Long Term Travel: A Necessity in American Education

Except, again, property taxes and rent haven't been increasing the last couple years as a side effect of the real estate market bubble bursting and home prices, in many areas, dropping significantly. Under the law social security is supposed to adjust for cost of living changing. If cost of living doesn't go up, then there's no need to raise social security. Blaming Obama for not increasing payouts doesn't make any sense in that context.

 

You're not living in the real world. You probably don't know because you don't live on your own. But the facts are clearly different. The tax assessor's in every county raise property taxes every year regardless of what statistics are saying, this is a fact. This may flucuate, but they raise it regardless. For example, my father's property taxes on his home went up by $100 this year. My brother's property taxes on his home went up even more, so did a friend of mine who lives in a different city who owns her own home. My rent goes up every year, and when it does I get a letter in the mail from the landlord stating specific rental laws in California. My mother's rental space on her mobile home went up by $40 this month. Rent goes up every year, regardless. In california, under the law they can raise it, they want your money and I'm sure it's the same in every other state. Tax assessors want your money too. I don't know what fantasy world you live in, but I would love to live there.

 

WormieSaber, in 2009 in California property taxes decreased across the board because of deflation. Property taxes decreased by a quarter of a percent because of deflation, and the increase in property taxes cannot exceed inflation. link here. In July 2009 it was noted that in Salt Lake City rent decreased by 2%. In February 2010, it was noted that average rent rates had decreased by 4%. Just a few weeks ago, projections by the state of Nevada features a large deficit caused by the total value of assessed properties dropping by 17% over the past two years.

Those are facts, and those are valuable statistics, and those decreases are why the COLA did not increase, and why social security payments did not increase. What happened to 5 people you know does not outweigh large scale statistical data triggered by the fact that we've been dealing with an economic downturn. This isn't some fantasy world, this is a bitter reality, and property taxes and rent decrease not because everything is great, but because people can't afford to stay in their homes.

And so the Democrats not raising social security payouts because the COLA didn't require it doesn't really do anything to explain how travel wouldn't be of benefit. If you've not a tie for social security payouts and how travel would be educational, then I'd point out that there are other threads that would be more appropriate to continue ignoring the economic turmoil of the country.