GRANTS PASS, Oregon -- The following story is applicable to every family home across this nation. Family homes are the tax target of uncaring thoughtless individuals who only think of themselves and their self-serving pet projects. The promoters of a tax on your home are often public employees and those who will reap a direct benefit from this ugly tax. They don’t care if you’ll have a problem in paying for another tax on your home. They don’t care about your being secure in your home. They only care about the quick easy money that is guaranteed them by the power of the state. This means that if you don’t pay the state will use whatever force is necessary to collect. John learns about coercion and what can happen to his home when Don comes to collect the most heinous of all taxes.

Don and John are a couple of homeowners who live in the same neighborhood. They shop at the same markets, their kids go to the same schools. On an ominous Saturday morning, just the other side of tomorrow, Don walks over to John’s family home and knocks on the door. John opens the door and greets Don with a friendly hello. Don smiles back and asks how the wife and kids are. Then he gets down to the real reason for his call. "John, I’m here to collect the $156 dollars you owe for funding the county parks."

John is puzzled and asks, "What’s this all about?"

Don explains, "Well, remember when we had that vote on funding county parks? Anyway, your neighbors thought it was a good idea, and your fair share for this year’s contribution is $156. I went down to the courthouse, and the county assessor has your home pegged at $200, 000. Nice house! How do you want to pay-cash, check, or money order?"

John wants to know, "What do you mean by this year’s contribution?"

Don confirms that John has to come up with an extra $156 dollars every year until we get a foot of snow in July. He then guffaws at his little joke. "So that means I’ll be back again next year for your $156 dollars. Just to be neighborly, between you and me, it could go up an additional 3 percent a year, but that all depends, so save your money, friend."

At that John has had it with Don and suggests that he hit the road and not come back again.

Don tells John not to be so hasty. "There is a law that says we can use your home for collateral when approved by a majority of your neighbors to pay for public projects."

John is shocked. "You mean to say you can sort of mortgage my home if I don’t make yearly payments to you?"

Don nods and says, "That’s right, it’s the law."

John is now subdued. "Have a heart," he says, "I just lost my job due to the recession. The trucking company recently laid off 15,000 employees, and I was one of them. We just had our third kid and I owe the hospital thousands. The kids need dental work, and I’m behind on the house payment."

Don smirks, "Gee, that’s too bad neighbor, but that’s not my problem. The fact is, if you don’t pay me we’ll sell your home after awhile; the law says we can do that. And that’s gonna cost you six percent annually for the unpaid balance until your home is sold." I have a friend in real estate that could sell your home for you. Here is his card.

John pleads. "But don’t my neighbors care about my family and my financial problems?"

Don shrugs his shoulders. "Look, get real, people who vote for taxes on your family home don’t care about your personal financial problems."

John becomes a little bolder and retorts, "This is my house, and when I open the front door and enter my home I’m supposed to be the sovereign and the king of the castle. The Constitution says I have a right to be secure in my home. How can a man have dignity when he grovels before the tax collector and pays out of fear of losing his home? How can I be secure in my family home when you and my neighbors can extort money from me to pay for your public programs like the parks? You people that promote taxes on family homes are arrogant; you think the rest of us are your serfs."

Don laughs, "Well somebody has got to pay to improve the quality of our lives. And if you don’t pay, I told you your home is gonna be sold to the highest bidder, and your family will be looking for a bridge to live under. You might be interested in a book I’m selling called The Ten Best Bridges to Live under in Josephine County."

John is astonished at what he is hearing. "You really are serious that I would be evicted from my home aren’t you? If I did get evicted I won’t go. What would you do about that?"

Don had a ready answer. "You bet I’m serious; you’ll get evicted and your family home will be put on the auction block. Of course, if there is any money left over you’ll get that. See how fair we are? And if you won’t get out of the house, we’ll call the cops, and they might arrest you for interfering with a police officer or disobeying a lawful order."

John says, "Let me get this straight. To make sure I pay my $156 my neighbors can use my family home like collateral to insure I pay for their social agenda, such as a park taxing district, libraries, or remodeling the old hospital. If I don’t pay, they will charge me interest on the unpaid balance, and then after awhile the county can foreclose on my home for nonpayment of taxes. Then they can sell my home on the courthouse steps to the highest bidder. And if I don’t leave upon request, the cops will remove my family and me by force. And if I resist I could go to jail. Is that right?"

A wry smile forms on Don’s lips. "At last you get the picture, neighbor. Pay me my $156 dollars, and save yourself a lot of trouble." ***

Josephine County Tax Stoppers isn’t opposed to parks and libraries. There are other creative ways to reasonably fund these projects without using family homes for collateral. Why haven’t the county commissioners considered a business tax on the many local banks or even an eminently fair consumption tax if property taxes are removed?