The general decline in standards today

[jamespowers]

The problem is the government would never assess the property at $1,000. At first I was really kind of against "planned contracting" where housing stock is purposefully destroyed because a lot of these places are gorgeous old victorians, but nothing else has worked.

Our property taxes went up significantly because the county used to share it's sales tax 4% with the city and towns (townships- in NYS there is the state, county, and then town levels of government). I live on the edge of the city but not in the city proper, so I live in a town. The county struck a deal with the city to give all the sales tax revenue collected in the county to the city because the city is in financial trouble. There is not much left in the city itself as far as work (many of the businesses have moved out to the suburbs) except for the largest employers: the university and the hospitals. And they don't pay taxes as non-profits.

Anyways, despite all of this, the city is still in financial trouble and the only way I see any way out now is to plan to destroy some of the housing stock, and eventually turn off service to those areas. The only other solution is to get some business into the area, but that doesn't seem to be working either.

Knock it all down and build an oil refinery. At least gas would be cheap.

We have the same levels of government but we took back power from them long ago with Proposition 13. Our property tax is set at 1% no matter what. Every year they are allowed to increase assessed home value by only about 1.5%. It saved seniors from being kicked out of their homes. I know it helped my grandparents.

 

[sheeplady]

Knock it all down and build an oil refinery. At least gas would be cheap.

We have the same levels of government but we took back power from them long ago with Proposition 13. Our property tax is set at 1% no matter what. Every year they are allowed to increase assessed home value by only about 1.5%. It saved seniors from being kicked out of their homes. I know it helped my grandparents.

We have a property tax increase cap here of 2%, but I don't know how well enforced it is (it is new) and I have heard on the news of some people's taxes increasing 13% or so (and they had the governor on TV and he said over 90% of the towns were in compliance, so that means the rest are not); so no idea how that works. We don't have a cap on home assessment values nor do we have caps on the percentage of taxes to the value of the property, as far as I am aware.

 

[jamespowers]

We have a property tax increase cap here of 2%, but I don't know how well enforced it is (it is new) and I have heard on the news of some people's taxes increasing 13% or so (and they had the governor on TV and he said over 90% of the towns were in compliance, so that means the rest are not); so no idea how that works. We don't have a cap on home assessment values nor do we have caps on the percentage of taxes to the value of the property, as far as I am aware.

Wow! This kind of stuff is what caused us to tell them to take a hike in 1978.

I bet if you got a stable system going then people would be more willing to buy property because they would know what they are getting into.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

For Christmas I bought myself a Lego Technic Excavator set. I just started building it a few days ago and noticed that a piece was missing. I must have looked through the whole thing several times and just couldn't find it. And then looking at the instructions I found that this set requires 14 of these pieces, all of which are missing! I can see where they might have left out one piece but an entire set of gears???

 

[jamespowers]

For Christmas I bought myself a Lego Technic Excavator set. I just started building it a few days ago and noticed that a piece was missing. I must have looked through the whole thing several times and just couldn't find it. And then looking at the instructions I found that this set requires 14 of these pieces, all of which are missing! I can see where they might have left out one piece but an entire set of gears???

That happens to my sons all the time. I either call or email Lego and they send you a replacement for what you need. Be specific in what you need.

 

[Edward]

For Christmas I bought myself a Lego Technic Excavator set. I just started building it a few days ago and noticed that a piece was missing. I must have looked through the whole thing several times and just couldn't find it. And then looking at the instructions I found that this set requires 14 of these pieces, all of which are missing! I can see where they might have left out one piece but an entire set of gears???

It's the end of civilisation as we know it.

 

[Gregg Axley]

It's the end of civilisation as we know it.

I was in denial until you said it.....

 

[LizzieMaine]

What's even worse about it is that somewhere out there right this moment there's a Lego buff opening a box that contains 250 gears and 14 blocks.

 

[rue]

What's even worse about it is that somewhere out there right this moment there's a Lego buff opening a box that contains 250 gears and 14 blocks.

lol

 

[jamespowers]

What's even worse about it is that somewhere out there right this moment there's a Lego buff opening a box that contains 250 gears and 14 blocks.

Haivng opened plenty for my sons, I wouldn't doubt it could happen. When computer are sorting the parts by weight, you are going to have problems.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Haivng opened plenty for my sons, I wouldn't doubt it could happen. When computer are sorting the parts by weight, you are going to have problems.

[video=youtube;dSIKBliboIo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSIKBliboIo[/video]

 

[jamespowers]

[video=youtube;dSIKBliboIo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSIKBliboIo[/video]

HAL would have been a better choice to sort Lego parts.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

For Christmas I bought myself a Lego Technic Excavator set. I just started building it a few days ago and noticed that a piece was missing. I must have looked through the whole thing several times and just couldn't find it. And then looking at the instructions I found that this set requires 14 of these pieces, all of which are missing! I can see where they might have left out one piece but an entire set of gears???

Update: The parts arrived today but they're the wrong parts even though the correct part number is on the invoice. It's absolutely beyond me how they can screw up twice in a row like this.

 

[jamespowers]

Update: The parts arrived today but they're the wrong parts even though the correct part number is on the invoice. It's absolutely beyond me how they can screw up twice in a row like this.

HAL really doesn't like you.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ok, now this takes the cake. My car was broken into again the other night -- punk kids looking for drugs, happens once or twice a year, and I'm used to it. Fact of life living in the 21st Century, ha ha ha, isn't small town life delightful and quaint. But this morning I discovered my mop has been stolen as well. My mop -- a plain old kitchen string mop -- which I usually keep out on the back doorstep. I don't know what perverted use they intend to put it to, but I hope they catch a disease. Bah.

 

[Widebrim]

^^A mop? Maybe someone's looking for a cheap wig...Reminds of the time someone stole our class crayfish; it had peacefully spent two summers on my (secluded) back porch, and one day just disappeared. I just hope she didn't end up on somebody's skillet...

 

[Cochese]

Ok, now this takes the cake. My car was broken into again the other night -- punk kids looking for drugs, happens once or twice a year, and I'm used to it. Fact of life living in the 21st Century, ha ha ha, isn't small town life delightful and quaint. But this morning I discovered my mop has been stolen as well. My mop -- a plain old kitchen string mop -- which I usually keep out on the back doorstep. I don't know what perverted use they intend to put it to, but I hope they catch a disease. Bah.

Perhaps they were ensuring a clean getaway.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Perhaps they were ensuring a clean getaway.

Then I guess they'll be back tonight for the pail.

 

[Feraud]

Thats a bummer LizzieM. Folks stealing for drug money will take anything. My parents owned a grocery store and I've seen all sorts of odd things looking to be turned over for a quick buck.
If they return for the pail, greet them with a baseball bat.

 

[C44Antelope]

LizzieM, what is the going drug of choice in your neck of the woods? We've had a continued issue with the marijuana and methamphetamine - but locally it seems like there has been a recent increase in prescription drug abuse. Just wondered if that's going on there, too.

Too bad about the mop. I can't help but picture a couple of people, all wigged out on something, conversing:
"Dude, it's like that broom melted on the broomy part."
"Nah man, it's spaghetti on a stick."
“Let’s take it.”