Florida residents say that taxing to provide health care is redistrubution of wealth, but ........

[YewNork]

These same residents overwhelmingly voted to increase Florida's homestead exemption and to make this exemption portable.

The homestead exemption allows full time Florida residents to reduce the taxable value of their home by $50,000, thus ensuring that they pay
lower property taxes than their neighbors who are only part year residents or who own investment property. In fact, they voted a few years
ago to make the exemption portable so that they could take it from one home to another, if they move.

This results in situations where two people own the exact same house, but the part year resident can pay 50% to 100% more property tax than
then full time resident.

But, that's not redistribution of wealth. However, taxing someone to provide health insurance for another person is.

I guess their opinion depends on whether they're on the receiving line or the giving line.

[Not Me]

1. That's only half the story...

The other half is the grossly unfair "Save Our Homes" treatment.
Under SOS, your taxes are capped at 3% a year. In the early-mid 2000's when property values skyrocketed, your tax bill could not increase, BUT anyone who bought a home in this period is paying 2-3X in taxes for the same valued home.

I have lived in many states, but I have never lived anywhere like here, where people want it all, but want someone else to pay the bill.

[Lasher]

2. Florida doesn't have a monopoly on that.

Stay in a Baltimore hotel and you'll see what I mean.

[kdmorris]

4. That's the part that got eliminated

I get to port my tax exemption if I move from one house to another. So, right now, there is x% difference between the appraised value of the house and what we bought it for. If I move to another house that is $200,000 more than this one. I get to keep that x% difference for taxing purposes, on the whole amount of the new home.

FWIW, I voted against that amendment. There has to be a better way to fix Florida's property taxes than this. This amendment to the constitution did NOTHING to help renters, first time homeowners (people who are more likely to be poorer or to be buying smaller houses) or people who want to stay in their present home (though the extra $25,000 is a slight bonus). Our property taxes are SUPPOSED to go to paying for the schools and the roads and police, etc. The more money we take out of that pool, the more we end up allowing those services to suffer. And our schools are already so shitty that we ended up homeschooling our three daughters from 1999 on. (Most people think that means that we are Christian conservatives, but it was always fun to correct them by telling them that we are actually Atheists Liberals who just wanted a better education for our daughters. The youngest just graduated from high school in June.)

[YewNork]

5. Their usual response is "then don't move here" but they don't mean it because

then they'd have to start paying to support more of the local infrastructure themselves. Still, they'll scream bloody murder if you suggest that they should have to pay more in order for everyone to have affordable health care.

[tsuki]

3. Florida native populations, in my area, have been replaced by

entitled retired classes, specifically the retired military and social security/medicare recipients.

Most moved here to escape taxes in their home states. Any tax is a bad tax. The retired military are by far the worst. They buy their gasoline, clothes, household goods, liquor, and cigarettes on the base to evade the 7% sales tax and other Florida taxes. There is no state income tax.

It is a strange paradox. Retired military receive 50% of their base pay, not subject to payroll taxes, for life, after 20 years service. This is provided by the taxpayers of the US. They have single payer health care, for life, provided by the taxpayers of the US. They have subsidized goods through the Base Exchange and Commissary, subsidies provided by the taxpayers of the US. And they are easily the angriest people that I have ever met.

Imagine, at 38 to 40 years of age, receiving a check from the government for a minimum of $1500 a month for the rest of your life, having no worries about health care or being bankrupted by health care cost for the rest of your life, and paying 20-40% less for commodities for the rest of your life? All of this paid for by the taxpayers of the US without objection. Would you bitch and moan about an auto worker that works 40+ years on the line, paying these taxes you enjoy, you pocket, because the auto worker will get 33% of his pay as a retirement package? And they do. First thing out of their mouths. They hate auto workers. I can no longer stand to be around them.

At the last Teabagging event, most of the cars had base stickers. They are having another event with Rick Scott, their new "hero." I might mosey over and check the cars for base sticker again. Or maybe not, their ignorance is too depressing.

[YellowdogIam]

6. So you object to the military huh ?

I'm retired military, so I guess I'm one of the ones to which you so object .....wow all these perks..
Did you put your life on the line for your country? Did you spend months on end away from your family? Did you watch your buddies get shot down over a foreign country? Did you miss your children's birthdays? Your anniversaries, your kid's little league games, their Jr High school graduations?
Have you ever been shot from a catapult on a carrier?

I'm sorry if I've in any way inconvenienced you, but you had a choice..
You could have given 24 years to the service of your country also . And for this, instead of a simple 'Thank you' your ingratitude and snide remarks are what I get in return?

You're welcome

[tsuki]

7. I have said "thank you." Every April 15th, I say "thank you."

I'm a military brat. I know all about military life. My dad died at 45.

I flew back wondering what Mom and my brother were going to do. We buried Dad on Friday, and went to the hurricane shelter on Saturday. I was not even sure she would have a house.

Then the benefits started. Widow's pension, she was eligible for the unused portion of dad's GI bill, and so was brother. When she became ill, he doctors and hospital bill were taken care of. She was able to rebuild her life without the fear of bankruptcy from medical bills or losing her home.

And so I say, THANK YOU, MR. AUTO WORKER, MR. AIRLINE PILOT, MR. AMERICAN WORKER, who have taken pay cuts and lost your pensions.

It is not the perks I object to. It is the attitude. It is having a Democratic meeting, and have a bunch of these retirees show up to disrupt and scream about Senator Kerry and his "medals." It's about having to listen to them talk about how lazy and no-account the American worker is, and how the American Worker is what is WRONG with America. And my favorite, the Lt. Col. who constantly bitches about the illegals getting free health care. When it came time to put a roof on his house, did he hire licensed and insured American workers? No, he pulled the permit himself, and bragged how his illegals did it so much cheaper. The next day, he was bitching about illegals again.

Now, I read that they are having another Teabagging Party with Rick Scott, he of Medicare Fraud Fame, because they want to deny health care to the American worker.

I really think that the military retirees should be fighting with the American worker, not for the crooked CEOs.

[YewNork]

8. I think most of them move to Florida to escape cold winters.

The fact that there's no state income tax is nice, but I think they'd still come tax or no tax.