Property Tax

[powayseller]

PD, are you a military family, or why do you think we should spend 50% of our budget on defense?

Defending what?

Doesn’t Switzerland have anything to defend? Why don’t they even need a military?

Do we have foreign military in the US, as the US has in almost every other country? Do we have Japanese military, German military, Italian military on bases in the US, in California anywhere? Why not?

[PD]

PS, countries who do not have a strong military rely heavily on their allies for defense. There are a few countries able to walk a fine line without a military but the key word here is FEW and they have special circumstances.

The US has enormous natural resources and assets that we need to protect. The biggest asset we protect is our people. The world is full of power hungry vicious people who will do anything and hurt anybody for gain. Witness Saddam Hussein and what he did to his own people. Further, he invaded Kuwait because he could and did not think anyone would stop him. What was his next step? Saudi Arabia? What would have happened to the world economies when Saddam Hussein held so much oil? Hitler did the same thing. At first, no one stopped him. If the US had not entered WWII when we did, they would be speaking German in all of Europe.

Do you think we are so protected by our oceans that no one will come here? What would happen if we had an undefended boarder to the south and no military? Would we all “just get along?” Do you know that we have already had a war with Mexico? Do you think that Mexico would never invade? We have already been invaded, albeit by a peaceful, steady invasion of people. There would probably be temporary joy in the streets and hysterical waving of the Mexican flag in downtown SD when the Mexican army marched through. No doubt there would be thousands helping the Mexican army take over. But after a while, when our great cities are being run by the corrupt Mexican government, there would not be so much joy.

Much of the world’s stability is directly related to the deterance posed by our military as well as other strong militaries like China and Russia. It maintains a status quo. Are you going to invade country A when you know country B will come after you? If it were not for the US, China would have long since invaded Tiawan. Japan also relies heavily on the US for defence. Without us, do you think they would be safe from China or Russia?

China is a warlike giant. Chinese people believe themselves to be superior to all other races. Without a strong military in other countries to keep them in check, I guarantee there would be a yellow tide flowing from their borders.

As for maintaining bases around the world, it strengthens our defensive position and acts as a further deterrence. In most cases, our bases are in countries that we have previously defeated in war. In the past, the victor kept ALL the spoils. We have only kept tiny slices of it – our bases. Two thousand years from now, when historians talk about the United States, they will probably be saying how stupid we were for not keeping ALL that we had gained, solidifying our position.

People who believe that we do not need a strong military are history denialists. They are human nature denialists.

Powayseller, you use historical data as evidence to support your prediction of a future housing crash, yet you deny the overwhelming historical data that paints a picture of unending war, violence, subjugation, cruelty and empire expansion. War is never going to end until humans are extinguished and those who do not protect themselves are fools.

A few great quotes by Winston Churchill:

An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile – hoping it will eat him last.

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as though nothing ever happened.

One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, then you will reduce the danger by half.

Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

[PerryChase]

Back to the original post on property tax, I beleive that elderly homeowners in California can most their old assessments with them when they move to a new home. I’m not sure the process of the doing that, but I think that’s what is happening when some people pay very little tax in expensive new neighborhood where prices couldn’t have been that low to begin with.

I don’t have any children nor did I buy an expensive house rencently so I can afford to travel the world. One reason Americans are not loved is because we are loud and obnoxious. Bravado is part of our culture but think of it in local terms. How would you like it if there were a foreign military presence in your town, a noise neighclub serving foreign troups in your neighborhood, and your daughters having sex with foreign servicemen for money?

Many point to Japan and Germany as successes of military occupation. However, I think that they are exceptions rather than the rule. Generally, history shows that occupation never works.

One of my best friends is a military pilot. Of course, he’s very pro-military but even he is hopeless about the situation in Iraq. We have a bet going… We’ll let history be the judge and in 10 years, I’ll get my free dinner on him. While there’s still debate over Vietnam, the preponderance of opinion is that was a very costly mistake.

Special interests is what keeps housing and the military very costly to all of us taxpayers.

[lindismith]

PD,
Just wondering if you have ever traveled outside the US? And when I say traveled, I don’t mean a cruise to Puerto Rico, I mean, spent time in a foreign country, learning about it’s culture and people, whether on holiday or for business.
Just curious.

[Lickitysplit]

PerryChase & PowaySeller –

In regards to your views on merit-based state regulation of human reproduction… these views are called eugenics. These ideas have a long history in this country and elsewhere. I’d encourage you to look into the history of these ideas and the outcomes of their application.

[picpoule]

Under California law, if you’re over 55 and move to another residence in the same county, you can keep the same property tax rate as your former residence. This can sometimes apply to moving to another residence in another county, although some counties refuse to extend this reciprocity.

[picpoule]

Ditto to North County Jim.

[PD]

lindismith, I have spent time in 10 countries, other than the US. I have traveled to some of them more than once. I make no claims to being a world traveler as I have not visited Asia or Africa. I do not live in an insulated bubble, happy to ignore world events, strife, famine and the threat of war.

My husband has traveled the world extensively and we have spent much time discussing what he has seen.

I am fairly well versed in history and have a good understanding of where the world is today and how we got there.

[picpoule]

PD, you’re so right. Spending for defense is among the primary responsibilities of the federal government. It’s right there in the Preamble to the Constitution. But education funding is something for the individuals states to provide at least in theory (don’t even ask me about the US Dept. of Education). The reason the educational system is so inefficient in California is that the school districts are top-heavy with administrative costs for the bureaucracy that it creates an imbalance when it comes to the classroom environment.

Just as an aside, people having children who shouldn’t have them is a big problem causing many social ills, but to me it would seem a bit heavy handed for the government to dictate who should have children. Enforcing the borders and penalizing employers who employ illegals would have done a lot to mitigate this problem in California. It’s too far gone now, though.

[lostkitty]

PerryChase-

I am sorry about my tone in my post to you. Just reread it and it sounds awful! I agree that the spending could come from other areas of the current budget(including defense) and would be better spent on education… I only disagreed about the comment about financing “other people’s children’s educations”… I think there is value in education that reaches far beyond the individual. The rewards of innovation by future adults Americans educated in public schools will benefit us all.

[picpoule]

“One reason Americans are not loved is because we are loud and obnoxious.”

Perry, have you heard any German tourists lately? Talking about loud and obnoxious! Have you been in an English pub with everyone drunk and therefore yelling and insulting you because you’re an American? Have you been to Italy lately? They’re not exactly a quiet bunch. Americans are quiet and polite as mice compared any of these groups. But let’s move away from the stereotyping and note this: speaking of Germans, as I recall, some citizens of German towns were screaming like pigs in protest when they thought we were going to close our bases down.

The reason we are disliked is because of trendy, virulent anti-Americanism fostered by ignorance, bigotry, and anti-capitalism. We’re hated because so far we’ve managed to buck the trend of centralized governments taking more and more of people’s individual freedoms away. Today, the only people it’s okay to be a bigot against is Americans and oh, yes, “the Jews.”

[powayseller]

PD, what I see from history is that war kills people. I see that Switzerland is a prosperous country, with leading medical technologies, and high education, and they have no military at all.

I think we should have a military for defense, but everything we are doing these days is offense.

The US has not learned from its mistakes at all. I find this the saddest thing, and the one reason I have not obtained my US citizenship. I am still a German citizen, only because I disagree with the war-mongering and military emphasis of this country. The American people are too supportive of the military.

The military drains our economy, for it doesn’t produce anything. It wastes GDP, as does buying and selling homes to each other.

The courageous and bright men and women of the military could be more produtive making alternative fuels, than learning combat missions.

As far as defending our border to the South, you’ve got to be making a joke That border is a sieve. Osama bin Laden, when he comes back, will come through the Otay Mesa border.

I think it is good to go after Osama, but why invade an entire country? Rumsfeld is not as smart as people think – he miscalculated the insurgency, and did not send enough troops in the beginning. I’m not for the war, but he promoted it, and he executed poorly. He just checkerboarded the troops all over Iraq to respond to each insurgency outbreak, all the while strenghtening their resolve.

So you believe that others have a small military because they rely on the US when they need? Then please prove your point. When did the US defend the borders of Italy, Germany, Switzerland in response to an invasion on those countries? In recent history, when did anyone try to invade any of those countries? They learned from the world wars, and mind their own business. They do not want to repeat history by meddling in other countries’ foreign affairs.

Just remember that billions are made off war, by US corporations. They are eager for the war to continue.

But the military does not improve the standard of living. It siphons off resources from education social programs, research and development. Without the military, our taxes would be cut in half.

With a smaller and smarter military, I would feel safer. I think that we make enemies by our foreign policy. People like Osama are angry at our meddling in the Middle East, and their attacks are revenge on what we did before.

It’s best to just remain at peace with all nations. We need more negotiators, and fewer fighters, more R&D engineers and less combatants.

I find it ironic that Bush is kiling in the name of God, which is supposed to represent Love. He believes God wants him to fight the war.

PD, again I ask you if you are a military family, or from where comes your strong conviction of the military?

My beliefs just come from being against fighting and war, and a distrust of the reasons that our country goes to war. I constantly feel they lie to me. Iraq is another example. Our President said we need to find WMD, and that was the reason we went to Iraq. But after realizing they were not there, Bush did not apologize or withdraw. He kept on. So what was the real reason for Iraq war?

Bush’s tough-guy stance is primitive. Last month, Bush was still telling Iran that all options are on the table, hinting at nuclear options that could bust underground bunkers. Iran countered with threatening to cut off oil supplies. Fearful that oil disruptions would completely decimate our economy, the US promised that if Iran would stop nuclear production, they would eliminate a decades-old embargo, and would again sell airplanes to Iran. Iran has spent several days considering this proposal, and it shows promise.

So you see, you don’t need primitive cave man brute force, such as weapons and militaries to make deals. You can use your higher functions, your intellect, your productivity (airplanes) and resources (oil) to entice other nations to make deals. This is the way I think we should move toward.

A real foreign relations department will reduce military reliance, and be in the position that other countries want to stay on our good side because they desire our trade, our intelligent designs and products, patents, creativity, etc. This is the high road, and will guarantee prosperity and world peace through our intelligence, not our brute strength.

[PD]

Peace through love? Peace through love works with your children but it not going to work with the guy about to rape you before the eyes of your children and with the blood of your husband on his hands.

I hardly know where to start. Powayseller, it seems that you have not read my previous posts. Negotiation is a first, second, third step but there comes a time when it no longer works. Once again, people who refuse to see the need for a strong military are history and human nature denialists.

You are a German citizen yet you seem to completely ignore the atrocities committed by the German people within living memory. In fact, you seem to have completely glossed over this highly regrettable fact while denigrating the country in which you live – a country that has guaranteed prosperity, education, freedom and safely for you and your children. You have mentioned before how wonderful Germany is that they currently spend so much more on education than on their military. Why, then, do you not proceed with all haste to take advantage of such forward thinking and install your family in Berlin?

Hmm….Sweetness as a negotiator’s tool. I’m sure if the Kurds had been a little sweeter to Saddam Hussein he would not have gassed them. The same with Jews. If only they had been sweeter to the SS who broke down their doors and dragged them off. Perhaps sweetness and love would have turned Pol Pot in great big Teddy Bear. Stalin felt so much love for his people that he thought nothing of letting millions starve.

Do you think that the radical Muslims would not invade and take over our country if they could? It was not long ago that the poor women in Afghanistan were denied medical care and beaten with chains. Perhaps they were not sweet enough or did not project enough love. Perhaps they needed more negotiation skills.

I realize that my tone is growing harsh but I am totally dumbfounded by the blindness of your post.

My husband is a proud member of the United States military. He has served in Iraq and nearly been killed in service to his country. My husband did not want to go to Iraq, but he realized that if he did not participate in an attempt to stamp out this threat, then our son and daughter would have to face a much greater threat later. There comes a time when it is either fight or be subjugated.

[picpoule]

I think Switzerland still has mandatory military service and every household has a weapon.

Powayseller, I just want you to think about some things. Sometimes war is necessary and has very good consequences. For instance, WWII wiped out Nazism and Fascism in Europe. Because of WWII, Japan went from a feudal to society to become one of our strongest friends. Our Civil War held the Union together and ended slavery. Little girls in Afghanistan can go to school now, women are in the legislature in Afghanistan, an impossibility under the Taliban. There are no more rape rooms and killing rooms in Iraq and Saddam Hussein will not be able to go to war with his neighbors anymore. None of this would have been possible without war. I’m all for peace, but sometimes peace can only be attained by war.

[PD]

Well said, picpoule.

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