Crony capitalism in action; Texas county jacks up property taxes on minorities to build McMansions

Originally posted by Southern Guardian
reply to post by ThirdEyeofHorus

 

Socialists and leftists always want to make this about the evils of Capitalism

The funny thing is, the OP is about the local government jacking up property taxes far more on one group compared to another group. Something people like you don't seem to have a problem with. You know? Hypocrisy?

Have you seen the data on it? I haven't. So far it is a claim from a lawsuit but there is no ruling yet on it as far as I understand, and because you want it badly to be racism you believe it without a hitch. I'm not surprised since I know your posts well, as well as kali. You want it badly to be about only minorities and racism instead of a complete hijacking of all of our local govts by the UN.

I feel sorry for people who fall into the pit of this thinking.

The current Prez is the most racially divisive and biased POTUS I have seen in my lifetime. He is using class and race warfare to the nth degree and his supporters are enabling him.

There is no reason to say "crony" capitalism. That's like saying "wet" water.

Capitalism is crony, and has always been crony, corrupt, exploitation. Just study some history.

reply to post by seabag


Nah, you're a 'my business don't stink kinda guy'.


Denial at it's freshest.

Originally posted by ThirdEyeofHorus
Socialists and leftists always want to make this about the evils of Capitalism without explaining the role that Socialism and Communism has in this.

Because there is none. I see absolutely no socialism in this at all.

You might mean liberalism, which is not socialism.

reply to post by ThirdEyeofHorus


It's only racism when you call racism out, right? Another one who's business don't stink. We can't call things what they are, we have to invent agenda's and blame everyone who doesn't think like ourselves. If you can't see what this has to do with Capitalism... good Lord. Bless your heart.

reply to post by ThirdEyeofHorus

You want it badly to be about only minorities and racism instead of a complete hijacking of all of our local govts

So let me understand this. When it comes to the Federal government and taxes, spending = bad, communist, statist. However when local and State governments increase taxes more than 4 fold, putting a burden on minority middle class private property owners, this is A-ok with you? Because it's not Obama and the liberals we're talking about here?

It's fairly clear what your real issues are, and it has little to nothing to do with individual freedoms and fair treatment of all americans.

What the hell?

What part of property taxes are determined on the local level are some not getting?

That aint got jack to do with capitalism unless pumping million of dollars into a county and the locals figured out hell raise property taxes to get their piece of the pie so they can pay for all those roads,bridges, and schools,police, and ems.

Blah

What was it ?

75,000 new people living there?

Nor does it have jack to do with race anytime real estate is developed that increases the value of the land when the value of the land increases the value of property taxes increases.

1 area was redeveloped 1 area wasn't the end.

Originally posted by Kali74
reply to post by seabag

 

Nah, you're a 'my business don't stink kinda guy'.

Denial at it's freshest.

So I make a thoughtful post and explain why it makes sense that one groups property taxes could increase dramatically while the other group (who were already paying 5 times more) experienced only a small increase and your response is that I'm in "denial"?

Checkmate

reply to post by FortAnthem


Seems like if your property value was skyrocketing...

You could go to the bank and get a loan for 10,000 or more and then sit on the house untill you can get a fat check from someone buying you out. Maybe even take 50% of the buy price in stocks.

Would be good for everyone.

Originally posted by ANOK
There is no reason to say "crony" capitalism. That's like saying "wet" water.

Capitalism is crony, and has always been crony, corrupt, exploitation. Just study some history.

Maybe in your shallow black and white world this is the case but in the real world there is a distinction.

CAPITALISM

Free market capitalism can be defined as "a system wherein individuals are free to pursue their own interests, make voluntary exchanges, and hold private property rights in goods and services." Allowing consumers and producers to trade at mutually agreed upon prices, free market capitalism is a system characterized by voluntary rather than coercive exchange. In such a system, the role of government is limited: protecting individuals' basic rights to life, liberty, property, and association; providing a legal system for the enforcement of contracts; and defending individuals against internal and external threats of physical force.

CRONY CAPITALISM

By contrast, whether referred to as cronyism, corporatism, mercantilism, liberal fascism, or venture socialism, crony capitalism is simply the cooperation of government and business. While this cooperation benefits the involved business and politician(s), it generally hurts the politically and corporately unconnected. Furthermore, the power and benefits of crony capitalism can often lead to corruption, a fact which James Madison recognized when he stated, "Wherever there is an interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done, and not less readily by a powerful & interested party than by a powerful and interested prince."

Link

reply to post by seabag


No, only in your incorrect definition of capitalism.

Capitalism is a term coined by the French socialist, Louis Blanc in the 1840's.

It is NOT free-market. For those who only have their labour to sell there is nothing free about it. In a true free market EVERYONE would have to have access to the means to produce. When the means to produce is monopolised by a minority class, then that class becomes the authority over non-property owners. The worker has no control over the economy, the private owner has all the power.

I when I say property, private property, I means economic private property, not personal private property.

Capitalism simply means the private ownership of the means of production. The system that replaced feudalism when the land owners had the laws changed, allowing them to deny use of their land to the "commoners". Known as the 'inclosure laws', this forced the people into the factories, and mills, of the land owners. The land owners became extremely wealthy from the appropriation of surplus value, the exploitation of labour. This became known as capitalism, from the term capitalist, meaning a person who makes profit from their capital.

Capitalism denies people the access to the means to produce. It's privilege for the few, protected by the state. The only freedom capitalism gives is for economic property owners to exploit non-property owners, and raise the wealth required to steel other nations resources, and control the worlds governments.

Not black and white, just the facts.

reply to post by seabag


When everyone but you has to compromise in a debate that's the kind of responses you can expect. When you bother to take a look past the end of your nose at a problem that has existed in this country since minorities were able to own property and when you study the underlying factors of minority poverty and how the myth of equal access is exactly that, you'll get a better response. Until then you will continue to sound like the GOP you claim you now hate.

I honestly don't know how you can't see anything fishy with that drastic of an increase.

reply to post by Kali74


Sea bag gets it. You don't.

If you have a bunch of slummy dilapidated overgrown farms (surrounded by prison lands by the way) that was unincorporated and taxed as such- the residents, regardless of color, would not pay much in taxes because the land is not valued high. In moves some wealthy Houstonians, they buy up some farm land, build some beautiful parks, horse farms, lakes, schools, stores, and subdivisions. The people moving into these new properties are being taxed much higher because it is reflected in their property values. Because of the new influx of people, expensive new schools need to be built to handle the kids living I. These new neighborhoods. Roads have to be improved to handle the traffic. Stores and restaurants are built as local conveniences. Sewers have to be built. Where does the money come for all of this?

Why taxes, you say! So the people that had a #hole trailer on an acre or two, covered in uncut grass, rusty cars, and remnants of old sheds find their property values increasing from 10,000 to $60,000. Therefore their taxes increase. Meanwhile they are benefitting form all of the local improvements including the new schools instead of having to bus their kids 30 minutes or more away. The white Houstonians that built $500,000 homes have been taxed at high rates since the day they built their homes, so they don't see huge year to year increases in their property taxes.

It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with property values. The assessor visits each property each year, estimates its value and gauges improvements compared to surrounding properties and challenges that against a list of properties sold in that zip code over the past year to come up with new estimated property values. You claim your homestead exemption, and get taxed on the remaining value of the property. No where does color, gender, hair length, or shoe size get factored in.

Threads like this that remind me that a majority of Americans still don't know how well the establishment likes to put the screws to others especially minorities. And since they are only minorities, not that many people will give a damn either.

FYI, this is the exact same tactic that was used to deprive black farmers of their farmland when they wouldn't sell their land. Just raise the taxes so they lose that piece of land and then you go in and buy it. Same thing happening in in Harlem, New York. Property taxes then go back down and the new owner is happy.

It's been done so many times it's serial.

Originally posted by cenpuppie
Threads like this that remind me that a majority of Americans still don't know how well the establishment likes to put the screws to others especially minorities. And since they are only minorities, not that many people will give a damn either.

FYI, this is the exact same tactic that was used to deprive black farmers of their farmland when they wouldn't sell their land. Just raise the taxes so they lose that piece of land and then you go in and buy it. Same thing happening in in Harlem, New York. Property taxes then go back down and the new owner is happy.

It's been done so many times it's serial.

The problem with that is that minorities comprise the majority in most of Texas, and particularly in the Richmond, Rosenberg, Fulshire, Sugarland areas. In this. Case, it is clearly not a case of discrimination.

reply to post by rimjaja

Sea bag gets it. You don't.

If you have a bunch of slummy dilapidated overgrown farms (surrounded by prison lands by the way) that was unincorporated and taxed as such- the residents, regardless of color, would not pay much in taxes because the land is not valued high. In moves some wealthy Houstonians, they buy up some farm land, build some beautiful parks, horse farms, lakes, schools, stores, and subdivisions. The people moving into these new properties are being taxed much higher because it is reflected in their property values. Because of the new influx of people, expensive new schools need to be built to handle the kids living I. These new neighborhoods. Roads have to be improved to handle the traffic. Stores and restaurants are built as local conveniences. Sewers have to be built. Where does the money come for all of this?

Thank you, rimjaja!!

I guess you have to be a home owner and understand how local taxes work in order to grasp this scenario. Any tool can have a knee jerk reaction and throw out the race card but racism simply doesn’t appear to be the case here.

Ignorance is bliss!

reply to post by cenpuppie

Threads like this that remind me that a majority of Americans still don't know how well the establishment likes to put the screws to others especially minorities. And since they are only minorities, not that many people will give a damn either.

“The establishment”???

The people running local municipalities across this country are hardly “the establishment.”

Apparently you don’t understand how property taxes are set or where funding for local projects (roads, bridges, infrastructure, schools, etc.) comes from.

FYI, this is the exact same tactic that was used to deprive black farmers of their farmland when they wouldn't sell their land. Just raise the taxes so they lose that piece of land and then you go in and buy it. Same thing happening in in Harlem, New York. Property taxes then go back down and the new owner is happy.

It's been done so many times it's serial.

Links? Examples from the last 20 years??

It has nothing to do with race (at least not directly) but that does not mean that it is fair. This same thing is happening to people here in Vancouver.

Big money is coming in from over seas and overdeveloping a specific region. The value of the properties are now being assessed to the amounts that wealthy foreigners can afford rather that what the local jobs pay. Most houses sit empty for the majority of the year but people still come here and buy-buy-buy.

So now the value of the properties are so far beyond what anybody that was born here can afford to pay, and those that have owned their land for 40 years and plan on retiring cannot afford to because of rising property tax.

I guess since it is capitalism us low wage locals are going to have to migrate to another region and hope it doesn't happen again. No one dare say anything bad against capitalism because that automatically means you hate freedom and wish for socialism...

reply to post by rimjaja


I understand the premise of property tax just fine thank-you. I understand when growth comes in taxes go up for the reasons you state. Where you put blinders on though is your reckoning that that these 'slummy farms surrounded by prison lands' are somehow appraised at worth more than double the developed land with nice new mcmansions, tennis courts and swimming pools.

reply to post by neo96


How can you claim what isn't a part of capitalism?

Where is this rule book you are getting this from?

Capitalism is simply the private ownership of the means of production, it has NO rules, other than those imposed on it by the state.

Realise that capitalism itself is the problem, instead of looking for excuses for it.