Choose your state wisely

Harry Chickpea · #1 03/31/14, 03:32 PM

Peter Miller is a world famous photographer who lives in Vermont. Back in the 1960s, I did some part time work for his brother and him. I don't think he had any idea what the future would be in Vermont fifty years later.

http://vtdigger.org/2014/03/26/peter...er-hard-state/

More and more states are going to get like Vermont. If you plan to settle down somewhere for long term survival, find a state that won't rip your wallet out of your pocket and demand more. Our decision to move to Alabama just keeps on looking better and better.

simi-steading · #2 03/31/14, 03:45 PM

I don't think it's going to matter much longer Harry... Too much greed in the world.. People have been getting more and more accustomed to everything costing too much, and the government taking more and more..

I went for a cheap to live in state, but then at the same time, the cheaper a place to live, usually the less there is to be made... less possibility for good jobs...

I'm waiting for the tipping point, and hope it comes along soon.. the point where they people all say ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

libertygirl · #3 03/31/14, 04:21 PM

Wow...that was quite a sad thing to read...and at 80, who wants to be moving?! I am somewhat familiar with the feeling of not being able to afford to live in an area anymore. Cost of living and taxes going up...up...up. That is exactly the reason my DH and I left Colo. for Mo. Why can't they (govt) see that they can only take so much...after that people are doomed. This will probably get considerably worse, before and if it gets better.

KentuckyDreamer · #4 03/31/14, 04:37 PM

This reminds me of the arguments posted in our local paper concerning school levies.
We lived in a rather high school tax district but it was never enough...promises were made to be broken.

The area was once farm land that had been over developed. Some small farmers fought and surrendered.

Some of the small town posters would implore the voters to understand they were being taxed out of their homes. The newer suburbanites were very clear, and sometimes very unkind. For them the bottom line was "if you are too poor to live here, move and allow someone with more resources to move in". No amount of logic would sway them. Elderly were called names and told to move on. Ugly during voting time.

I left...tax on a $190,000 house was almost $4,000 and climbed with every passing levy. I honestly do not think they got a good return on their "investments".

lindamarie · #5 03/31/14, 05:30 PM

we used to live in Vermont, not to far from Stratton and okemo. In fact we lived in Windham, above Townsend. It was absolutely beautiful. Saxtons river, Putney, even the drive into Brattleboro was beautiful.
we now live in west Virginia, does that tell you anything?

I always thought we would go back there one day, after the kids had grown and it was just the two of us. We could never afford there, what we have here.

Win07_351 · #6 03/31/14, 11:10 PM

Sounds like Connecticut.

Property taxes and public education = 2 unBiblical concepts. Taxing people from their homes is evil.

arcticow · #7 04/01/14, 04:22 AM

"They eat up my people as they eat bread"... " A man is sold for a pair of shoes"... It's here, folks...

unregistered29228 · #8 04/01/14, 07:45 AM

We loved many things about living in CT, but the taxes and laws were oppressive. We still have taxes and laws here in NC, but they are much more friendly to rural and farm people.

mpillow · #9 04/01/14, 09:32 AM

Their senator is a socialist and the deer herd is inferior!

New Hampshire is the only New England state with any hope.

Harry Chickpea · #10 04/01/14, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpillow

Their senator is a socialist and the deer herd is inferior!

New Hampshire is the only New England state with any hope.

Bernie IS a socialist. He is upfront and honest about it, and has been willing to take on a lot of corrupt practices in the supposedly "capitalist" sector. With Bernie you have to look beyond the label and examine the record. I remember him as mayor of Burlington cleaning out a lot of the deadwood. Everyone knows that chances of his socialist ideals getting enacted are nil, and he focuses on his job.

Pat is a politician. He is definitely no Aiken. Of the two, even though Bernie is Socialist and Aiken was hard-core Republican, they have more in common than either do to Leahy.

I'm not impressed with the current governor up there, and most of Vermont's problems are at the state level.

Had a neighbor friend in Florida who was from New Hampshire. He had ongoing fights with NH about use of his gravel quarry and what he could or couldn't do with his land. He was resigned to the ultra-high property tax. His happiest day was when he was finally able to sell his land there.

Win07_351 · #11 04/01/14, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpillow

Their senator is a socialist and the deer herd is inferior!

New Hampshire is the only New England state with any hope.

Pretty high property taxes from what I've heard.

starwalker · #12 04/02/14, 04:47 AM

Don't look at Tennessee. I've been here 23 years and things are getting so expensive it's unreal. Or taxes have escalated and now we are charged based on our view too. If you have an ac unit outside on the ground you are charged a dollar to have it. Most people are installing the units in the attic or basement if they have either.

The biggest problem is for the taxes you pay, the road commission doesn't even maintain the roads in my area very well. If a tree falls, all of the neighbors usually have to cut it out for ourselves which goes with what they used to do, they no longer do. Like making sure the roads are clean so this doesn't happen as much. They only mow the sides once in a season.

We just bought this house just over a year ago. Our taxes hiked 200.00 extra dollars for 2014! I'm already after dh to move to another state. Been looking at NC or Texas. idk tho

Food prices are skyrocketing and TN charges sales tax on food. We live close enough to the KY border that we shop there as much as we can. A gallon of milk was less than 2.50 in KY. We pay almost 4.00 a gallon here.

I guess it's like that everywhere.

Bellyman · #13 04/02/14, 07:08 AM

I'm not convinced that there are drastically better states for people to live in. About the best we can do is find places that suit us better than other places.

One reason I am looking towards TN is because it fits us well. Is it perfect, no. But there are a lot of other states that are a lot less perfect fit, including a few mentioned in this thread as being wonderful.

The kinds of properties we are likely to be able to afford will not come with large property tax bills.

If we do not buy a lot of food in TN (as in growing most of our own), the taxes on food doesn't really have the impact that it would on someone who buys everything. We buy less than 1 gallon of milk a year, and that's only for when company comes, so that doesn't mean much to me.

And one nice thing I found about a particular area of north central TN (Cumberland Plateau) that we're looking towards, it seem like gas prices are almost always $0.20 or more lower than the area all around. Never have figured out why but don't question it. Last week, I got some diesel for $3.75/gal and drove to Pennsylvania. Prices in this area are ranging between $3.99 and $4.59. OUCH!!

To each their own. Don't discount a state because it doesn't work for someone else, at least not without checking it out for yourself.

mpillow · #14 04/02/14, 10:12 AM

The wages in new hampshire are higher typically...no sales tax in NH...maine is 5.5%
wages in NH are not taxed...in maine 8.5% on income over $20,150

Property valuations are higher and so are the taxes...avg in NH $2500 ---maine is $1800

income per capita $47k in NH and 39k in Maine (2012)

thequeensblessing · #15 04/02/14, 10:25 AM

We used to live in VT, and we had our own business in Vt. We lived Hartland for a while and worked in the Quechee area, before we moved to the Chester area.
I think it should be more along the lines of "Choose your government wisely". It doesn't matter what state you live in/move to. If progressives and admitted socialists are elected, their utopia is a place that tax payers and home owners can't afford to live in, yet a place that the low income and property renters love. The problem shows up when the wealthy and middle class leave because they can't afford to pay for all the pet projects, welfare, and goodies that the poor are getting. Then, the property owners have to pass those ever higher property taxes onto the renters, thereby increasing the costs of living for them to where, after a while, the poor are just poorer and the middle class and wealthy are getting poorer right along with them.

mpillow · #16 04/02/14, 10:28 AM

Here are a couple of things to consider: cost of living and tax burden

http://www.missourieconomy.org/indic...ving/index.stm

http://taxfoundation.org/sites/taxfo...ocs/ff2013.pdf

susieneddy · #17 04/02/14, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starwalker

Don't look at Tennessee. I've been here 23 years and things are getting so expensive it's unreal. Or taxes have escalated and now we are charged based on our view too. If you have an ac unit outside on the ground you are charged a dollar to have it. Most people are installing the units in the attic or basement if they have either.

The biggest problem is for the taxes you pay, the road commission doesn't even maintain the roads in my area very well. If a tree falls, all of the neighbors usually have to cut it out for ourselves which goes with what they used to do, they no longer do. Like making sure the roads are clean so this doesn't happen as much. They only mow the sides once in a season.

We just bought this house just over a year ago. Our taxes hiked 200.00 extra dollars for 2014! I'm already after dh to move to another state. Been looking at NC or Texas. idk tho

Food prices are skyrocketing and TN charges sales tax on food. We live close enough to the KY border that we shop there as much as we can. A gallon of milk was less than 2.50 in KY. We pay almost 4.00 a gallon here.

I guess it's like that everywhere.

sounds more like it is the county you live in and not the state. I was born and raised in Tn and have never heard of some of the things you mentioned (AC unit charge, charge for views)
I do agree that Tn does charge sales tax on food and it is high but in the past few yrs that tax is slowly coming down.

starwalker · #18 04/04/14, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susieneddy

sounds more like it is the county you live in and not the state. I was born and raised in Tn and have never heard of some of the things you mentioned (AC unit charge, charge for views)
I do agree that Tn does charge sales tax on food and it is high but in the past few yrs that tax is slowly coming down.

Maybe the county. Property taxes are by county. This area is almost 10% tax at the store.

My mil had a "tiff" with the tax assessors office..Their answer was she has "nice views". She told them..I do, but they are my views. Not yours.

Are you still in Tennessee? If you have your heat pump unit outside your house on the ground..It's a dollar tax. I called the tax office and they said there wasn't anything they could do. They had a lot of complaints but it is a state tax.

susieneddy · #19 04/04/14, 10:38 AM

yep I am in still in Tn. I us natural gas at this house so I don't have a heat pump. I have had heat pumps at other homes but never saw a charge for it. who knows it maybe included in all those misc. charges they include on your bill

Forerunner · #20 04/04/14, 10:56 AM

Choose wisely, indeed, for tomorrow the state to which you "flee" will take up the revenue sword against thee.