USA Today Editorial: Trump 'not fit to clean the toilets in the Barack Obama Presidential Library or to shine the shoes of George W. Bush.'

Wow, very strong words from USA Today concerning Donald Trump's tweet from yesterday morning concerning NY Senator Kristen Gillibrand. The editorial was posted last night, shortly before the outcome of yesterday's special election in Alabama where Democrat Doug Jones won over Republican Roy Moore.

Yesterday, wasn't a very good day for the president.

"... the president's words were deliberate. He pours the gasoline of sexist language and lights the match gleefully knowing how it will burst into flame in a country reeling from the #MeToo moment.

A president who would all but call Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand a whore is not fit to clean the toilets in the Barack Obama Presidential Library or to shine the shoes of George W. Bush.

This isn’t about the policy differences we have with all presidents or our disappointment in some of their decisions. Obama and Bush both failed in many ways. They broke promises and told untruths, but the basic decency of each man was never in doubt.

Donald Trump, the man, on the other hand, is uniquely awful. His sickening behavior is corrosive to the enterprise of a shared governance based on common values and the consent of the governed."...

Send a message to our troops

I found this link while going through the online addition of the Asbury Park Press. The link is from USAToday and it allows individuals to video record a special holiday message to those serving in our military. The video below is an example of what the messages could look like, it is really all up to you. I hope many take advantage of this opportunity.

"This holiday season, many American families are separated by war — some for the second or third time as troops serve repeated tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now USA TODAY is providing a way for those families to share video messages and for everyone to join the conversation. To send your own message to the troops, simply press record."

Property-tax collections climb as home prices fall

Dennis Cauchon
USA TODAY

Property taxes are rising across the USA despite the steepest drop in home values since the Great Depression.

Home values dropped 17% in the third quarter compared with the same period in 2007, reports the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. At the same time, property tax collections across the USA rose 3.1%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

State and local governments are on track to collect more than $400 billion in property taxes this year, the most ever. One reason: Laws in most states that prevent big tax hikes when property values soar also block big tax drops when values sink.

The housing market collapse has caused a recession that's hurt sales and income tax collections.

But property taxes — collected mostly for public schools — have escaped serious damage. As a result, public education is one of the few sectors of the economy still adding jobs.

"Property taxes aren't always popular, but they are a very stable tax, even in tough times," says Thomas Gentzel, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Board Association.

Property taxes haven't fallen since 1934, the BEA says.

What's keeping property taxes up while home prices fall:

• Property tax limits. Most states cap how fast taxes rise in boom times. In bad times, the same laws keep taxes from falling and even permit modest increases on most homes.

Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada — the four states hit hardest when overheated real estate markets crashed and triggered waves of foreclosures — all have tax laws that work this way.

Tonight Show host Jay Leno's property taxes on his Beverly Hills home will increase $1,500 this year to $54,000, even though home values in the area fell by one-third since last year, California public records show. Reason: His mansion is taxed based on the $2.5 million purchase price in 1987, plus 2% annual increases.

Nevada schools will collect $730 million in property taxes this year, up 5%, says Nevada deputy school superintendent James Wells. "Property taxes are a bright spot. Sales taxes are the problem," he says.

•Delayed appraisals. Most states are slow to change the assessed value of homes. Some Pennsylvania counties haven't done major reappraisals for decades. Elsewhere, homeowners must pay taxes on peak values for years before new assessments reflect plunging prices.

Colorado residents will pay taxes in 2010 and 2011 based on what their homes were worth in the first half of 2008. "The time lag can help you or hurt you, " says Mark Lowderman, tax assessor in El Paso County, Colo., which includes Colorado Springs. "Nobody complains when prices are rising."