Freeze is real ‘home security'

Here we go again. Every few years the powers that be want to stop the freeze. This time they are saying that "WE" can keep the freeze but people buying a new home here will be out of luck. Yeah, I'm so petty that I want the new owners next door to have escalating taxes while I smirk with my frozen taxes.

I bought my home in Columbus because I knew that rising property taxes wouldn't put me on the street. Did I care that my neighbor was paying less taxes than me? Of course not. It is none of my business. What is my business is watching taxes rise until people who move next door will be forced out.

Anyone who would not buy in Muscogee County because of the freeze — knowing that their taxes would never rise as long as they lived here — has never been forced out of a home due to the rise in property taxes. Anyway, why would someone want to pay more taxes?

An older woman was unhappy because she sold her big house and downsized. Unfortunately, her taxes were greater than what she paid on her large house. Did she forget that she sold her home for more than she paid for it and she can go under the freeze in her new home? Without that freeze her taxes could quadruple. If she thinks her taxes are high in her smaller home just think without that freeze.

Keep the freeze so people buying don't end up losing their home.

Starting over

Pretend for a moment Columbus has a Fair Market Value property tax system like nearly every other city in the country. Pretend you are being asked to choose between that fair market system and a proposal for the freeze. Knowing the facts we know today, how would you vote?

The pitch would go something like this: We’re going to freeze your valuation for as long as you own your home. That’s the good news. The bad news is that to continue providing the same services, we’re going to raise taxes elsewhere. We’ll have the highest business taxes in the state. Some businesses will leave the city, some will make cuts, and some just won’t come.

We’ll have one of the highest sales taxes in the state, which helps nobody. We’ll have one of the highest property tax rates in the state and new homebuyers will pay 16% more in property taxes than without the freeze. You may never benefit. In fact, you’ll need to own your home 14 years before you break even. If you move across town, down the street, or even next door, you’ll have to start over and wait another 14 years. Only 1 out of 4 will own your home long enough; the rest will be subsidizing those lucky few.

These are facts we didn’t know then, but we know now. By voting Yes, if you have the freeze you will keep the freeze for as long as you own your home while helping Columbus achieve its greatest potential.

Save our city

Hillary Clinton is looking a Georgia as a state that fits her future prosperity plan, and she understands the value of our military installations and support industries. If we can gather support and bring Georgia into her fold, we will have a very easy time of actually building up military economic impact.

Sorry to say Johnny Isakson has done little for Georgia; actually, he has no answer for the sequestration Impact. His handling of Veterans Affairs, of which he is Republican chairman, was embarrassing.

Barksdale on the Democrat side is a newcomer, solid, straight and trustworthy. He is for positive change and has no ties to the establishment: Isakson supports Trump, and that’s scary.

Lets not make the mistake we made by not electing Michelle Nunn to the Senate. Perdue has done zero for the Georgia middle class and military employees; and he is a Trump supporter.

Heroic, if futile

I'd like to thank Jason Miller and his team from Roto-Rooter for coming to the rescue of four newborn kittens trapped in a drain pipe. I'd also like to thank WTVM-9 News for covering the story.

None of the babies survived the ordeal. Perhaps all would have survived had we known sooner that it was Rotor Rooter we needed to call. And had we checked WTVM's website, we would have seen that a kitten in Sacramento was rescued by Roto-Rooter. Assistant Manager Mike Jennings was alerted to the plight of the kitten by the presence of several of that city's fire units and police cars.

Yet here in Columbus, it was a very different story. Although Columbus Firefighters responded and were very kind and sympathetic, other city departments were less helpful. I am not saying that the employees of the city of Columbus did anything wrong. I'm just noting the marked difference.

This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Freeze is real ‘home security'."