Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ruking1 · May 2019

Go WARRIORS!

driver100 · May 2019

graphicguy said:

It’s not that I don’t like those areas. I just remember the day to day struggle more than I do the city.

Moving back to the Mid-West, all of a sudden life became easier, much easier. Now, I don’t mind visiting the east coast and west coast, I just know when I get home, I can buy a new car whenever I want, going out for a nice dinner, taking nice vacations, etc without worrying about being evicted.
.

Toronto is similar. I say, if I had lots and lots of money you could have a nice life in Toronto, theater, restaurants, taxis, a chauffeur would be really nice....but, for us average people, I'd rather live in an area that is more affordable.

ruking1 · May 2019

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

It’s not that I don’t like those areas. I just remember the day to day struggle more than I do the city.

Moving back to the Mid-West, all of a sudden life became easier, much easier. Now, I don’t mind visiting the east coast and west coast, I just know when I get home, I can buy a new car whenever I want, going out for a nice dinner, taking nice vacations, etc without worrying about being evicted.
.
Toronto is similar. I say, if I had lots and lots of money you could have a nice life in Toronto, theater, restaurants, taxis, a chauffeur would be really nice....but, for us average people, I'd rather live in an area that is more affordable.

If one gets so called “passive incomes”, the most logical places to live are in “affordable area’s”. Many many are’as outside of the USA are wonderful & inexpensive places to live. The world can be the literal “oyster”. It also pays a lot of dividends NOT to stand out, when there.

pensfan83 · May 2019

Pittsburgh is not in the same size class as NYC, Chicago, DC, or any number of large cities but neither my wife or myself still wouldn't live within city limits save for perhaps one or two neighborhoods. The schools are meh and the infrastructure aging and crumbling in many spots. However when looked at holistically there's a lot to like from cost of living, top schools (in some districts), and a burgeoning medical and tech sector.

I'm in Raleigh right now and I would put it as one of our top destinations once we're empty nesters.

fintail · May 2019

I think there will be a movement of retirees or older people away from higher cost trendy cities (including Seattle) for some time. Already there's a movement by the local lucky generation cashing out the heavily appreciated real estate they bought back when normal working people could do so, and moving to more affordable (and often drier) areas, especially Wenatchee and small towns in SW WA and eastern WA. This will probably continue for the indefinite future. King County and parts of surrounding counties are now such a rat race, it probably isn't ideal for retirees.

stickguy · May 2019

I really like Raleigh. Richmond is surprisingly happening too.

qbrozen · May 2019

speaking of cost of living ... there is nothing cheap in NJ. Trying to find a new place for my mom, and of course sell her current home. Big reason being cost. Between just utilities and taxes, she's paying $1k-$1200/mo. It is actually difficult to find any home, even with 1/3 the property she currently has, with taxes of less than $450/mo.

stickguy · May 2019

Gotta move to Delaware if you want cheap taxes.

ruking1 · May 2019

fintail said:
I think there will be a movement of retirees or older people away from higher cost trendy cities (including Seattle) for some time. Already there's a movement by the local lucky generation cashing out the heavily appreciated real estate they bought back when normal working people could do so, and moving to more affordable (and often drier) areas, especially Wenatchee and small towns in SW WA and eastern WA. This will probably continue for the indefinite future. King County and parts of surrounding counties are now such a rat race, it probably isn't ideal for retirees.

The north easterners have made the emigration to all points FLORIDA for far longer than I’ve been alive. Indeed, Henry Flagler, the co founder of SONY blazed the trail!

Here is one such city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Beach,_Florida. Back in 1978/1979 about the time when I was scheduled to get out of the service, I had researched a bundled deal of Art Deco hotels for app $36,000 each. While I should have stayed & done the deal, I’m sure the values have increased a bit.👍

fintail · May 2019

I've joked that there's a direct subway line from Queens to FL.

That would have been a time to buy in. In this area 40 years ago, you could have bought houses for under ~50K in some areas that are now 7 figures, land value only of course.

ruking1 said:

The north easterners have made the emigration to all points FLORIDA for far longer than I’ve been alive. Indeed, Henry Flagler, the co founder of SONY blazed the trail!

Here is one such city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Beach,_Florida. Back in 1978/1979 about the time when I was scheduled to get out of the service, I had researched a bundled deal of Art Deco hotels for app $36,000 each. While I should have stayed & done the deal, I’m sure the values have increased a bit.👍

driver100 · May 2019

Ever notice that unmistakable sound that a Ferrari makes?

https://youtu.be/udf7w7ZjnXg

ruking1 · May 2019

fintail said:
I've joked that there's a direct subway line from Queens to FL.

That would have been a time to buy in. In this area 40 years ago, you could have bought houses for under ~50K in some areas that are now 7 figures, land value only of course.

ruking1 said:

The north easterners have made the emigration to all points FLORIDA for far longer than I’ve been alive. Indeed, Henry Flagler, the co founder of SONY blazed the trail!

Here is one such city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Beach,_Florida. Back in 1978/1979 about the time when I was scheduled to get out of the service, I had researched a bundled deal of Art Deco hotels for app $36,000 each. While I should have stayed & done the deal, I’m sure the values have increased a bit.👍

Truly it is no jioke! I heard more New York accents in Florida than I did when I was stationed in New York !

Miami Beach, had for decades an INSANELY popular night life. Each of those hotels would be literally worth a fortune! Foods WERE/are legendary.

The good/bad news are the processes keep going on, in different cities, towns, counties, states, off shore.

thebean · May 2019

North Texas must be really desirable, judging from the amount of people moving here. My little burg had 5,500 folks in 1985 and now we’re over 100K. Heck, our high school has over 6,000 students and that’s just grades 11 & 12. I like it OK, but there is nothing to look at, the summers are long and miserable, and the traffic is really getting bad. But, the medical care is great, and that means a lot to me now.

henryn · May 2019

qbrozen said:
speaking of cost of living ... there is nothing cheap in NJ. Trying to find a new place for my mom, and of course sell her current home. Big reason being cost. Between just utilities and taxes, she's paying $1k-$1200/mo. It is actually difficult to find any home, even with 1/3 the property she currently has, with taxes of less than $450/mo.

You're going to hate me, I know it.

Now that I have turned 65, my property taxes are frozen. I pay $480 per year. Yes, YEAR, not month.

And there's no state income tax.

On the other hand, you can't actually lease a car here, you pretty much have to buy it. Well, you could lease a car, but generally it's not a smart move.

stickguy · May 2019

well, if I did not have to pay usurious NJ state income tax, and $1,000/month in property taxes, I would have no problem just buying whatever I felt like.

ruking1 · May 2019

henryn said:

qbrozen said:
speaking of cost of living ... there is nothing cheap in NJ. Trying to find a new place for my mom, and of course sell her current home. Big reason being cost. Between just utilities and taxes, she's paying $1k-$1200/mo. It is actually difficult to find any home, even with 1/3 the property she currently has, with taxes of less than $450/mo.
You're going to hate me, I know it.

Now that I have turned 65, my property taxes are frozen. I pay $480 per year. Yes, YEAR, not month.

And there's no state income tax.

On the other hand, you can't actually lease a car here, you pretty much have to buy it. Well, you could lease a car, but generally it's not a smart move.

God bless Texas !

Not too long ago, I got notice from a (CA) county assessors office they will no long generate tax bills for parcels/properties under $ xxx.00. We called the county assessor, almost in a panic to find out what this latest double speak meant. While they would not come out & say it, there’d be no penalizes if it were not to be paid. They of course expected it not to get “ratty”. There is justice, albeit small!

berri · May 2019

I recently saw something that claimed new retirees are not following the old downsize and move thing as much these days. They are just staying in their homes. Don't pretend to know the reality of it all, but given newer house prices and moving costs, I could see this being true I suppose.

explorerx4 · May 2019

Although we have been 'empty nesters' for 5 years, our house is a gathering place for family for birthdays, holidays, etc...
as one of my friend/neighbor's pointed out by the time you downsize and get things the way you want, you aren't saving any money.
I still want a yard to putter around in, so no condo, at this point.
My house is built with 2x6 walls, which is really nice once you have it.
It gives all the windows some nice depth and is pretty energy efficient.

You can get a pretty nice house in northern Ohio, for not a lot of money.
I sent this listing to my kids(they are always sending me stuff).

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32372-Orchard-Park-Dr_Avon-Lake_OH_44012_M47766-58339?view=qv

abacomike · May 2019

pensfan83 said:

Pittsburgh is not in the same size class as NYC, Chicago, DC, or any number of large cities but neither my wife or myself still wouldn't live within city limits save for perhaps one or two neighborhoods. The schools are meh and the infrastructure aging and crumbling in many spots. However when looked at holistically there's a lot to like from cost of living, top schools (in some districts), and a burgeoning medical and tech sector. I'm in Raleigh right now and I would put it as one of our top destinations once we're empty nesters.

My nephew lives in Raleigh. He and his family love the climate and the lifestyle there. He moved there from Charlotte, which he also liked - but living closer to the ocean is preferable.

stickguy · May 2019

my wife insists we need a house the same size, and can't possibly get smaller. I tell her that she is nuts. She is. 2 people don't really need 3,100 SF including finished basement. But, moving around here doesn't make much sense while still working. When we retire, plan to leave the area and at that point we are definitely getting a smaller place.

mostly I think she just doesn't want to have to get rid of any of her accumulated junk! Plus, it is the equivalent of getting an F250 for 1 trip a year to pick up something big at the store. Need all the room for the 1-2 nights we have people staying over for a holiday.

snakeweasel · May 2019

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:
How long does the battery in modern (2015) key fobs last? My Ford is telling me “battery low, change soon”.
FWIW, my 11+ year old fob for the TSX still works, but it is getting intermittent. I may start using the spare that's good as new to see if it's just wearing out or if the battery is the cause. Have no idea what it'll cost to replace the battery. I'll be interested in hearing what others say.

Just an FYI the fob on my almost 12 year old car is still on its original battery.

pensfan83 · May 2019

explorerx4 said:
Although we have been 'empty nesters' for 5 years, our house is a gathering place for family for birthdays, holidays, etc...
as one of my friend/neighbor's pointed out by the time you downsize and get things the way you want, you aren't saving any money.
I still want a yard to putter around in, so no condo, at this point.
My house is built with 2x6 walls, which is really nice once you have it.
It gives all the windows some nice depth and is pretty energy efficient.

You can get a pretty nice house in northern Ohio, for not a lot of money.
I sent this listing to my kids(they are always sending me stuff).

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32372-Orchard-Park-Dr_Avon-Lake_OH_44012_M47766-58339?view=qv

Avon Lake is nice. I'm partial to the Strongsville/North Royalton/Broadview Heights area.

explorerx4 · May 2019

Here's another nice one.
I'll take everything in the outbuilding/garage, too.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/32539-Walker-Rd_Avon-Lake_OH_44012_M46597-92343?view=qv

snakeweasel · May 2019

berri said:
@oldfarmer50

I'm thinking Illinois threw this out to see general response. The question of road maintenance as cars use less fuel is going to be a complicated one. Most states and the US rely heavily on fuel taxes. I suppose there are various ways to go about it down the road, but continuing to rely heavily on fuel tax will end up falling on the transportation industry like truckers which will pass onto consumers. You could increase car license fees, put a usage type tax on car sales, move more to tolls as just a few possibilities. Road usage continues to grow, so the issue isn't going to fade away any time soon. Personally, I see hybrids growing and think heavy EV sales are still sometime long into the future unless a quicker way to recharge and the necessary infrastructure occurs earlier. Autonomous, ride sharing, car subscriptions - I'm not sure America is ready for all this except perhaps in the heart of major cities. Bottom line, I'll probably be long gone to care

Illinois is in a money grab right now, they are trying to raise the income tax, the gas tax and are looking into a per mile tax on cars. The new governor, Madigan, is even talking about selling state buildings and leasing the tollway

suydam · May 2019

We downsized and moved — but to move back to our home state and reunite with friends there. I personally would not want to move to a place where I didn’t know anyone. I would never move purely for tax purposes.

snakeweasel · May 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

ruking1 said:
CA is also “gasoline taxing” the working & POOR directly without the 2/3 majority votes mandated by its own rules & constitution. But wait.... there’s also taxing the taxes......https://fee.org/articles/californias-soaring-gas-taxes-arent-even-going-to-the-roads/

Don’t forget Federal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States

This should be indicative they will never get rid of gasoline & diesel!?

Ethanol (Biofuels) taxation https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-u-epa-proposes-hike-211736649.html
Fake News unfortunately. 59% of gas taxes in California go to highway maintenance and public transit.
That begs the question of why any gas taxes are used for public transit. In NY 80% of gas taxes are used for non highway purposes like bike paths and turning interstate ramps into parks. Almost like motorists are a piggy bank for every interest with a hand out.
I think gas taxes for public transit makes sense. After all, one new person on a bus is one less car that you have to plow through in traffic, right?

The actual facts on gas taxes are here:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/01/gas-tax-where-does-the-money-actually-go/

I see gas taxes for public transit as rural America subsidizing Urban America. People living in Rural areas drive more than people who live in more densely populated areas and they dont have access to that public transit.

explorerx4 · May 2019

I never heard back for vroom regarding my request for a buy quote.
That means either I gave them the wrong contact info or they don't want my car.

I didn't notice very many Fusions on their site and one of the one's I clicked on wasn't there anymore.
Overall, I'm 50/50 about selling it, it's a good car, but I am always looking for the next one.

snakeweasel · May 2019

fintail said:
In other words, people who had microwave and VCR clocks blinking "12:00" all day in 1985. Things can only be dumbed down to a certain point. I've driven a fair number of cars, never had a Bluetooth pairing issue. I'll trade a somewhat complex menu system for the display quality of a modern MB nav screen. Also, not a touch screen = good.

Regarding MB MSRP, if you pay sticker, you're probably doing it wrong, few models of any brand command MSRP. For MBs, probably only the new G-Wagen right now.

driver100 said:

*motorists report having issues with technology-related woes like Bluetooth phone pairing, voice recognition, and navigation/audio systems, which are typically the most complex and confounding to master among gadget-packed luxury cars.

My microwave was always at 12:00 as I never saw a need to set it. It's not like I would be setting the microwave to start cooking dinner at a particular time, nor was there no other clock I could use to check the time. To me it was like outfitting a boat with a spare tire.

snakeweasel · May 2019

oldfarmer50 said:
Here’s a new angle.

A local Honda dealer is touting “market based pricing” on their cars. This is what they say it means:

“Market Based Pricing
Get a transparent, better-than-fair vehicle price with the Mohawk Honda Market Based Pricing commitment. We know that price shopping is available at your fingertips, so we’ve done the research for you. Our industry-leading software helps us base our prices on supply and demand, and not on book value. Market Based Pricing saves you time and money. Ask us for a complete Market Based Pricing detail today”

The part that interests me is the where they say they base their prices on “supply and demand” not book value. That sounds ripe for abuse (remember when a salesman told me that 5 year old Chryslers were going UP in value?). Seems as if this is just a slick way to counter someone waving a printout of Edmunds TMV around the showroom.

Translation: Our prices are the lowest, trust us, you dont have to check around.

snakeweasel · May 2019

graphicguy said:

The question is who determines the market’s supply and demand? If one Honda dealer is selling Ridgelines like there is no tomorrow, and the one across town can’t move them, wouldn’t it make more sense to go to the dealer who can’t sell them to make a deal?

To me it would seem that you cant get a deal from the dealer who cannot move them since if you could they would be moving them. The dealer who is moving them is moving them for a reason.

driver100 · May 2019

snakeweasel said:

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:
How long does the battery in modern (2015) key fobs last? My Ford is telling me “battery low, change soon”.
FWIW, my 11+ year old fob for the TSX still works, but it is getting intermittent. I may start using the spare that's good as new to see if it's just wearing out or if the battery is the cause. Have no idea what it'll cost to replace the battery. I'll be interested in hearing what others say.

Just an FYI the fob on my almost 12 year old car is still on its original battery.

Keyless fobs are working a lot more, and newer cars have fobs that do a lot more things.....battery runs down faster.

abacomike · May 2019

As I was driving home from the mall this morning, a Dodge Hellcat pulled up alongside of me at a traffic light. It was bright red with black striping and the engine sounded like a piston engine idling on a Super G Constellation from back in the 1950’s. When the light turned green, he took off light a lightning streak. The engine was unbelievably “throaty” - even a Corvette engine didn’t sound as powerful.

I guess it had that 700+ horsepower engine and was getting 7-10 mpg like my 1966 GTO. It brought back some great memories.

oldfarmer50 · May 2019

driver100 said:
Ever notice that unmistakable sound that a Ferrari makes?
https://youtu.be/udf7w7ZjnXg

That’s funny.

fintail · May 2019

No income tax here, and there's also a senior property tax rate - my grandma pays around a grand a year on her house which is worth an unbelievable amount given its original price and once-somewhat outlying location (that is now part of the rat race).

But, we have high sales tax and many other taxes (gasoline esp) that combine to make an overall regressive tax structure. It's lease-friendly anyway.

henryn said:

You're going to hate me, I know it.

Now that I have turned 65, my property taxes are frozen. I pay $480 per year. Yes, YEAR, not month.

And there's no state income tax.

On the other hand, you can't actually lease a car here, you pretty much have to buy it. Well, you could lease a car, but generally it's not a smart move.

ruking1 · May 2019

fintail said:
No income tax here, and there's also a senior property tax rate - my grandma pays around a grand a year on her house which is worth an unbelievable amount given its original price and once-somewhat outlying location (that is now part of the rat race).

But, we have high sales tax and many other taxes (gasoline esp) that combine to make an overall regressive tax structure. It's lease-friendly anyway.

henryn said:

You're going to hate me, I know it.

Now that I have turned 65, my property taxes are frozen. I pay $480 per year. Yes, YEAR, not month.

And there's no state income tax.

On the other hand, you can't actually lease a car here, you pretty much have to buy it. Well, you could lease a car, but generally it's not a smart move.

It would appear “grandma” is one of the “lucky generation” railed against in some past posts.

stickguy · May 2019

I really like that cape cod. Especically the outbuilding of course. Walking distance to a winery, certainly a plus! Does look like it is on a busy road, but set well back to not an issue.

fintail · May 2019

Her generation begat the lucky generation, but still pretty lucky in terms of asset appreciation and original purchasing power.

Of course, go 100 miles from the rat race, and houses that were 100K 25 years ago won't be 200K today.

ruking1 said:

It would appear “grandma” is one of the “lucky generation” railed against in some past posts.

snakeweasel · May 2019

ruking1 said:

houdini2 said:

driver100 said:
"ab348"

I get it....he is thinking of stealing her purse

driver100 said:
"ab348"

I get it....he is thinking of stealing her purse

driver100 said:
"ab348"

I get it....he is thinking of stealing her purse

What purse?

One has to love those seven flats of eggs!🍳

There's a "he" in that picture? And eggs too?

snakeweasel · May 2019

henryn said:

andres3 said:

I know in CA, particularly in the San Diego area, they are starting to scrap long-promised highway improvements (additional lanes) for other pet projects, like mass transit and bike paths.

The problem is they are scrapping improvements promised like 10 years ago for money the voters approved based on those promises. So do they think Voters don't care if promises turn out to be lies? The gist of the argument seems to be that added lanes don't help because if you build it, they will come (as in more cars).
I find that argument to be a bunch of hogwash,but that's me.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case, it is not a "bunch of hogwash". Scientific studies have shown that to be true. You add more lanes to the freeway, it doesn't take long (a year or two) for the traffic to increase to the point where you have the same gridlock as before.

I say "unfortunately" because I don't like this any more than you do. But just because I don't like it does not make it "hogwash".

The real problem here is that diverting the money to mass transit has not (for the most part) been of any real help with the situation. We need better answers. I don't have those "better answers", but someone really really needs to come up with some new ideas.

I would say that it is hogwash simply because people are not jumping in their cars and driving down a road simply because the road exists. If you add lanes and traffic increases quickly it is because the traffic already existed but was on other routes. We had a interstate that added a lane and it did increase the traffic on that interstate almost immediately but traffic on alternate routes was reduced.

snakeweasel · May 2019

stickguy said:
We have no desire to live in a big city. My wife especially.

I couldn't live in a major city, we live in the burbs and all our family lives outside the city save one nephew who lives in the near north side of Chicago. About once a year we go there for a family event which always reminds me why we don't go downtown.

tjc78 · May 2019

stickguy said:

I really like Raleigh. Richmond is surprisingly happening too.

I’ve spent lots of time in Richmond. It is a nice place. Outside the city the “Short Pump” area is up and coming.

oldfarmer50 · May 2019

What’s in the water out in LA?

https://youtu.be/jAe3NR88tZ8

driver100 · May 2019

stickguy said:
I really like that cape cod. Especically the outbuilding of course. Walking distance to a winery, certainly a plus! Does look like it is on a busy road, but set well back to not an issue.

I have thought....one advantage of being on a fairly busy road......kids won't be playing football, road hockey, baseball, basketball etc., in front of your house.

driver100 · May 2019

oldfarmer50 said:
What’s in the water out in LA?

https://youtu.be/jAe3NR88tZ8

That looks like it would be a fun thing to do.
One reason I don't like those RVs is because they are so flimsy, see how it disintegrates so easily.
Obviously, it was stolen....by someone who doesn't drive RVs very often.

oldfarmer50 · May 2019

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:
How long does the battery in modern (2015) key fobs last? My Ford is telling me “battery low, change soon”.
FWIW, my 11+ year old fob for the TSX still works, but it is getting intermittent. I may start using the spare that's good as new to see if it's just wearing out or if the battery is the cause. Have no idea what it'll cost to replace the battery. I'll be interested in hearing what others say.

Just an FYI the fob on my almost 12 year old car is still on its original battery.
Keyless fobs are working a lot more, and newer cars have fobs that do a lot more things.....battery runs down faster.

Just had the dealer change the battery in the Ford fob. $6. Not bad considering that to drive to Walmart, buy one and drive home would have cost about the same.

oldfarmer50 · May 2019

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
What’s in the water out in LA?

https://youtu.be/jAe3NR88tZ8
That looks like it would be a fun thing to do.
One reason I don't like those RVs is because they are so flimsy, see how it disintegrates so easily.
Obviously, it was stolen....by someone who doesn't drive RVs very often.

I understand there’s a trend on the west coast for people to live in RVs parked on the street as opposed to paying high rents or being homeless. Some of those folks are as unstable as those living under bridges.

graphicguy · May 2019

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

It’s not that I don’t like those areas. I just remember the day to day struggle more than I do the city.

Moving back to the Mid-West, all of a sudden life became easier, much easier. Now, I don’t mind visiting the east coast and west coast, I just know when I get home, I can buy a new car whenever I want, going out for a nice dinner, taking nice vacations, etc without worrying about being evicted.
.
Toronto is similar. I say, if I had lots and lots of money you could have a nice life in Toronto, theater, restaurants, taxis, a chauffeur would be really nice....but, for us average people, I'd rather live in an area that is more affordable.

@driver100 ....I mentioned we have a large office in Mississauga.....near Toronto. Great city. But, in talking to my colleagues who live there, if it weren’t for the fact that they bought property 20 years ago, they say they couldn’t afford to live there. That said, their property today is worth quit a bit.

Same goes for my colleagues in the Bay Area (tech areas near San Francisco). They all tell me if I had stayed, and kept my (extremely modest) home when I was there in the ‘80s, I’d be an instant millionaire.

I think one of the former Edmunds Editors used to live in California and moved, selling his home. That resulted him making enough money to go out and buy a Ford GT.

As it stands, I’m probably close to an early retirement as is, and will be able to afford my car habits until they take my license away. I’m fortunate. Wouldn’t have been able to do that living anywhere other than the Mid-West, though.

Cincinnati has had its ups and downs like any semi-large city. But, it’s really on a nice upswing and it is fun to hang out in. The county I live in (Butler...the county just north of the one Cincinnati resides in) had seen better days, but since I’ve lived here (20+ years) has really come into its own. Property values never dipped as much as other areas during the mortgage crisis. They never appreciated as much other times, either. But, demand in my area is hot right now. And, I keep thinking “downsize”. Who knows? It’s just me and my dog right now. If someone made me an offer....??????

imidazol97 · May 2019

snakeweasel said:

Illinois is in a money grab right now, they are trying to raise the income tax, the gas tax and are looking into a per mile tax on cars. The new governor, Madigan, is even talking about selling state buildings and leasing the tollway

Ohio's last governor leased the toll road for 100 years or something like that for money to cover his inability to properly finance things and keep promise to lower taxes.

Now new governor raised gas tax quickly to get enough money for the ODOT to continue repairing roads because the previous Kasick governor's money was GONE from sale of toll road.

A lot of things have been put off that working folks need to pay for to keep things up around them. But in many cases corruption moved the funds out with little getting repaired. Or state income taxes were lowered and not enough was being taken in to properly maintain things. That's Ohio.

ab348 · May 2019

Where I live taxes are high of course. Part of that is because the provincial (state) govt cannot afford to pay for healthcare demands. While I would like to see reform of that system, it is somewhat understandable given that population growth overall here is virtually nil and like many govts they find it very hard to stop doing things that once seemed important but no longer are. I do give them some credit for trying to rein in the health care and education public sector union demands, which are what drives a good portion of those costs.

The city I live in faces a very different situation. It has enjoyed tremendous growth over the last few years as people move here from rural areas and new immigrants from elsewhere have arrived. For the first time in a couple of decades the downtown is dotted with construction cranes and lots of new apartment and condo complexes are being built both there and in the suburbs. Property tax revenue is just rolling in. One would think that would be good news for existing property owners, but not so fast. We have a "progressive" council and they love to spend money on everything other than their core mandates, aside from letting the police and fire services (along with much of the rest of their bureaucracy) enjoy rich levels of compensation increases. It is now not at all uncommon for a police constable or firefighter to make 6 figures here. But rather than using that revenue growth to fix roads and sidewalks, maintain and improve parks, deliver a transit system that actually works, etc., instead they are wasting vast amounts of money on making the roads carry less traffic by adding bike lanes and bridges that get very little use, making parking DT harder to find, and trying to control everything that some activist special interest thinks needs is a problem, advertising flyers being the latest. All of that spending means that they still raised taxes on the average home this year despite all the growth. To me that is still corruption, just of a different type.

ruking1 · May 2019

ab348 said:
Where I live taxes are high of course. Part of that is because the provincial (state) govt cannot afford to pay for healthcare demands. While I would like to see reform of that system, it is somewhat understandable given that population growth overall here is virtually nil and like many govts they find it very hard to stop doing things that once seemed important but no longer are. I do give them some credit for trying to rein in the health care and education public sector union demands, which are what drives a good portion of those costs.

The city I live in faces a very different situation. It has enjoyed tremendous growth over the last few years as people move here from rural areas and new immigrants from elsewhere have arrived. For the first time in a couple of decades the downtown is dotted with construction cranes and lots of new apartment and condo complexes are being built both there and in the suburbs. Property tax revenue is just rolling in. One would think that would be good news for existing property owners, but not so fast. We have a "progressive" council and they love to spend money on everything other than their core mandates, aside from letting the police and fire services (along with much of the rest of their bureaucracy) enjoy rich levels of compensation increases. It is now not at all uncommon for a police constable or firefighter to make 6 figures here. But rather than using that revenue growth to fix roads and sidewalks, maintain and improve parks, deliver a transit system that actually works, etc., instead they are wasting vast amounts of money on making the roads carry less traffic by adding bike lanes and bridges that get very little use, making parking DT harder to find, and trying to control everything that some activist special interest thinks needs is a problem, advertising flyers being the latest. All of that spending means that they still raised taxes on the average home this year despite all the growth. To me that is still corruption, just of a different type.

It doesn’t appear that the “collective consciousness” (wildly socialist) is going to get smarter on ANY of the above mentioned issues anytime soon. But mark these words: socialists barely realize sooner or later, they will run out of other peoples money.

Most people don’t understand that a city needs 80% business, 20% residential to even begin to approach “HEALTH”. I could go on, but few people are interested in the REAL TMI.

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