Tax time in Portland, Oregon
It's beyond ridiculous. If I moved five miles north of where I live today, the entire pile of crap on the right – nine income tax filings – would disappear.
And no, it's not the paper and postage that bug me. I know I can file electronically and make it easier for them to take my money. It's the fact that I'm filing nine state and local tax documents. Not to mention that most of the outrageous sum that I'm paying is being poured down a rat hole.
Soon there will be no one left in Portland but the junkies and their keepers. I for one have certainly gotten the message to get out of here.
A person that I love and respect doesn’t see it as a rat hole.
ReplyDeleteI’ve rarely been as disappointed in anyone.
It’ll take me a while. But, I’m leaving.
I moved here to get away from problems that were actually less severe than what Portland is wallowing in now. I don't need this. Nobody does.
Delete^is that really true?
DeleteOr were you just younger and it was maybe less bad times in some ways in much of the USA (materially, with its problems)?
Don’t wanna be an apologist saying ‘everywhere’s messed up just as bad as here.’ That’s not the point, but being older and things being shittier, generally might be more the trend, no?
The dysfunction is real.
On paper, makes sense, especially retired or not working in OR much or kids in school in OR, tho I wouldn’t really wanna live in WA and WA feels like a less water strapped CA of the 60s/70s golden years now; thinking the party will never end.
They didn’t have the property tax revolt like CA had under Reagan & we had under Sizemore, one friend ther lives in unincorporated clark on septic has neighbors with nicer houses that got hit with a 30% increase in property tax 2020-2021! It’s cooled slightly with high interest rates, but they could have even more sky high property taxes (for what you get for for new construction/one level/old people friendly/no need of repair hopefully until you are gone/as your heirs can have decent options to live in, rent or sell the place) just as one gets their ducks in a row to move there?
But WA has more military industrial and as a good friend said who lived there; ‘it’s loooonely up there…I thought I might hafta go check myself in!?’
And 80/20 your neighbors have disposable shitty American cars on jackstands w/one busted off wheel/corner that’s been in the public right of way for some months & chain link fences/dog that’ll kill you or make super mean nasty HOA rules to prevent such things if it’s a more Posh place built since the early 80s.
And, I’m fine with some asphalt driveways, chain link fences and people ‘liking their (junk?) stuff, you can take your ‘progress’ elsewhere’ for the most part, but when it’s 80/20…I dunno?
Another friend who lived up there and moved back before abandoning the wretched region that became untenable for AZ where you could still basically make it (water depending) ‘most everyone has been to jail or a cop…or probably both!’
Say what you will about sales tax tho, not having to deal with or sweat all that BS rings ever louder to me, as does possibility of septic/$15 water bills (with a bit more questionable quality sourced water) & 1/3 cheaper electricity (just as PGE and energy trust get ready to work us over with with another rate increase case in 2024 (they claim infrastructure improvements, but I’m seeing/smelling pensions, salaries & the like sans any new power plants and power they mostly buy from BPA, anyway?).
How would you even go about making a federal guideline sales tax or capped OR sales tax and removing most, if not all of the OR flat regressive PITA income tax?
Say what you will, it’s easy to collect sans middle men, bureaucrats & stress/entrapment & exempt raw/bare necessities?
But, but they are going to solve the hobo-sapian problem by creating 100 outdoor pods. Tina just needs more of a kickback before she signs off on it.
ReplyDeleteIf beloved REI pulling out isn’t the canary in the coal mine to wake up the citizenry I don’t know what will.
ReplyDeleteThat canary died about 3 years ago!
Delete"If I moved five miles north of where I live today, the entire pile of crap on the right – nine income tax filings – would disappear."
ReplyDeleteSo what's stopping you?
I'm still working, in Portland. It makes zero sense to work in Portland and live in Clark County. When I retire (Lord willing), that barrier will be removed.
DeleteThen you can go live with the white supremacists. When you look at violent crime on a county basis and assure that you are comparing on a per 10,000 population basis, you will find that Multnomah county is not the worst. So...Go where you will, but be aware that rural America is, by and large, just as violent as urban America, and a lot more dysfunctional. The same crazy morons are out there, crazier even, but it is just further between them. Meth fuels a major social breakdown there, as well. Here is an interesting article from the bOregonian, pre-Covid: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/erry-2018/12/990e6f7fec2802/oregons-20-most-crimeridden-co.html
DeleteYeah...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCEqjXI1SLk
Delete