I hate being dumber than a duck

frenchyd said:

Ian F said:

Do a search on states with the highest taxes...  and then maybe she'll rethink her idea.  

And CT gets about as brutally hot and humid as any other mid-Atlantic state.

High taxes are a good thing!  If you look the states with highest taxes have the highest per- capital income.   In other words you make more money than states with no taxes, even after paying taxes

The US doesn't have real taxes anyway...look at some other countries' tax rates, then you'll see some Taxes.

Duke said:

frenchyd said:

High taxes are a good thing!  If you look the states with highest taxes have the highest per- capital income.   In other words you make more money than states with no taxes, even after paying taxes

...not when you're retired, you don't.

Exactly.  It's fine to work and live there, but unless you have a LOT of money (like Ralph Lauren levels of money), it's hard to retire in CT.  I know of a couple of working class families that lost their family homes after retiring because they couldn't afford the taxes.  During a business trip, I was talking to a woman in an executive position who was in the process of relocating to South Carolina when she retired (her husband already was) because the taxes where they lived in CT are so crazy.

In reply to Ian F :

That same story can be told about low tax states as well. Plenty of NorthDakota ( no state taxes) lose their home/ farm in retirement. 

California is the only state that I know that does anything for homeowners.  Prop13 sets your tax base at the price you pay for a home not what it appreciates to.  

In reply to GameboyRMH :

You are absolutely correct.  Funny how if you want something good you have to pay for it!!! 

The funniest thing is the real high tax countries also have the happiest citizens. 

frenchyd said:

In reply to GameboyRMH :

You are absolutely correct.  Funny how if you want something good you have to pay for it!!! 

The funniest thing is the real high tax countries also have the happiest citizens. 

Another funny fact that is in keeping with this thread theme. Of the 10 happiest countries in the world, 8 of them are really cold. Only Australia and New Zealand in the top 10 have relatively temperate climates. Places like Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Iceland, Etc are regarded as the happiest places to live.  U.S. is ranked in mid teens on most surveys.

I guess I'll never be that happy. I live in the poorest, fattest, most humid, hottest and poor quality of life state in the nation. But I'm sure enjoying it. Of course I'm a big fish in a little pond but I'm able to afford a nice home and nice toys since the cost of living is so low.  Property taxes?  $1300 a year on a $260k 3100 SF 4 br 3 bath home that would be well over a mil in LA.

Yeah f that noise. It is going to get just below freezing this weekend and I am not excited. Of course when summer comes around I am sure I will complain about how it is too hot.

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Noticed you live in madison,  al.....madison, MS here.  39° forecast low here.  Stoking fireplace.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Well Huntsville Al now but Madison and Huntsville are basically one city now. 24 low tomorrow. Not excited.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :u

My sister in Northern Minnesota has about that size house and pays a little over $880 a year in property taxes.  

What you pay is only half the equation.  It’s what you get for your money that is really important.  

I pay $5500 a year but my crime rate is really low.  .003 or thereabouts.  I have a fire hydrant at the end of my driveway and the fire station is less than a mile away.  Sheriffs dept is a mile away and police, Well we spend over 2.5 million a year for police protection in a town of 5500  yep!  Only 5500  that means police are always right around the corner.  What that means is my home owners insurance is astonishingly cheap for a home as valuable as mine. 

Our school sends more students to Ivy League colleges than any other high school in the state.  So yes they are really great.  That means real estate prices are really strong.  People want to live here.All the big movers and shakers live here. They build big  multi million dollar  homes that helps lower property taxes.  

Strong diverse, economy. With two years expenses in the bank and the highest credit rating in the country.  

93EXCivic said:

Yeah f that noise. It is going to get just below freezing this weekend and I am not excited. Of course when summer comes around I am sure I will complain about how it is too hot.

Boy are you ever right, we complain when it gets in the 80’s  or down below 40  

But take pride when it hits 100 or we get 2 feet of snow . Let it drop to 30 below and somebody will be in the stands at a football game with no shirt on . 

I guess the moral of the story is that ducks are bunch of tax evaders?

Ovid_and_Flem said:

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Noticed you live in madison,  al.....madison, MS here.  39° forecast low here.  Stoking fireplace.

i really hate this global warming. We used to be ice racing by this time  but considering my lake is just today starting to get a rim of ice on it .  Last year you couldn’t even drive on it the ice was so thin .  

You haven’t had fun until you’ve ice raced in 20 below weather and have to have your windows open because you’re so hot from the exertion of racing.  

Woody said:

snailmont5oh said:

Ah Connecticut; the land of the 35 MPH speed limit. 

I have not noticed that.

Is that because the lights on the firetruck are on most of the time? 

In reply to frenchyd :

Had to look up wayzata...Looks lovely.  Similar to where I live.  Affluent  Bedroom community to major city.  But no thanks on ice racing.  Did it once on motorcycle in my youth and,  tho fun, wasn't worth the windburn and frostbite. ;-)

Curious ....crime rate of .003?  How is that computed?

JimS said:

Grew up in Mass. lived 40+ years in DC area. Hate the cold. Retired to NC near Chapel Hill. Couple of hours from coast. Couple of hours from mountains. Great driving roads and mild winters. Also about an hour from VIR. Great state for car nuts. 

Shhhhh...it's horrible here. Sticky and hot in the summer, bugs galore. No one would ever want to move here. (Traffic is bad enough, don't invite more! )

Upstate NY.   Four seasons of fun.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

Not quite sure, when I ran for Mayor I was shocked at how much of the city budget was spent on the police. Spoke to the city manager who explained it to me and then showed me the arrest records for the last nine months.  

2 Dui’s and one domestic disturbance.  When I spoke to the chief she informed me that their policy was preventive rather than arrest.  As an affluent community next to a major city we’d normally be a prime candidate for all sorts of crimes.   

Let a stranger drive around and the police quickly become extremely visible. Polite but no nonsense.  

In reply to iceracer :

i like upstate New York, however I  can drive up to Canada to ice race unless the world warms up a bunch more. 

Tyler H said:

I guess the moral of the story is that ducks are bunch of tax evaders?

Nope! They’re too poor! They can’t afford expensive tax attorneys

Tyler H said:

Appleseed said:

People live in places without pond hockey? How do you live?

With 10 months a year of motorsports events weather.  The other 2 months would be considered acceptable to anyone in the north, but we think it's cold.

In east TN, a perfect year is 2 small snows and about six weeks of "cold" weather.  (Our cold weather means that if your're from the UP you would need to down a sixer before swimming in the lake.)

We get seasons and a few truly cold snaps.  Otherwise it's sunny and in the mid-40s for highs during the coldest months.  And no rust.  And no mill rate or state income taxes.  

Actually, it's terrible here.  Forget I said anything.   ;)

That’s sound nice!

Does it get cold enough to kill off the nasty bugs in the south and how many race tracks would be my only concerns

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem :

This ties into my previous statement about pond hockey.

In Texas and its snowing.... I'm moving back to Cali

Five flakes, right?

In reply to Appleseed :

Enough for the kids to make snowmen. 

In reply to yupididit :

i hate to burst your bubble but it’s probably snowing in California someplace as well. My buddy in Temecula often reports snow on the mountains.