Gotta love the 19th Amendment

Today, I'm heading to the polls. I'm not sure what else is available to vote on but if it's the only one that I've heard about, it will be worthwhile. Our public schools want more money to make building improvements and to upgrade their computers (read here if you're interested in details). They even have a cute little slogan for it: "Update to Educate". I've only seen two houses in the city that have signs in their front yard supporting it so I'm curious about how this vote will turn out. What will I vote? I'm going with 'No'. Not because I don't think kids deserve buildings with new roofs or having a computer upgraded to at least to Windows 97 but because I'm tired of more things that appear on my property tax bill. My summer taxes this year are slightly over $4,000. Sure, I can claim it come tax time but you only get part of it back. Yes, I do enjoy the new roads (which was a millage that I did vote for but I thought it was only for a 4 years. I think we are on year 5) and having my trash picked up weekly. I enjoy having my recycling picked up weekly as well but that I could easily drop off at the recycling station. I love having my leaves picked up but ever since I started mulching, I don't really have much yard waste during the other 11 months. What I don't like is the law that Michigan has that nearly doubles the property tax of that which the previous owner had when you purchase a house. If I had known this, I probably wouldn't have went the mortgage route to give my brothers their fair share of the parental home. Yet again, you do recoup a part of it during tax time, but does it really work out to be worth it? We have the highest property taxes in all the county and yet the people at City Hall (and now, the school board obviously) can't figure out how to spend the money wisely and have to come back to the voters for more money. Come November, we will be voting on whether to have a city income tax. Here's a thought...perhaps going to the residents should be a last resort rather than the easiest choice which it seems to be for them. Another thought...how about making it mandatory for people who make decisions like this to have a business degree or at least the ability to think analytically.

So, in summary, I'm screwing the kids because I'm tired of paying as much as I do and I'm tired of people going to the citizens of a city/state/country for more money when they have mismanaged what they already have and I'm all right with that.