We have so much to be thankful for, let’s try to list some. I’ll start, you add. We can focus on the local issues that are positive. Here are my top three:
1. The North Idaho Tea Party Patriots (www.idahotea.org) are standing up for citizens! The next rally is December 16th at the State Line event center. Details to come.
2. The Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency gave back $2.2 MILLION dollars in property tax increment to their City, Kootenai County and other taxing entities.
3. This month’s local elections in CdA showed that a large percentage of people are waking up to the problems created by our local government. There was only a FIVE vote margin in favor of the incumbent in one of the races (with over 6,000 votes cast), and a margin of only 29 votes for another incumbent. The final council race was decided by just over 300 votes, which in most years would be considered VERY close. People are concerned! The city council and mayor better be careful; they are treading a very thin line with the voters.
Do you have other items to add to the list?
County taxes went down in my area.
The assessors office listened to complaints by residents that NO sales of property in our “geo” last year did not justify keeping the assessment at the same level. The assessment is still artificially high, but getting better due to public pressure.
Individual efforts can make a difference.
Comment by citizen — November 25, 2009 @ 8:18 am
Citizen, our commercial property VALUE DROPPED by 3.5%, but our TAXES INCREASED by 5.2%.
I understand they are shifting the tax burden from residential over to commercial, but that’s NOT going to help job creation.
Comment by mary — November 25, 2009 @ 8:39 am
So easy to slip back into the negative and Mary’s request was seasonal; Peace on Earth and goodwill towards men (and women). So, in keeping with that spirit and Mary’s challenge I am proud to share that The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee voted last night to give a $1,500.00 Christmas gift to three local charities, divided equally. $500.00 each will go to the CDA Press Christmas for All, The Childrens’ Village and Heroes for Holidays. The latter is a clothing effort sponsored by members of area wide Police and Fire Departments.
Comment by Gary Ingram — November 25, 2009 @ 10:55 am
NIC has something to be thankful for. It was announced yesterday that NIC got a cool million from the Albertson Foundation. Mostly being an observer on opencda and trying to stay on a positive note, I will hold off on a question concerning property taxes supporting NIC. Here’s where you can see the announcement.
http://www.nic.edu/news/publicrelations/index.asp?details=1&id=2575
Comment by grizz — November 25, 2009 @ 11:19 am
I stand admonished, Gary, you are right about staying positive.
Grizz, the Albertson Foundation is well known for giving grants to education, but NIC’s million dollar grant is extraordinary. The private sector has a long history of stepping up to give financial support and, because of our POSITIVE theme, I will leave it at that for now. Cheers to the Albertson Foundation and all those who give to worthy causes using their own money!
Comment by mary — November 25, 2009 @ 11:32 am
Mary, Is your commercial property in the LCDC territory?
My home is in the county. If we had not protested our assessment we would also be paying higher taxes.
Such good news about the Republicans raising money for Christmas donations. Thanks for sharing that news.
Comment by citizen — November 25, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
I’m thankful for many things, one of which is the fact that the Post Falls Dam hasn’t been targeted for removal…yet.
The same forces that are having dams removed around the country are currently working on the Snake and Columbia dams, but their arguments are the same that could take out the PF dam, whether or not it has a FERC license.
If that happened, the shoreline between high and low water marks would look like the shore of the Spokane River at Post Falls just before the dam when the river is “down”.
In short, VERY ugly. What would be the ramifications?
Low water on the River causing drastic reduction of recreational/tourist use; possible EPA red flags regarding discharged Sewer Treatment discharges at CdA and Post Falls.
A major drop in tourism due to the shoreline becoming so ugly and the subsequent reduction in taxable values.
A HUGE reduction of property values on the River and Lake Coeur d’Alene (see above sentence).
Like I said- I have much to be thankful for.
Comment by Zapatista — December 5, 2009 @ 11:02 am
I’m also thankful that someone illegally hacked into the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Center (CRU) and discovered that the $trillion Global A-warmist propaganda screeching was the biggest fraud in scientific history.
A well done video and written explanation at this link—
http://bravenewcommie.com/
I would be even more thankful if lawsuits were filed against the UEA, Penn State and the endowments of every other University that have participated in this hoax for the damage they’ve done to citizens and corporations. These lawsuits would be in the $Trillions. Smart lawyers who can smell $Billions in fees are probably gearing up for battle as you read this.
Comment by Zapatista — December 6, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
I’m also thankful that some Americans remember that December 7th is PEARL HARBOR DAY and that there are still almost 2000 American skeletons entombed in the diesel oozing carcass of the once mighty USS Arizona. If they could come back to life, how bewildered they would be at the emaciation of the United States. An Arizona/USA analogy is uncomfortably accurate and too poignant.
…and I’m thankful for true scientists like Dr.Robert Carter, who has fought the “trendy” global warming hoax with accurate scientific principles of peer review and transparency. His ice core sampling of the last 10,000 years makes the globaloney warmers’ tree ring results look like the goofy amateur bodgeup they are.
http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/11767
And I’m thankful that hypocrites will be on display in Copenhagen next week consuming more CO2 using their 1400 limos and 140 private jets than the combined CO2 use of 60 developing countries use in an entire year.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6736517/Copenhagen-
climate-summit-1200-limos-140-private-planes-and-caviar-wedges.html
Comment by Zapatista — December 7, 2009 @ 8:44 am