Is is just me, or does this title fit a good portion of the people that post in the Rant & Raves? Personally, I am a Heterosexual Conservative, God-fearing Christian, but to each their own. Before you get all froggy & jump, I have many friends from all walks of life & that includes homosexual liberal.....well, I don't know any atheists.

Basically, I just wanted a reason to post this pic. Ya'll can Rant & Rave about it. Have fun & I'll enjoy reading.

Bubble: Once again, I'm a little slow on the uptake. Do you live in Texas? Or own property here? I thought you lived in Arizona? How is Texas' tax situation worse (?) than Arizona. Admittedly it was a long time ago since I lived in Arizona and things could be much different there now. If that's the case, I wouldn't mind moving there when DH retires.

I live in Arizona, Phoenix to be more exact. But my investments are in TX. When people don't pay their real estate taxes I step in. That is the bulk of our income.

BTW, our sales tax is just shy of 9% here in AZ. But in TX their real estate taxes are sky high. People buy homes and they don't bank on taxes. They fail. That's a sad reality yet true.

My sales tax, state and local, is 8.25%. But remember, we have NO state income tax.

We do. We not only have state income tax, we have sales tax that is shy of 9%.

Bubble I realize that this will be a lot like asking if I know a friend of yours who lives in Texas, but I have a friend who worked in Oncology at the Mayo - Carol Kane, later Carol Lemke. Any knowledge of her? An awesome, awesome lady who took great pride in the work she did at Mayo. A few years ago, they saved her husband too, from esophogeal cancer.

No, sorry. I don't know that person. That surprises me too because of my specific job.

Mayo likes to hire new grads to work there because they don't go to other hospitals and learn a lot of bad habits, Mayo likes them to learn to do things the Mayo way, the right way. They hire people like me to help the newbies when they are stuck or unsure. Because of that I thought I met just about everyone. Mayo isn't really all that big in Scottsdale.

Mayo is awesome, seriously awesome. We were ruled and regulated to death but unlike the other hospitals, Mayo's rules had solid thinking and reasoning behind them.

However, Mayo does not have a Trauma unit and that is what I miss. I need the challenge. Working with newbies isn't a challenge forever.

BTW, our sales tax is just shy of 9% here in AZ. But in TX their real estate taxes are sky high. People buy homes and they don't bank on taxes. They fail. That's a sad reality yet true.

My real estate tax is less than $4000 per year on a house valued at $175,000. That's with a homestead exemption and my DH's over 65 exemption. How does that compare to other areas of the country?

When the settlers were headed west from the east coast, they came upon a sign that read, "Texas to the left, Oklahoma right" Those who could read went to Oklahoma. eh or something like that. It's late.

My real estate tax is less than $4000 per year on a house valued at $175,000. That's with a homestead exemption and my DH's over 65 exemption. How does that compare to other areas of the country?

TX is known for having some of the highest real estate taxes in the country. It is blamed on the lack of taxes in other areas. It's a great investment for people like me. A young couple buys a home, pays 50% down (homes are cheaper there than other states) and then taxes come due. They just can't pay them.

Consider this, in AZ it is nothing for a simple 3 bedroom ranch w/o a pool to go for $200K. Housing is mighty expensive here.

You guys also have tax deeds vs. tax liens, big mega difference for people like me. Instead of buying a lien I purchase deeds. I own the home while I have the tax deed. The original owner has six months to cough up the tax money and 50% penalty. If they don't, I own the home. Shoot, I own it while I own the deed, I can live in it, rent it out, whatever I want during that six month period of time.

Kinda stupid on the part of the state. Out of stater's such as me take up the properties. They look at the short term goals, tax income. I look at it entirely different... retirement. And it won't be IN TX.

Consider this, in AZ it is nothing for a simple 3 bedroom ranch w/o a pool to go for $200K. Housing is mighty expensive here.

But what would the real estate taxes be on that house?

IOW, you don't have the slightest freaken idea what the hormonal differences are!

Uh, no. IOW, "I'm headed out to dinner and look forward when I get back to seeing the proof from hormonal studies or otherwise that homosexuality is something people are born with."

See, this is how it works. You made the claim that you are essentially well versed on the topic of gays. So I asked you if you were aware of the hormonal differences in gays vs. straights. With me so far?

Instead of saying, "No, Bubblebutt, I guess I am not as well versed as I claim so would you explain it to me," you instead turn it around and act as though you know the answer, you just don't wanna tell.

Google and see what you can find. It might be quite educational for you to do so.

I am amazed at your condescension. I'm not obligated to demonstrate my knowledge of existent or non-existent hormonal differences in homosexuals vs. hetereosexuals to you. If you believe such differences exist, you are welcome to post the scientific proof. Don't assume or you make an . . . well, I guess that doesn't apply because you don't do it to me, just you.

If you want to "educate" me, then feel free to "educate" me. But don't demand that I provide you with something and, when I don't, claim that that proves your point.

Still waiting to hear why Mark needs scientific proof for a gay gene yet you don't have to have the same kind of scientific proof for your God? Must I keep asking you the same questions repeatedly until you finally respond with something other than spew?

Amazing. What I say is spew and what you say isn't? What you seem to be saying is there's no scientific proof for a gay gene but there is one, whereas there's no scientific proof for God but there isn't one? It would be much more consistent to say there's neither, dontcha think?

Bubble you are right on about the real estate taxes in Texas. The "independent school district" add-ons jack them up considerably. We thought our real estate taxes in Florida were bad, but then we moved to Texas. It definitely was shocking when we got our first tax bill on our new house. We don't escrow so I have to be sure I have at least $9000 in cash at the ready when the end of the year rolls around.

With the low interest rates in Texas and the comparatively reasonable construction costs, lots of people get in over there heads here. The homes are so well built and finished out so beautifully that the temptation to over buy is too great. In other states where we've lived, the tendancy is to just buy the size home you actually need. You know what they say.... everything is bigger in Texas! Good for you for being able to cash in on the problem.

By the way, once you buy a home here it's impossible to move almost anywhere else and be happy with what kind of home you can buy. Ft. Worth is one of the most reasonable home markets in the country.

Laurend...

You can't make everyone think. Some people must go running for the bible so they can discover their opinion.

And some must go running for the Bible to decide what they must try to refute.

But what would the real estate taxes be on that house?

http://phoenix.about.com/od/govtoff/qt/proptax.htm

It varies and depends on a number of factors.

I think you'll find that you guys have it worse.

You guys also have tax deeds vs. tax liens, big mega difference for people like me. Instead of buying a lien I purchase deeds. I own the home while I have the tax deed. The original owner has six months to cough up the tax money and 50% penalty. If they don't, I own the home. Shoot, I own it while I own the deed, I can live in it, rent it out, whatever I want during that six month period of time.

Kinda stupid on the part of the state. Out of stater's such as me take up the properties. They look at the short term goals, tax income. I look at it entirely different... retirement. And it won't be IN TX.

I am familiar with tax deed sales, but where I live, at least, the mortgage company almost always pays the back taxes so as not to lose their investment. The rare piece of property that is not encumbered by a mortgage does not go cheaply.

Which counties do you invest in, for the most part?

Amazing. What I say is spew and what you say isn't? What you seem to be saying is there's no scientific proof for a gay gene but there is one, whereas there's no scientific proof for God but there isn't one? It would be much more consistent to say there's neither, dontcha think?

It isn't amazing that what you say is indeed spew. You dodge the harder questions and pretend they didn't exist. You repeatedly claim others wrote things they didn't. You rarely defend your own comments and then you blame your faults on everyone you post with.

I never claimed there was a gay gene, actually.. nobody did. Yet you continue to stomp your feeties demanding we prove things you claim we said. Truth is, we never made those claims. It's merely your best attempt at debate.

We got over you, maybe it's time you do the same.

I took a course in college called Abnormal Human Sexuality, but right off the bat, the instructor told us that homosexuality was not one of the topics we would be studying, since it's not considered, by the scientific community, to be abnormal sexual behavior.

This brings up an interesting point. What did you study in Abnormal Human Sexuality? What qualifies as abnormal?

If the scientific community considered homosexuality to be abnormal, presumably you would have studied it, and would you now hold that it is abnormal? Did the scientific community every consider it abnormal? Will the scientific community ever consider what is now called "abnormal human sexuality" (it'll help me here once you define this for me) normal? How much are our opinions shaped by lobbies?

I have known a number of gay people, and at some point in their lives, most tried to "choose" not to be gay. One hundred percent of them failed.

Is it possible you know some people who used to consider themselves gay and no longer do? Do you think all of them would tell you about their private struggles if this were the case? I'd be willing to bet they wouldn't.

Nevertheless, I know people who "chose" not to be gay and succeeded. It's a fact. They exist.

Bubble you are right on about the real estate taxes in Texas. The "independent school district" add-ons jack them up considerably. We thought our real estate taxes in Florida were bad, but then we moved to Texas. It definitely was shocking when we got our first tax bill on our new house. We don't escrow so I have to be sure I have at least $9000 in cash at the ready when the end of the year rolls around.

With the low interest rates in Texas and the comparatively reasonable construction costs, lots of people get in over there heads here. The homes are so well built and finished out so beautifully that the temptation to over buy is too great. In other states where we've lived, the tendancy is to just buy the size home you actually need. You know what they say.... everything is bigger in Texas! Good for you for being able to cash in on the problem.

By the way, once you buy a home here it's impossible to move almost anywhere else and be happy with what kind of home you can buy. Ft. Worth is one of the most reasonable home markets in the country.

Absolutely, I agree with everything you have written.

You get some young couple that wants to buy a home and they don't realize they are in over their heads before they ever sign the papers.

I have NEVER been one to take advantage when there is a way out for the original owners. If I have reason to believe they can make good on the deed even after the six months is up, I expect them to cover every bloody dollar I have invested. If they can do that, I sign it back over to them. It's just the right thing to do. Amazingly, that has only happened once.

I don't want to take someone's home away from them. If they just need more time, cool beans. I give it to them. But I do want to be reimbursed.

The state is ONLY looking at short term dollars. They are not looking out for the citizens of TX, they are looking at having taxes paid on time. Sometimes that just doesn't happen. So I disagree with TX on how they do things, but if that is how they are going to do it, I'll play the game too. But I do pride myself that I don't do it in a heartless manner.