Saturday, June 27, 2009

Proposition 13

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090627/us_time/08599190493800

In the above url Proposition 13 of California is blamed at the core of this crisis. HOwever, being 61 now I actually was alive and an adult when Proposition passed in California. The reason for proposition 13 being put in place by the voters in the first place was so many retired people being forced to sell their homes in order to pay their property taxes. So, in effect native Californians were being forced out of their homes by the state just because the property tax rate was just too high state wide.

Proposition 13 solved this crisis and injustice against home owners by reducing the maximum tax against homeowners of 1% of the value of the home per year and made living in and owning a home in California more possible for almost everyone. However, it is true that other sources of income to run state programs were not properly funded by the voters. But in the end do we live in a democracy or not? California is a real democracy. I don't know about the rest of the country.

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