I went to a restaurant last week with high prices and low quality food. I heard that they just raised their prices and I'm thinking about going back...
Ok... first of all.. I'm pretty happy with our representatives in Nevada... or maybe it's just the system in place courtesy of the Nevada Constitution which makes me much happier then the last state I lived in which was bloated with Government spending with poor representation.
A little hint of where that was... it had a Governor with Big hair that got impeached and indicted for trying to sell a Senate Seat of some guy who became President.
In that State, Even when Business was booming, the cash registers ringing and tax revenues rolling in during the best of times... that state / city still had budget shortfalls and needed to raise taxes. It was interesting to say the least... I did love the high property tax bills that showed what % of all the property taxes I was paying was going to several things I never used. And for what I did use... I considered the fees a little high considering they were being subsidized by our tax dollars. Big Government at it's best...
Forget about investing in real estate there... knowing what I know in comparing it to Nevada simply makes it a bad real estate investment due to too much risk involved. Tenants that don't want to pay can pretty much live for free for several months and there is not much you can do about it as you spend a bunch of money to get them out.
I also certainly have No Idea on how people that solely rely on Social Security can have a decent standard of living there.
I know... you might be thinking that the taxes in Nevada are low because the Casinos pay for so much but the reality is that Casinos in Nevada pay some of the lowest tax rate percentages to the state of any state that has legalized gambling. And there is certainly much to debate on what legalized gambling really costs everybody.
Regardless... this post is all about this post about Higher Taxes make for Happier People by Stewart Penn in the Great City of Los Angeles in the Great might as well file for BK now state of California. It really just started out as a comment to that post that got out of hand so I just made it a blog post so I can get the extra points on ActiveRain. ;)
Anyways... make sure you read his post and the comments on there first before going forward...
Interesting post and comments to say the least...
Remember... the following started out as a comment to Stewart's blog post.
Does Denmark, Finland or the Netherlands have special interest groups influencing the representatives of the people?
As far as the Netherlands... I wonder if it's because of all that wacky weed they are legally smoking? Is that why California Cows are happier then the cows in Wisconsin? I've always just thought it was the weather but I could be wrong...
Can I just Illegally enter Denmark, Finland or the Netherlands and get all those benefits? Hmmm...
Personally... I've always found people in Oklahoma to be some of the nicest people in the country and that state is certainly not liberal or socialist in nature. Oklahomans CERTAINLY have some high moral standards...
What state within the states has the happiest people since states can be so different? Nevada is Certainly far different then California yet we are side by side... California is far more liberal in nature then Nevada and I've got quite a few clients fleeing California to move to Nevada. Out of well over a hundred listings sold in Las Vegas... I can't think of anybody I've ever relocated to California but I've certainly relocated several Californians to Nevada on the condition they don't bring big tax and spend government ideas with them.
(I know... hard to explain this with somebody who voted for Harry Reid the last time he ran for Senate but that's for a different day somewhere in 2010.)
I don't think Californians are happy because of higher taxes... I think California is a fantastic state for other reasons then high taxes and a big might as well file for BK now state Government. Liberalism at your finest.... A fantastic study of how big Government can BK the eighth largest economy in the world last time I checked.
As far as public education.... the last time I checked.... our Public Educational System is pretty much run by our Government... spending more with less results... Oh yes... the Government is certainly the answer in healthcare for all. (Roll Eyes Here.)
Are Private Schools Better? I don't know... several of my best friends that I grew up with went to Private School while I went to Public school. We ended up as roommates while attending the same highly respected college. My daughter goes to public school.. I'm thrilled with her great teachers and fantastic Principal and she is just doing fantastic and loves school. You can't ask for much more then that... Maybe it has something to do with teaching her what my parents taught me... Discipline and Respect... Wow... the same concepts my best friends I grew up with were taught. The Same teachings I learned while living in Europe for six years. What a concept.
Go to a school in Europe and see the difference of what they allow compared to what our public schools allow and you'll immediately see what is wrong.
Yet... we still seem to have the greatest entrepreneurs that actually create new technologies right here in the United States. And since when does the happiest countries in the Universe have better Universities then the United States? Free education up to Grad School in Sweden? Cool... but do they have anything that compares to MIT? I don't think so...
The hottest new technology under development such as cars by Tesla Motors is certainly more fascinating then Volvo... Apple is far superior to Nokia.
You give $14 Billion to a company like Tesla Motors and who cares about the Big Three with what Tesla Motors will be able to mass produce with $14 Billion (that appears to have been flushed down the toilet) of Taxpayers money? Hmmm....
From the Original Article of Stewart's post:
"It all comes down to what you get in return"
Well... DUH... I'm always happy when I get a great meal at a great price. If I get a bad meal at a bad price... should I even go back to the restaurant? I don't think so...
So let's face it... It's quite a stupid Article about Happy People being Happy because of Higher Taxes
THERE IS NOT Much that the U.S. Government has done (except for the Military) that is not done better by the private sector. If there is... please name it. We have a speaker of the House currently lying (in my opinion) of what she did not know going on with enhanced interogation techniques... Wow... the person leading our segment of the Government in charge of making Laws we are supposed to respect and live by is looking really shady to me. If I was sitting on a Jury I would have no choice but to vote Guilty.
Yes... Tax us more to Make us Happy, Happy people.
I think I'm going to start a Real Estate Brokerage with Really High Fees to the Agents and Really High Commission cuts so I can have a Bunch of Really Happy, Happy Real Estate Agents!
But... would if Uncle Sam Realty starts up?
Uncle Sam Realty is not going to do a better job at selling real estate then me. Their agents will have all kinds of benefits and probably a salary or hourly wage just to show up... they won't work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and shell out their own money to get results.
However... they can certainly make it difficult for me to compete with them... And geez... they seem to have an unlimited supply of cash to back them up even when they don't make a profit. They'll probably raise my taxes to run a real estate business!
I'm certainly not blaming the U.S. Government for what is going on... and I'm certainly suggesting they are not the solution to the problems that they somewhat created.
Because the original intention of the creation of the Federal Government by our great founders was to serve the people and protect our country. Something along the lines of having a strong Military and protecting our Borders... allowing States to Be States where State and Local Government has the authority to influence our day to day lives. Don't like a state with high taxes... move to one with low taxes. Don't like the services of a state with low taxes.. move to a state with more services and higher taxes.
CHOICE IS GOOD
Are we all just whining and saying everybody else has it better because times have gotten a little tough? Have we gotten that pathetic?
We need the Government to come help us because of their fantastic track record of spending more then they are bringing in? Give me a Break....
I lived in Europe for Six years and I simply loved it... but it had nothing to do with higher taxes.
It had more to do with the culture. For the most part, People in Europe don't judge others by what they have but who they are. A strong sense of community. High morals...
Something the U.S. is certainly lacking as we leveraged ourselves to death buying up everything on credit to be happy... happy because we were impressing others. Our self worth has been cleverly marketed by companies such as the Big 3 that we need SUV's we would not dare take off of a paved road. It would take me a day to spot 7 Escalades in Germany... I can count seven of them in Las Vegas in about five minutes.
We need that big McMansion with flat screens in every room... we need that big Hummer... we need, we need, we need and now we need to pay for it.
Wow... so much for sacrifice. Somewhere in one of my History Classes I learned that the U.S. was created on the foundations of sacrifice by people who escaped a country with high taxation for crappy representation.
We've certainly come a long way in the past 10 years in returning to what people gave their lives for in escaping.
I certainly can't wait to go back to that Restaurant with the Crappy food for a high price since I found out they raised their prices because they needed more money...
Paul Francis, CRS
Las Vegas Home Values
702.592.3058
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