by Marvin J. Ramírez
Marvin J. RamírezTo talk about the American Dream is to talk about owning a home – for most people. Many immigrants from all over the world come to North America to reach that dream, which in many instances is more than just owning a home. It’s about working hard and be able to have the basic needs of life, including to own a home, provide their children with a quality education and raise them healthily, and when is time to retire from a long, hard working life career, not to be worried about the essentials.
But instead of seeing people living the American Dream happily without worries, what I see is despair and struggle in their lives, especially those who have engaged in buying a home on the false assumption and promises that the property would increase in value, so later be able to earn a profit and then buy something more affordable.
Instead, entire families, probably in the millions nationwide, are seeing their lives torn apart now, by an injustice system that capitalizes on the property, on the basic need of people to put a roof over their heads, by monopolizing all forms of funding assistance and so abusing the so called “homeowners.”
But really, are they really homeowners? How can they be with a tax imposed on one’s own home? It really becomes a state rental property.
How can it be owned if the state says you have to pay every year to own it, or you will lose it?
The taxpayers should make our local government reduce their dependency on property taxes. One way would be increasing sales, corporate, and gas taxes.
For God’s sake, politicians, liberate your constituents. Let them own their home without penalty.
Make laws that protect one family’s own dwelling against any tax debt or lawsuits by health providers. Let them get old graciously without fearing that some government entity will evict them for lack of money to pay taxes or a debt. One’s home should be the last sacred sanctuary where a family holds together.
To rescue badly needed taxes, you yo got to be creative. Tax second homes or additional properties owned by the family. Do not tax the sanctuary, the only home the family has to inherit to their siblings. Because without having home security, there is no American Dream.
If you, politicians, do not do anything after reading this writing, then you are not working for your constituents, rather for other interests.
