I was all set to write about Rocco Mediate losing the US Open in a sudden death round (is that what it is called?) and how I was rooting for him to win b/c Tiger has won something like 2,457 majors already, but that seemed boring, and quite frankly I am tired of writing about sports.
So what is on my noodle today? A few things.
1. My school taxes are probably going up. Again. I think for the third time in the over six years we have lived in our house. According to the Pgh Biz Times, my school district is something like 10th from the bottom of all school districts in the six-county area. So what in God's green earth am I paying for?! Well, assuming we don't sell our house in the next few months (and perhaps even if we do), my child will be in private school, which means for the seventh school year in a row, I will not be reaping any benefits from the school taxes we continue to pay. Yes, senior citizens, I feel for you having to pay for school taxes, but I've been paying 'em too. And chances are your kids went through the public schools, so you have gained some benefit. Plus you are probably getting social security. I will never see that, even though I am paying into it.
2. At first glance, I think I like State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe's suggestion of cutting 10 percent from the state welfare budget to help pay for road repairs. Granted, I think our transportation dept. has many issues, but I don't want my taxes raised again to pay for roads. I know I sound like a broken record with my rants about personal responsibility, and I truly think some people are deserving of government assistance. But enough is enough. A friend's sister won't marry her boyfriend because she gets money for remaining single (it is not quite like that, but you probably get the idea). Some people want the government to bail them out of bad loans or help them because they did not have house insurance. In most cases, I just have trouble feeling for those people.
3. Why do we need over 300 million in state surplus? Where does that money go? I am not suggesting that the state operates in the red, but wouldn't 100 million be enough? If not, shouldn't we cut spending? Reduce the size of our legislature? Do something so our taxes will go down, not up?!
4. I am not sure how I feel about the city's commitment registry. The paranoid part of me thinks the government just wants to keep tabs on people, although I am quite sure that is not the intent. Pittsburgh is not the most progressive city, and perhaps this will help. Wonder where the $25 fee will go? I seem to recall reading about how the city had to hire some people (i.e., spend more money) to process the drink tax collection, which seems so ludicrous to me. So, yeah, probably something like that.
5. I am tired of my house being for sale already. We found a house we liked, though it needs a few things (namely, a roof b/c it is something like 5o years old and AC), and the area was not our first choice. It is depressing to realize you cannot afford that much (and I don't think you should spend 28 percent of your income on your mortgage as some suggest; 20 percent seems too much). Believe me, we are not looking for a McMansion, just something about our size with a basement (which we don't have) and an extra bathroom. We are really moving to find a better school district. But I don't want to find that and then have to move into a crappy, small house. I am finding it is neither a buyer's nor a seller's market if you are us!
So what is on my noodle today? A few things.
1. My school taxes are probably going up. Again. I think for the third time in the over six years we have lived in our house. According to the Pgh Biz Times, my school district is something like 10th from the bottom of all school districts in the six-county area. So what in God's green earth am I paying for?! Well, assuming we don't sell our house in the next few months (and perhaps even if we do), my child will be in private school, which means for the seventh school year in a row, I will not be reaping any benefits from the school taxes we continue to pay. Yes, senior citizens, I feel for you having to pay for school taxes, but I've been paying 'em too. And chances are your kids went through the public schools, so you have gained some benefit. Plus you are probably getting social security. I will never see that, even though I am paying into it.
2. At first glance, I think I like State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe's suggestion of cutting 10 percent from the state welfare budget to help pay for road repairs. Granted, I think our transportation dept. has many issues, but I don't want my taxes raised again to pay for roads. I know I sound like a broken record with my rants about personal responsibility, and I truly think some people are deserving of government assistance. But enough is enough. A friend's sister won't marry her boyfriend because she gets money for remaining single (it is not quite like that, but you probably get the idea). Some people want the government to bail them out of bad loans or help them because they did not have house insurance. In most cases, I just have trouble feeling for those people.
3. Why do we need over 300 million in state surplus? Where does that money go? I am not suggesting that the state operates in the red, but wouldn't 100 million be enough? If not, shouldn't we cut spending? Reduce the size of our legislature? Do something so our taxes will go down, not up?!
4. I am not sure how I feel about the city's commitment registry. The paranoid part of me thinks the government just wants to keep tabs on people, although I am quite sure that is not the intent. Pittsburgh is not the most progressive city, and perhaps this will help. Wonder where the $25 fee will go? I seem to recall reading about how the city had to hire some people (i.e., spend more money) to process the drink tax collection, which seems so ludicrous to me. So, yeah, probably something like that.
5. I am tired of my house being for sale already. We found a house we liked, though it needs a few things (namely, a roof b/c it is something like 5o years old and AC), and the area was not our first choice. It is depressing to realize you cannot afford that much (and I don't think you should spend 28 percent of your income on your mortgage as some suggest; 20 percent seems too much). Believe me, we are not looking for a McMansion, just something about our size with a basement (which we don't have) and an extra bathroom. We are really moving to find a better school district. But I don't want to find that and then have to move into a crappy, small house. I am finding it is neither a buyer's nor a seller's market if you are us!
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