A political discussion between Red
State conservative Dave Simpson – a former
reporter, editor, publisher and columnist
– and Greg Bean, Blue Stater and
executive editor of Greater Media Newspapers.
Let us know what you think.
Dear Greg:
In the spirit of Rodney “Can’t we all just get along?” King, I write today seeking a small plot of common ground, a community of interest between your Blue States and my Red States.
Some e-mailers have exhorted us to eschew the name-calling and discord, link hands, prepare issue papers, seek out what we like about each other, turn frowns upside down and teach the world to sing while swilling a bottle of Coke.
I don’t know about you, but getting along sounds boring to me. And the day you start agreeing with me on politics, I’m going to call your long-suffering wife and have her take your temperature, orally or otherwise, whatever it takes.
However, a recent column of yours gives me hope that there is, in fact, one area of politics on which we agree. I’m referring to your column asking the last person to leave New Jersey to please turn out the lights, which lamented the crazy high taxes back there.
You may recall that I’ve been toiling in the tax vineyards for some years now, having backed limitations on tax increases in one Blue State and one Red State. Interestingly, we succeeded in the Blue State, but failed in the Red State. Go figure.
You’ll recall that you criticized me at the time, predicting that education would grind to a halt if we succeeded in limiting the size of property tax increases. It did not, and last I heard they’re even generating budget surpluses, despite the cap.
Can’t we agree, Greg, that if old people are expected to get by on inflationary increases, then government ought to be able to do the same? Why, after all, let the city council or the school board have 5 or 6 percent more when Grandma gets 2 percent in her Social Security check?
Something happens to people when they get elected, though, and election-time reformers quickly turn into “you just don’t understand” defenders of the status quo. Worse, many become tax-raising empire builders. Happens all the time.
I used to think it was you Democrats who were the problem, but I’ve learned that we Republicans are just as bad, and in many cases, worse.
A pox on both their houses.
I’ve come to believe that the problem of high property taxes isn’t a Red/Blue, Republican/Democrat issue at all, but a simple case of Us vs. Them, the big-spending (forgive me, I can’t resist) Greedy, Relentless Elected Chowderheads Who Will Spend Us Into Oblivion vs. the rest of us, who just want a couple of nickels to rub together in our waning years.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to wane.
In the words of Red State icon Bill O’Reilly, what say you, Greg?
Sincerely, Red State Dave
Dear Dave:
They say that even a blind hog finds a truffle now and then, and your missive proves that old adage correct.
You’re right when you talk about the rate of tax increases in the public sector vs. the rate of income increase in the private sector, and that’s a phrase you may never hear me utter again (unless I’m under the influence of mood-altering drugs). In at least three or four columns over the last couple of years, I’ve bemoaned the fact that municipal and state taxes grow at a completely disproportionate rate, and the guys in control of the bureaucratic budgets ought to be ashamed of themselves.
A few comments, however.
One, I’ll point out to you once more that I’ve never said I’m a Democrat. Show me where I said that, and I’ll eat your hat.
That said, I remember that prediction I made about education suffering if we limit property tax increases, but that was before Proposition 21/2 passed while I was living in Massachusetts and I saw the world did not come to an end. I was wrong, and since then, I’ve been a fan of severely limiting the rate of increase by statute. I wish we could get a citizens initiative on the ballot to do something like that in New Jersey.
Fact is, you guys out there in the Red States paying $1,500 or even (God forbid) $4,000 a year in property taxes just don’t know how bad it can get, and you sound more than a little whiny.
Out here in the Blue States, we know what real pain feels like when it comes to property tax. This is a state, after all, where there was a question on our most recent ballot about whether we should increase the sales tax in order to decrease the property tax. Our government is so unresponsive that the best idea someone can come up with is to tax ourselves more so we can tax ourselves less. How sad is that?
In my community, I pay $7.54 per $100 in valuation for local taxes, which comes to about $15,080 a year on a home valued at $200,000, which is about average. On top of that, we pay 8.9 percent of our income for state taxes, plus about a bazillion hidden taxes. And we’re still facing such a huge shortfall for next year that the governor wants to lease the New Jersey Turnpike to a private operator.
You know what Red State guys like you would do if your local government told you you’re gonna have to pay $7.54 per $100 in valuation in local property taxes from now on? You’d go bull-goose looney is what you’d do. Those little veins on your neck would start popping out, your face would turn red, steam would come from your ears, and your heart would actually explode in your chest.
Then you’d really get mad.
I wouldn’t want to see that, so here, mi amigo, is my best advice. Don’t wane, quit whining, take a deep breath and count your blessings. Knowing what you pay in property tax out there in your Red State, I’d say you’ve got it pretty good.
Your friend,
Blue State Greg
You can reach Greg Bean at gbean @gmnews.com. Dave Simpson can be reached at [email protected].