ON THE ECONOMY, A BALANCED BUDGET, PROPERTY TAXES AND THE HOMELESSNESS ISSUES
A nation is only as strong as the people who inhabit it are healthy, civically responsible and and inventive. Lately, however, Washington State has been hit terribly hard by the national economic downturn. The result has been the second highest unemployment rate in the nation and difficult times for many Washington State families. Notwithstanding the responsibility of the federal government replacing American workers with cheaper foreign products and in the delocalization of the economy to union free countries, Washington State can innovate in many fields but we must first look into homelessness and property taxes, two issues the candidate has been more and more confronted on during the campaign trail.
ON HOMELESSNESS
Because of the mortgage and job downturn, this year , the experts are predicting more than 30,000 homeless families who will be in the streets. This housing crisis affects thousands of poor working people and those with disabilities, mental illness, and addiction who cannot afford a place to live. As a result, the moral, social and financial costs of this crisis have soared as people rely on expensive emergency room and hospital visits, the correctional system, and the streets. Emergency shelters are not an adequate response to this problem.
In this realm and in addition to our other proposals, we can emulate the The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance Plan, a public policy advocacy organization with the singular mission of ending homelessness in the Commonwealth of Mass. Founded in 1988 by a dedicated group of “first responders” working with unsheltered adults in Greater Boston, MHSA initiates solutions to move people out of crisis to permanence throughout Massachusetts. MHSA is committed to ending homelessness by decreasing the dependence of homeless people on the government and creating options for homeless people to exercise their self determination. MHSA persists in raising a sense of moral indignation that any person should be without a decent place to live. Through strategic partnerships formed with government, private philanthropy, service providers, homeless individuals, and business, MHSA works to ensure that homelessness does not become a permanent part of the social landscape. www.endhomelessnessnow.com
ON PROPERTY TAXES AND ASSESSMENT VALUES
Private property rights are essential to a free society. Property taxes infringe on this right, by charging you rent to live on property you already own! Many low income residents are being force out of their homes because they cannot afford this “rent. Property taxes are based on assessments which are currently hinged to the fair market value of a house rather than what the actual owners spent on their house. Yet, the system is increasing assessment values significantly, which hurting many people. Assessments effect property taxes directly. If one lived in a house for many years and someone moved in next door and is willing to pay a much higher price than you paid for your property, you will be assessed at a higher value.
Washington State puts a cap on property taxes of 1% of assessed value. Washington State also sest another limit on property taxes- Taxing districts can only increase the amount they collect by 1% per year. That means that these districts will continue to increase the amount they collect each year 1% until they reach the 1% cap on assessed value. Once that limit is reached, they can re-assess property at even higher values and continue the 1% climb...10 years=10% increase in overall property taxes collected, ad infinitum .
Assessors claim that special levies, such as library and school bonds increase the tax rate much more than they do in their assessments, but the rates of these bonds are based on assessed value which is arbitary and subjective.
In fact, we don't even need an assessors office! Modern computer models for assessing "Fair Market Value" are being used by real estate agents on the internet right now!Think of all the taxpayer money that can be saved from these salaries, government automobiles and wasted gas that is currently wasted assessing properties.
I believe in a Washington State Constitutional amendment to rethink how Properties are assessed. If you are able to build your home for $50,000 in Land and Materials, you should be assessed at that rate unless you sell or pass away! People who are willing to pay $1 million for a new home are the ones who should pay higher taxes, not people who have lived in their home for years.
In the meantime, as stated, i support having a homeowners exemption for property tax of 150,000 dollars for the modest income and less for the others (See Action Plan)
ON A BALANCED BUDGET.
Currently, our state is spending at 2½ times the revenue rate. In the last 4 years taxes have increased state-wide by $500 million. And now, our state government faces a $2.5 billion deficit What we need is a State that will encourage the People' s enlightened self-sovereignty via alternative thinking, by creating more wealth and service with creative imagination and holistic reasoning as opposed to the mechanist-minded approach based on "two and a half times more taxes for more services" or "two and a half less services with the same taxes" No, the solution is to satisfy more basic needs with much fewer taxes.