jp – No offense taken at all. Actually I am a EE. I supervise a staff of digital designers and I am an architect for custom ASICs (computer chips) that are used in network applications. I have done that for about 20 years. In addition to supervising my staff I also architect the designs, assist in verification and write some of the source code used in designs. Oh yeah and I also own a real estate brokerage.
So when you talk about most realtors not being to far up the intelligence ladder, I think I know what you mean.
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Vagabondo I think prop 13 has accomplished the main goal of what it was intended which was essentiall to protect long time homeowners from the rapidly rising tax liability that they were being asked to support. In this sense I think it has been wildly successful. In my opinion Mello Roos fees are 100% up to the buyer, if they want to undertake them then no problem. If they don’t want to undertake them, so be it, they can buy somewhere else. Personally I choose not to pay them.
As far as the school systems are concerned I pretty much agree with your thoughts. I just am not so sure MR fees dictate a better school. It just doesn’t wash with me. As a parent with two toddlers I will be dealing with it soon. I also heartily agree that the decline in our schools is due to the sheer numbers of kids that attend them. Obviously the tax base cannot support those numbers so somewhere there is a problem. Could it be due to illegal immigration? Perhaps… I just don’t know. Perhaps teachers are underpaid or that there are simply not enough teachers or facilities, I am in agreement with you that somehow, somewhere there is a real screw up and the funds are simply not spent wisely or misallocated in some manner.
