What a Fool Believes

The Ragister's Mark Hansen is a MORON!

He wasn't a good sportswriter and he's even worse as a metro columnist.

Take today for example...

Rising property assessments aren't always bad news

What!?!

Polk County property tax assessments are going up an average of 6.9% and even higher in Des Moines, averaging 9.2%.

He tries to make homeowners feel better with a melange of mediocre messages...

Higher taxes could follow, but not necessarily.

These assessments come every two years, which means a 6.9 percent increase over that time period is pretty much in line with inflation.

The new assessments won't go into effect for another 18 months...

The worst of all is...

Rising property values aren't all bad, especially if you're selling. In fact, you'd much rather have property rates rising than falling.

This is the same argument they try to give at the County Treasurer/Assessor's office when you go to file a protest.

You should be able to sell your home for its assessed value.

My property is currently assessed at over $270,000.

I've offered to sell it to the County every year since 1997 and they won't take it.

My taxes will be going up again too!

In my rural area all the county takes care of is the roads, and that service has gone down in the 11 years I've lived here.

Per the column...

the Tax Foundation ranks Iowa property taxes 18th in the country and describes them as "fairly high."

These lovers of higher taxes, at the Ragister and elsewhere, should be made to put their money where their mouth is!

There's nothing stopping Gannett, the Ragister, Publisher Mary Stier, the editorial board, Mark Hansen or any other moron from paying more.

If they'd do that, it might ease the burden on the rest of us.