Can't afford your house? Here is an easy fix, let taxpayers do it.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by agzg

Iraq and Afghanistan are NOT the same thing and anyone who doesn't know that is an idiot.

The War in Afghanistant and the GWOT* are not the same thing and anyone who doesn't know that should do some reading.

The GWOT is all hyperbole, as is the War on Drugs. Anyone who believes that there is an actual War on Terror is an idiot.

*Global War on Terror

Never meant to say it was- I misread your post about bringing troops back from the Middle East and as I was glazing over it, my brain read "Middle East" instead of "Iraq". We can get into the semantics of where the "Middle East" is and how it might not include Afghanistan, or that it does because although other countries in Asia are mostly Muslim, Afghanistan is like other countries west of it in trying to sustain Sharia Law, etc, but I won't go into all of that here. But I am not an idiot. (flouncing done)

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by AnotherKD

Never meant to say it was- I misread your post about bringing troops back from the Middle East and as I was glazing over it, my brain read "Middle East" instead of "Iraq". We can get into the semantics of where the "Middle East" is and how it might not include Afghanistan, or that it does because although other countries in Asia are mostly Muslim, Afghanistan is like other countries west of it in trying to sustain Sharia Law, etc, but I won't go into all of that here. But I am not an idiot. (flouncing done)

LOL. You are such a good sport.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by AnotherKD

Never meant to say it was- I misread your post about bringing troops back from the Middle East and as I was glazing over it, my brain read "Middle East" instead of "Iraq". We can get into the semantics of where the "Middle East" is and how it might not include Afghanistan, or that it does because although other countries in Asia are mostly Muslim, Afghanistan is like other countries west of it in trying to sustain Sharia Law, etc, but I won't go into all of that here. But I am not an idiot. (flouncing done)

It wasn't me that said that. The post you quoted just now was my first post in this thread.

I get really aggravated when people are like "but you can't fight a war on an idea" and don't realize that GWOT was always hyperbole.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by AnotherKD

Never meant to say it was- I misread your post about bringing troops back from the Middle East and as I was glazing over it, my brain read "Middle East" instead of "Iraq". We can get into the semantics of where the "Middle East" is and how it might not include Afghanistan, or that it does because although other countries in Asia are mostly Muslim, Afghanistan is like other countries west of it in trying to sustain Sharia Law, etc, but I won't go into all of that here. But I am not an idiot. (flouncing done)

No, I was referring to Iraq, Iran, etc when I was talking about the problems in the Middle East. Meaning that what's going on over there is nothing new and it started long before Bush. And for Afghanistan I was saying that what we're fighting over there, is not just in that country, it's everywhere.

[Todd Bridges]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

I figured that. I would just keep filing U.S. taxes until I was a citizen of that particular country.

Obama sure is handing out a ton of freebies. He definitely won't be getting my vote again.

This is some bullshit. It kills when Obama haters start talking about him and expect him to clean up some shit that Bush destroyed, over night. That mofo even took money from SS when that wasn't even supposed to be touched. I'm glad Obama is handing out what you call "freebies" because Bush never handed out a damn thing. And what do you think Bush did with the money he took from SS? He damn sure didn't use it to fix the already fucked up economy. Think about that. You aren't making no sense, at all.

[knight_shadow]

Detroit Mayor Dangles $1,000 Homes as Incentive to Move to City

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced a sweet deal for Detroit firefighters and public safety officers currently not living in the city. Bing is dangling foreclosed homes for $1,000 plus funds for restoration as an incentive to get police officers and firefighters out of the burbs. Project 14 is named for a police code meaning that things are "back to normal."

In 1999, legislation was enacted that repealed an 80+ policy which stipulated that Detroit police officers and fire fighters must live in the city in which they serve. Since mandatory residency for municipal workers was overturned, many public safety officers left their metro and inner city neighborhoods and moved to one of Detroit's many suburban areas.

Dearborn, Hamtramck, Oak Park, Ferndale, Bloomfield, Warren, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Auburn Hills, Southfield, Rochester Hills and other cities near the metro Detroit area have seen an influx of municipal workers, including over half of all Detroit police officers and nearly half of all firefighters. Concern over public school systems, neighborhood safety, residential amenities, stability of localities and general environment were issues that drove many Detroit residents out of the city and into suburban life.

link

[PiKA2001]

Hmmmm, I wonder if this is just for Detroit public safety officers or if guys from the 'burbs can get in on this too. IIRC Detroit holds the deeds to some 20,000 properties(for reals). Those Two neighborhoods mentioned are "nicer" than the average Detroit neighborhood BUT I don't imagine the properties being offered are the typical Boston-Edison or E. Indian village home. The decent homes actually sell, It's the absolute shithole homes that the city takes over.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Hmmmm, I wonder if this is just for Detroit public safety officers or if guys from the 'burbs can get in on this too. IIRC Detroit holds the deeds to some 20,000 properties(for reals). Those Two neighborhoods mentioned are "nicer" than the average Detroit neighborhood BUT I don't imagine the properties being offered are the typical Boston-Edison or E. Indian village home. The decent homes actually sell, It's the absolute shithole homes that the city takes over.

It is only for Detroit public safety officers (police/fire) to get them to move back to the city since the state struck down the law that required them to live in the city where they worked. The properties offered ARE the typical Boston-Edison and E. Indian village homes but they are homes that are in foreclosure and, from what I understand, are typical foreclosure homes.. read: need a ton of work. What they really need to do is give them a break on the taxes and get them good insurance deals. Those are the things that made people leave in the first place.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by AGDee

It is only for Detroit public safety officers (police/fire) to get them to move back to the city since the state struck down the law that required them to live in the city where they worked. The properties offered ARE the typical Boston-Edison and E. Indian village homes but they are homes that are in foreclosure and, from what I understand, are typical foreclosure homes.. read: need a ton of work. What they really need to do is give them a break on the taxes and get them good insurance deals. Those are the things that made people leave in the first place.

I've never looked into E. Indian Village but I did look at houses in Indian Village, Boston-Edison, Palmer Woods, and Sherwood Forest and none of the foreclosed houses I saw in those neighborhoods were city owned, they were all bank owned. Are they going to be acquiring these properties from the banks and then giving them away? Detroit has been struggling in recent years to figure out what to do with all the city held properties, so I just assumed that this program would be giving away the houses they currently owned.

You'll never find a good insurance rate in those neighborhoods because of the older housing stock. I'm naive when it comes to home owners insurance but what would happen if there was catastrophic damage to a B-E home? It would cost over a million dollars to replicate the craftsmanship of those houses so if there was a fire that took out a wing of the home then what? There wouldn't be a $20,000 fix, the insurance company would probably have to buy the house then tear it down. The also do get a tax break because these hoods(at least B-E) is subject to the NEZ tax break BUT I think that still leaves them at a mill rate of 56 which I still think is too high considering the lack of services and security you get living in Detroit. I'd like to see Detroit go down to a mill rate of 35-40. I might even consider buying a home in the city again if I ever make my way back there with those rates.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

I've never looked into E. Indian Village but I did look at houses in Indian Village, Boston-Edison, Palmer Woods, and Sherwood Forest and none of the foreclosed houses I saw in those neighborhoods were city owned, they were all bank owned. Are they going to be acquiring these properties from the banks and then giving them away? Detroit has been struggling in recent years to figure out what to do with all the city held properties, so I just assumed that this program would be giving away the houses they currently owned.

You'll never find a good insurance rate in those neighborhoods because of the older housing stock. I'm naive when it comes to home owners insurance but what would happen if there was catastrophic damage to a B-E home? It would cost over a million dollars to replicate the craftsmanship of those houses so if there was a fire that took out a wing of the home then what? There wouldn't be a $20,000 fix, the insurance company would probably have to buy the house then tear it down. The also do get a tax break because these hoods(at least B-E) is subject to the NEZ tax break BUT I think that still leaves them at a mill rate of 56 which I still think is too high considering the lack of services and security you get living in Detroit. I'd like to see Detroit go down to a mill rate of 35-40. I might even consider buying a home in the city again if I ever make my way back there with those rates.

On top of the huge property taxes, they also have to pay resident income tax rates so 3% instead of 1.5%. It isn't just home owner's insurance either. If you live in the city proper, your auto insurance quadruples.

I do know two people who simply walked away from their homes in Detroit because of the taxes and insurance, which I think is completely irresponsible.

As for how the city came to own these homes, I believe it's all part of the deal where the city is buying up abandoned houses. In most cases, it's to be able to just level a whole block/neighborhood that is abandoned. In those empty spaces, people are building community gardens and parks. It's kind of amazing. Was Woodbridge Pub there on Trumbull when you were around? They've actually turned an empty lot into a garden that they use to grow food for the restaurant. They are only serving Michigan foods too. Their menu changes seasonally to adjust to what is available at the time. Very cool concept.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Was Woodbridge Pub there on Trumbull when you were around? They've actually turned an empty lot into a garden that they use to grow food for the restaurant. They are only serving Michigan foods too. Their menu changes seasonally to adjust to what is available at the time. Very cool concept.

No, Woodbridge Pub wasn't around when I lived there. I'm am familiar with the place since I still have close friends that still live in the city. I also like to check out all of the new places when I'm in town. I would like to see establishments other than bars and restaurants open in the neighborhoods though....maybe a community center, safehouse, or grocery store! The only place to get groceries in that area is University Foods on Warren and Lodge.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

No, Woodbridge Pub wasn't around when I lived there. I'm am familiar with the place since I still have close friends that still live in the city. I also like to check out all of the new places when I'm in town. I would like to see establishments other than bars and restaurants open in the neighborhoods though....maybe a community center, safehouse, or grocery store! The only place to get groceries in that area is University Foods on Warren and Lodge.

Yep, and University Foods always gives me the creeps. I go to that Subway now and then. It's the only Subway I've been in that had bullet proof glass to the ceiling. I hope the grocery stores come too. There are some other places opening... lofts for artist studios along the Cass Corridor.

You would probably enjoy this video: http://www.palladiumboots.com/exploration/detroit

Why a boot company did this video, I don't know.