tell me how to live in my neighborhood!
Ft. Bliss sucks!
We need more troops!
We need a top notch university
We can't pay that much for a top notch university!
We need parks
Why the hell are we spending so much on parks?
stop the flooding!
Stop charging me for stopping the flooding!
I think you get the point. You can't have it both ways. Anything you ask of the government costs you money. If you don't want higher taxes, stop asking for more stuff.
Oh yeah - and just get rid of EPISD because they're don't care what you want, they just spend like drunken fools.
K, I got a serious question for ya. By the way, I like this latest post. "Bitching, it's an El Paso thing" should be the city's slogan. Ok, back to my question. How do you suggest a (young, although professionally experiencesd) person run for office, and win, who believes he or she can get people to work together for the best of EP and for THE PEOPLE without being affiliated with either Repubs or Demos? Also, this person would not be affiliated with any of the major campaign money contributors. Grassroots style, man.
Posted by: strictlyEP | July 02, 2009 at 11:16 AM
david, if i had to bet my left nut(nutt?) i would say that "strictlyEP" is probably getsemani yanez, a teacher at baylor.
just bitching, i mean guessing, sorry.
Posted by: observer | July 02, 2009 at 01:59 PM
Observer
Get out the knife - you lose
Posted by: too tired to care | July 02, 2009 at 04:45 PM
Nope, not him. Try again, observer.
Posted by: hello | July 03, 2009 at 03:01 AM
well, he commented on david's planned parenthood opinion and it sounds like him.
i've seen him post in the past that he wants to move to el paso and run for office. i think he used to assist eliot.
i really needed that left one. i guess i lose.
Posted by: observer | July 03, 2009 at 08:58 AM
Why pick on the Democrats? You might have them confused with the tax-and-spend Republicans.
Posted by: rich wright | July 05, 2009 at 10:57 AM
AMEN!
Posted by: Boarder Observer | July 05, 2009 at 08:01 PM
I am constantly amazed and disheartened by the negative and hateful comments people post to blog entries and news articles. It is especially upsetting to see how quick the anonymous commenter is to judge and berate the subject of an article for their actions or circumstances. It is one thing to state your opinion and quite another to use these public forums to give air to malice and hate.
Posted by: JST | July 06, 2009 at 06:37 AM
"These assholes whine and complain that their house isn't worth that much and it's highway robbery to increase the price of their home. If they had to sell their house tomorrow they'd have it listed for higher than what the CAD listed - I guarantee that on my grandfather's chat covered grave."
I just wanted to say you couldn't be more correct about that. I don't think I've ever seen a house in El Paso sell for less than what CAD says it's worth. They always sell for more.
I think people blame CAD because they don't understand how the taxing system works. And because people don't want to admit how much their house is worth ... until they are ready to sell it.
Posted by: Jay Koester | July 06, 2009 at 05:26 PM
You guys are talking about the discrepancy between CAD appraisal values and actual asking price upon sale like you just discovered a source of free energy.
What's so shocking or telling about it? People want to pay lower taxes and make more money when they decide to sell. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Grover Norquist worshiping quasi-neocons like Dave and their sycophantic press-enablers like Koester both protested the latest CAD valuation of their homes as too high.
Move along here, nothing to see.
Oh, and I would have tried to give you a compliment, K - until I noticed your pathetic amateur attempt to block my IP.
HAHAHAHAH
Posted by: Mike | July 06, 2009 at 09:21 PM
Hey Dave, tell me: how many other people hold the special distinction of having had their IP addresses blocked from submitting comments? You know - the and functions deactivated?
Or is this just a glitch?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Posted by: Mike | July 06, 2009 at 09:34 PM
Mike -- My point is that CAD's only job is to appraise the value of your home. They don't tax you. So don't make them out to be evil when they do their job.
Especially because evidence suggests they are still undervaluing most houses in El Paso, if sale prices are any indication.
Posted by: Jay Koester | July 07, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Jay,
I'm not making the CAD out to be evil. Not in the least. I'm commenting on the fact that both you and Dave would gladly take a low evaluation from CAD (for purposes of property tax) or contest a high evaluation (same reason) and then turn around and jack up the asking price when it comes time to sell.
I don't see the point in saying that people are complaining about high CAD valuations. Of cours they are. That falls directly in line with David's neo-GOP philosophy.
If you don't think that the tax office isn't influencing higher estimated home values lately, then I think you're ignorant.
Oh, and Dave. How's that attempt to block me from posting on your site working out? Or is it that you're just trying to block EVERYONE in the greater Dallas area? That would be an awfully strange thing to do, wouldn't it?
Posted by: Mike | July 07, 2009 at 02:14 PM
Mike,
I can't block you. I don't have that function available to me. The only thing I can do is report spam or delete offensive or slanderous posts.
Whatever problems you were having seemed to be fixed.
However - please re-read the blog post. We are in agreement... I think.
Posted by: David K | July 07, 2009 at 03:05 PM
Hell, as far as I can tell, even I agree with Mike.
I guess it's just fun arguing.
Posted by: Jay Koester | July 07, 2009 at 04:53 PM
jay,
the cad is evil in many ways. for one there budget. the other is the fact that many of their appraisers are wined and dined, taken to the red parrot for happy endings, sent to vegas by many of the big property tax consultants. it has been going on for years. its been going on for so long that i believe it has almost come to the point where the cad raises your rate knowing their buddy property tax consultants will make a little money and take them to play golf once a week. i have witnessed this myself so i know the truth. i believe even meyer marcas believed this and actually put in his own employees to fight the appraisals because it was cheaper to pay employees to do it rather than pay the fee to the consultant. this type of corruption i believe still goes on at the cad.
as far as what people have to sell their homes for has much to do with their financial situation more than markets. if they lost their job, had a cut in pay, having a hard time making payments, this all has to do with the sale price for them and they may have dumped it for that reason. on the other hand, you may have some guy who puts his house up for sale(financial position is good) just to see what he might get and some rich mexican comes in and buys it because his wife has to have it.
much ado was made about the building in the northeast that the city bought. the city paid much more than it was shown on the tax rolls, but its value really didnt go up till the city wanted it. it had been on the market for less money at an earlier time. appraisals are like assholes and everybody has one. if the true cost of the property was open records and the tax was locked at that amount it was purchased for and it stayed that amount till it sold, then there would be less work at the cad and less people getting upset each year.
california actually sort of does this along with what you insure it for to get the value. i think it is either which amount is lower or higher. that is the value they use. i always thought it was fair.
Posted by: hellraizer | July 07, 2009 at 05:34 PM
hellraizer,
The only problem with California's system is that it can not support the socialist in charge of the state!
They have both property taxes and an income tax and numerous "luxury taxes" and they still can't pay for all the handouts!
Posted by: David K | July 08, 2009 at 08:24 AM
im not praising california david. i distain mexifornia
and think that if the state slid off into the ocean i wouldnt miss it. in fact on the upside there would be new beachfront property in nevada and arizona. all i was trying to say was that they have access to the deeds of sale and you are taxed by what you paid for it or what you insure it for which ever is lower i believe. it cuts out the appraisers and all the bull shit and it is locked until you sell it. your monthly payment will never go up like here in el paso with higher evaluations. many older people with older homes pay what they did when they purchased it long ago. yes, i know cal has a state income tax to go along with property tax. im just hoping el paso doesnt become california with the council and mayor we have now.
Posted by: hellraizer | July 08, 2009 at 08:56 AM
hellraizer,
access to sales information would make most people's appraisals go up. Show me someone who recently bought a house and their appraisal is higher?
The difference between California and Texas is that Cali freezes your property taxes forever from the day you buy the property. It's not until you sell it that they reset the value.
there's no way el paso could survive that kind of system unless we just cut 50% of services. Otherwise the west side would pay 75% of the city's taxes and you know that wouldn't last.
The main argument here in El Paso is that people who have been in their house for 20 years and are paying on 50% of the values of their home and are mad that it's going up.
The law says they can appraise home - so they are doing that now. Change the law.
you have to wait until next session.
You also have to rely on your delegation to back a plan to lower taxes.
Fat chance - they're all democrats!
Posted by: David K | July 08, 2009 at 09:24 AM
I don't believe the deed to one's home has the sale price listed in it. Guess I should look at mine (if I can find it).
Posted by: homeowner | July 08, 2009 at 05:20 PM
buyers and sellers statement i think is what has the price and not the deed.
Posted by: observer | July 09, 2009 at 07:55 AM