Why California's High Cost of Living Might Be a Good Thing ...

[mto61]

Originally Posted by jkbatca

SOAR initiatives around the state + major population increase is what drove up housing prices way more than Prop 13. Please cite direct sources into how much Prop 13 drove up cost of housing vs. other factors (increase of population and willful restriction of building via hippy initiatives).



Look at cities like Oxnard which apparently didn't have a problem building housing. In Ventura county, SOAR did way way more to restrict available land than Prop 13 ever did.



As far as Prop 13 being unfair, I agree with you. It has been more unfair to me compared to my in-laws and mother-in-law, who have been here since the 60's. Yet, it's better than my property taxes shooting way up as in say New York State.



How about generate revenue from other sources, such as sales taxes?



I agree Prop 13 is not great policy, but California's budget process is far worse (now treading into illegality) and damaging to me...

Okay you say find other sources of revenue vice PROP 13. They have already done that. We already pay one of the highest gasoline prices in the US because of all the gas taxes on it. Dam state income tax is 9.3 % to the people who contribute to this state. My sales tax in SD is 8.725% is that not enough for you. All these other taxes subsidize people who want to stay here for a free ride while the younger people who are trying to attain wealth are being bled dry. So sorry there are no other sources of taxes to collect either cut spending or repeal prop 13 so the rest of us can start see the rewards of our hard work. One great example is the community I live in is that all the engineers live in the apartments and all blue collars live in the houses because they bought them 12 years ago when they were affordable. How fair is that how are we setting an example for our younger generation to be engineers when they see them living in the apartments.

[mto61]

Originally Posted by sheri257

Ok so, they'll move out of state so they can pay you less which, hopefully you'll be able to make up with a cheaper cost of living. Not sure if you come out ahead with this scenario but ... hopefully you will.

The problem, of course, is when other people move to the same cheap state and drive up the cost of living there. Meanwhile, with all of these people and businesses leaving, California's cost of living should be going down ... right?

And, actually, it already is with the housing crash. If the main problem is the cost of living then, maybe that's aleady being corrected as we speak.

Sheri I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Yes housing prices have came down in Logan Heights, El Cajon, City Heights, Chula Vista, and others but these are places with the worst schools and have problems with gangs. The places I want to live in are Poway, Mira Mesa, Rancho Penoschitas have gone down very marginally. My finance and I make over 100k a year combined and yes we could probably buy a house for 400k but at that price you would expect a house to be decent and have a good school district which is not the case. I'm sorry but I'm not going to live to work. That's why I'm waiting to get a transfer to Albuquerque where I can get a house for 250K and pay less taxes so if I go want to go to Lake Tahoe or Big Bear I can because I'm not paying all my disposable income on housing and gas. And if it gets to expensive there I will move again because I have the firm belief that none of us are entitled to anything. If you want something you need to pay for it that way you actually appreciate it.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by jkbatca

You really need to look at the history behind Proposition 13. Serrano vs. Priest dictated that local tax revenue had to be taken away from rich districts and redistributed via the state. With people not seeing their local taxes spent on local issues anymore, Proposition 13 arose. Fast forward to the present. We're #1 in taxes in many categories already, and as I type, the CA legislature is raising those taxes (now called "fees") even more!. Property taxes are the only tax which isn't #1 in CA. With all these taxes, as one journalist puts it, do you see a equivalent increase in services in CA? Uh, NO! Then why would I expect a repeal Prop 13 to change anything? Any sane person would expect things not to change with the repeal of Prop 13...

The hidden flaw in the repeal Prop 13 argument is this. If Prop 13 is repealed, would state gov't (where the money would ultimately go to) spend that money wisely? Are you kidding me?

Social engineering at its worst. Also akin to the "redistribution" of wealth scheme our current president ran for office on.

If I get an education, work hard and achieve some measure of success and financial comfort, the chances are I want to live around people like myself and collectively, we want to provide our children with good educations. Why should the fruits of our labors be distributed to those who did not prepare so well or work so hard? It's that welfare, socialist state of mind and lack of incentive that has driven the state down and is driving the middle class away.

[mto61]

I couldn't agree with you more. Oh by the way I've been to the Ozarks is Bandannas still their I thought they had good food.

[Des-Lab]

Need I say more?

http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/Owe.JPG (broken link)

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by mto61

I agree with you. Bottom line is that Prop 13 creates and artificial shortage on housing. If property taxes were allowed to reassess to current value it would be self stabilizing. As property prices increase the supply for people wanting to move to AZ or FL would offset the Demand for housing stabilizing the rate of price increases. Ca is a place for innovation that need young productive people make it go the older retired can stay if they can afford it if not that is why AZ and FL are here for and why many people retire their. You can't have both innovation and retirement state there is only room for one or the other unless you can afford it.

California Housing Prices averaged 10% a year for the 10 years leading up to Prop 13's passage...

The State does not have a housing shortage... there are so many vacant homes around here that some lenders are letting borrowers in default remain for the time being just so the home will not be vacant and a target.

To say retired have AZ and FL to go to is Un-American... some might say the retired should leave the country... Mexico is less expensive... right?

Why is it those paying the taxes are never given the credit they deserve?

The problem is those retired with money are leaving and taking there Government Pension money with them... Twelve from my High School Class went into Law Enforcement... everyone has or has made plans to leave CA... one of them was in the New Paper and has a 180k pension...

[Clarks]

Deslab, try not to get your prejudices in the way of your facts. Start by explaining, using real data, your set of pictures,
Yeah, I know, you can't do it..

Sad.

So why did you publish them in the first place?