• Bribing seniors does not help the labor shortage
• The city has lost touch with productive citizens
• Homeowners should take advantage of flexible, political principles

The City of San Antonio (CoSA) wants to change that by offering seniors a break on their property taxes.  While total elimination of this odious tax is the best idea, any reduction of it in the interim is good. 

There are a few problems with this proposal though.

One thing that enables us to volunteer is our prosperity. Despite declarations by some politicos, things are shaky right now.  In addition to the eyewatering price of gas, and other residual effects of the government lockdowns, we’re experiencing continued labor shortages.

This credit would exacerbate that problem.

In a recent interview, councilwoman Melissa Cabello-Havrda (D6) asserted that the program is aimed at those “already” volunteering.  The council consideration request (CCR) implies otherwise. 

It cites a “Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults” study, and how getting them out of the house can stem cognitive decline, among other negative effects associated with aging. 

As a consequence of essentially luring them into public sector work, they’re pulled away from the private sector, where some seniors feel they “still have more to give.” Regardless of the modest size of the credit, seniors could still lose their home!  Over 3,000 are already more than two years late paying the taxman. 

Given that CoSA itself seeks to be an “’employer of choice’ in our community”, it’s distinctly possible they don’t see the link.  This leads to an underlying concern: the degree of disconnectedness that exists at City Hall.

In its “Financial Impact & Conclusion,” the CCR declares that “The City’s General Fund revenues performed well.”  The wording is consistent with the fact that the vast majority of CoSA staff and elected representatives favor a more active government.

Respect for individuals, and independent wealth-creators subconsciously takes a backseat.  The media add to this chorus by characterizing exemption savings to taxpayers as what the “city loses.”

As it is, the property tax system amounts to little more than a social engineering tool.  CoSA can dictate “the maximum number of participants and the maximum … reduction participants can receive,” protecting their own “so as to not adversely impact CoSA operations.”

“If the program works well,” they reserve the power to determine “other populations that may be vulnerable to rising property tax burdens.”    

As Bexar County’s chief appraiser Michael Amezquita points out later in the same KLRN episode, it’s also a mechanism for cronyism given how inequitable is the favoritism shown to commercial property.

The only time politicians extend such favor to homeowners is when the state compels them to.  Ironically, it’s the Texas constitution that permits levying this tax in the first place. 

Cracking that nut is another task altogether.

For the time being, to paraphrase a Chris Rock, just because the city can do it, doesn’t mean they should.  Alas, we keep getting the Will Smith treatment.  There might be a political opening however, that can be used to stop this annual smackdown. 

Councilwoman Havrda said “my vote is based on the needs of my constituents.  And what they’re telling me right now is that they need property tax relief.”

Too often elected officials twist this “belie(f) in representative government” as a way to take from some to give to others.  The paid sick leave ordinance is a recent example. 

Citizens should exploit these flexible principles, and the newfound religion the council seems to have (see D8 councilman Manny Pelaez), and insist on abolishing this antiquated seizure for good.

The post Manipulating Seniors and Holding Us All Hostage from the Commanding Heights of the Dais first appeared on Infuse SA.

“Now that we can venture back out … let’s go back to stores. Where there seems to be an Amazon or UPS truck on every block, many deliveries are using up a lot of the world’s resources. This is great for Amazon (Jeff Bezos is burning up our money going to the edge of space) and gives employment to local drivers — and to a great many underpaid, overworked warehouse workers with little to no benefits, most of them in other states.”

While much of the above passage is problematic …
– comfort with government ‘giving us permission’ to go out …
– the odd implication that 10 people driving to shops consumes less energy than 1 truck hitting 10 houses …
– the poo-pooing of employment as his heart bleeds in assumption that the conditions agreed to are horrendous …
– and no mention that many Amazon employees work here in Bexar County and San Antonio
… he makes a good point about the value of actually going out to shop.

Still, one other sentiment in the above passage belies a couple problems with society: the one about “space.”

At the risk of splitting hairs, we work to exchange our earnings for other things we want. Presumably, we do so in the most rational way: lowest price, best quality, most convenient, etc. Once we make that transaction with whomever, and we’ve traded our money for the good or service, it’s no longer ‘our money’.

Also, so what if he’s going to space! Who cares if he goes to Vegas and blows his money on gambling and prostitutes? Jeff Bezos/Amazon have done a lot of good for society as evidenced by how large they are. If they weren’t satisfying customers, they wouldn’t have attained such size!

There’s much envy inferred in such statements, a sourness about one’s own inability to achieve the same. This wouldn’t be a problem if it didn’t translate into votes for attention-hungry politicians who would love nothing more than to get into office, seize back some of “our money,” and redistribute it to a bunch of causes favored by sore folks like Mr. Brandon who couldn’t do it himself.

Will he and others get raw when Holt Truck Centers bring greater wealth to our area (see other InfuseSA post today)? Will he still be whining when regular folk can travel to space thanks to the ground laid by Bezos and Elon Musk, who literally had the resources to burn (pardon the pun) to push into that frontier?

#wordsmatter#noBSzone#noslantinformation#whatsyourbeef#bexarcounty#sanantonio#bipartisan

The post Words Matter, Swap Envy for Respect, Appreciation first appeared on Infuse SA.