Government – How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Post 154

Trenton tax lien sale is illegal, says group

The Trentonian June 28, 2010  By Andria Carter

TRENTON – Some homeowners and business owners believe that Trenton’s Tax Department is illegally implementing an accelerated tax lien sale.

A group of taxpayers challenged the decision and had their properties removed from the upcoming tax lien sale. However, the owners of 3,000 properties that face the auctioner’s gavel today should be concerned.

Jim Smollen, said he is outraged that this has occurred. “It shouldn’t be just me removed from the sale” he said.

The city is putting on a public auction to sell off delinquent tax bills totaling about $5.89 million. A delinquent tax bill can affect a property owners’ mortgage payments and credit ratings, and the property can foreclosed on by the owner of the tax lien.

The latest tax bills, with an 18 to 22 percent increase, were sent out the first week of May. Property owners have only 25 days to pay their bill, and then they are considered delinquent and subject to tax auction.

The group’s attorney noted the discrepancies surrounding the sale, including not allowing his clients to make payments and the failure to allow a right to appeal. The attorney threatened to seek an injunction to stop the tax sale, but did not, as his clients 74 properties were removed from the auction. But, over 3000 others will be auctioned.

According to state law, an accelerated tax sale can be held Assistant City Attorney Peter Cohen reminded the group that the city had the right (the power – ed. note) to pursue a tax sale in the course of the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, 2010.

The city’s fiscal crisis forced the accelerated tax lien sale. The city did not receive its annual funding, amounting to $34.9 millions. With a budget deficit of $43 million, the city could lay off 475 city employees, including 142 police and 78 firefighters.

See original article: Trenton tax lien auction sale is not legal

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Coach Mitch’s REFLECTIONS™

 

Your government at work

There they go again! From one part of their mouth, government is saying how much they care about citizens. And, from the other part of their mouth, they are hurting citizens – without a care.

“Too bad!”

“Tough” is what it seems government types say. No matter how much they feel our pain, there is never a reprieve for taxpayers. There is only the same old, same old policy; “Tax and spend and tax and spend.”

I have never seen even one government entity hire an efficiency expert to deem how to curtail procedures or expenses. Government is rife with Waste. Government is bulging with outright Fraud. Government’s middle name and alter ego is Abuse.

A comment from an aggrieved taxpayer says it well:

“I guess that this is the Palmer administrations parting slap to the Trenton taxpayers. An unapproved budget, a 22% tax increase and now the taxpayers are not even permitted the appropriate time to make payment before they attempt to slam the common man even further. They are incompetent and should all be unceremoniously dismissed. Why was the sale stopped for some but not for all? Might it be special favors for special people or is the city once again taking advantage of the common man, the disadvantaged and those already down on their luck? Is the City so desperate for money that they will now take advantage of their own citizens? Palmer and friends should be ashamed of themselves. Is this our punishment for vetoing that sweet water deal? If the tax sale is improper or illegal then it should be totally stopped so no one is disadvantaged!!! Bring on the ACLU. I hope that Mayor Mack will decide to play by the rules instead of creating his own.”

People are fed up

I truly hope that this November presages an era of new politicians who roll back the egregious spending of the previous decades. High taxation to finance huge spending is a wonderful way to undermine a society.  Government knows this.

Those who think ever higher spending and even higher taxes are an accident – do not read history

It has been shown time and again, “give them [the people] bread and circuses.” Divert the people’s attention with promises. Become popular with give-a-way programs. Our Founders understood that a people who once recognize that they can gain for themselves from the public purse that which they choose not to work for individually, will vote themselves into oblivion. Many societies have democratically voted to put themselves into slavery. The best example is Hitler’s Germany.

We are no different

Hitler was a mesmerizing speaker. He held his audiences spell bound. He told his people that they were great, that they deserved more, that they should have hope, that he would create change – if they would just follow him.

Hope and Change. Does it sound familiar?

This is the refrain of the demagogue. The high tax, high spend policy has been the same from FDR forward. Obama is simply the latest, best version of this old refrain. He will look great in his Pied Piper green uniform, playing that old tune on his magic flute.

For those who say, “It can’t happen here.” Wake up and smell the rotted flesh. It has already happened here. The golden handcuffs have been slipped on and virtually nothing will undo them. Who can imagine the undoing of Social Security, or Medicaid? Can you imagine not having Unemployment Insurance? And now, complete National Health Insurance.

Ignorance is bliss

Almost all do not even have the beginnings of an understanding of why all our high spending government welfare programs are the underpinnings of the Collectivist oligarchy.

What government can give, it can take away – and does. Just look at the article above. Thousands of people having “their” properties put at risk, without any due process, and the government says it’s OK because they passed a law that says it’s OK.

Prediction

1.  Within thirty years there will be barbed wire “re-education” concentration camps in America!

2.  Almost all Americans will not do a thing in protest.

3.  “I don’t want to become involved” becomes the new national anthem.

The only force that has the potential to stop this crusade by collectivists (those who desire power) is an astute population, with a healthy understanding of the concept of limited governance as implemented by a originalist interpretation of the Constitution.

The only force that stop our slide to slavery is a citizenry that is free market oriented, and has a “stand on my own two feet, I ain’t taking it anymore” mentality; and who cooperates with fellow citizens where it makes sense. That was the sort of energized society that Tocqueville saw in 1830’s America and described in “Democracy In America.”

Fat chance

We have become sissified. We can’t even conduct a war properly.

We are afraid of labeling the enemy as the enemy and then we’re afraid of hurting the enemy. Gone is the mentality justifying the Dresden fire bombing. Now we have to understand the enemy, rather than eliminate him.

Well, we might feel more these days, but we are a lot more ignorant. I miss the clarity of the righteous, where the population is responsible for the actions of the government it has. What about the thought that the Afghan people are responsible for cleaning up its own government and if they don’t stop their own people/government from harming Americans, then we must take on that responsibility.

We are doomed to shoot ourselves in both our feet and to have our silver spoon shoved way up our pompously shallow nose; and we will have brought it upon ourselves for trying to act civilized in a non-civilized world.

What does this have to do with real estate?

It’s simple. A standard of socialistic thought is to collectivize property. However, a standard in maintaining freedom is to understand that controlling property is to control freedom. I did not say owning property is freedom. Rather, individual control of property equals freedom.

You must understand the main tenant of Socialism

Fascist socialism seeks to control via regulation. You hold the deed and pay the taxes, but “they” tell you what you shall do or what you shall not do with “your” property. You own, “they” control. Where’s the freedom in this equation?

Try to do anything with “your” property and see how far you get. You need “their” permission to do almost everything, certainly anything of consequence.

Welcome to fascism. It’s here.

To understand how the Law has been perverted, read Fredrick Bastiat’s   “The Law.”

Maybe we can yet save America – so we can spend the monies that we create on what we choose to spend it on.

See Coach Mitch’s “Ridiculously Simple System…” ™ for details.

Be free,