John, too often when school taxes are under discussion I find that loaded word "results" to be a tool for hiding multiple red herrings in the interest of opposing public education in general. The question of how to assess "results" disappears in debates over math and reading scores, dropout rates, graduation percentages and college enrollment rates, where too often a red number is leveraged as justification for voting against any property tax increases for schools.In cases such as yours, you may find that the rising tax spending despite declining enrollment may be for school infrastructure -- the construction and repair costs for maintaining school buildings have absolutely exploded -- or for upgrading technology enabling students to meet rapidly changing tech demands in the job market, or the rising costs of maintaining extracurricular activities vital to creating a "whole" person ready to face the world, whether it's sports or music or art or literature. The raw number of students is not a major factor in those costs. Personally, I always vote for school bonds and property tax increases for schools -- not because I've ever had kids in the schools, but because I'm selfish. When I'm gone, I want my widow to be able to sell our house for more. Multiple studies have shown that school spending increases local property values. A 2020 study by the Harvard Kennedy School found that a 1 percent increase in school spending increases local house prices by 0.95 percent. An earlier study found that for every $1 increase in per pupil school expenditure, per pupil housing values increase by about $20.And when school bonds or taxes are voted down, house hunters who want quality public education for their kids may steer away from the community towards one that does support school funding. Home prices can actually drop.
I consider the razing of the East Wing of the White House -- the People's House, not the property of the current resident -- and its replacement with a ballroom for billionaires to be an obscenity against America. Bezos helped fund it. And he promoted it in the Washington Post, which he personally owns and whose editorial policy and news coverage he has perverted to his own personal views. He has explicitly stated that the paper will promote only positive coverage of personal liberties and free markets, with no opposing viewpoints published. This is another abhorrent use of his wealth. That's why, Dick.
Mama is doing so well with her cancer battle that last month she was able to travel with sister-in-law to Wisconsin to visit the other side of her family for a while. Our house is now spookily quiet. I went a little overboard finding something to keep me busy in the evenings. I auditioned for three local theater productions, hoping to land one part. Unfortunately, I got all three. 6-day-a-week rehearsals. I'm onstage this weekend as Zeus in a comedy about Greek mythology, and next month it's Fiddler on the Roof. Retirement is utterly exhausting.
Our refusal to further enrich Bezos is one reason we decline to enroll in Amazon Prime, but another is a visceral dislike of paying for the privilege of quicker delivery. When I run short of vitamins or see a book I want, or Sarah needs some doohickey for her artwork, I add it to the Amazon shopping cart -- but I don't click "Proceed to Checkout" until I have the $35 minimum required for free shipping. Might take a week or so. That also acts as a brake on impulse purchases. I'll generally delete one or two "what the hell" items from the cart before clicking.
I knew, just knew, that the money I loaned my brother to launch a tourism venture in Hawaii wasn't all coming back. I knew he would bail on the repayments sooner or later. My wife and I even set aside a significant sum as a sort of insurance policy to cover the expected loss. When the inevitable blowoff came (complete with obscenities), it was actually for much less than we expected. Instead of pursuing the issue as we could have, we made the decision to let it go. We took it as a win, ended the relationship for good (a much-overdue step) and eventually splurged the money on a wonderful vacation. Not to Hawaii.
My heartfelt advice to you isn't about work or retirement. It's about relationships. A short, curt reply can stick with the questioner for years, for a lifetime. It can cause not just hurt feelings but lasting embarrassment in someone who belatedly realizes that their remark to you may have been thoughtless or even inappropriate. They may never forget an exchange that lasts only seconds. I know you're hurting, but don't spread that hurt around to family and friends. They are far more precious than the job you lost. I have been there and done that, and afterwards wished I had just smiled back. So fake it and smile, and take out your frustration later on a punching bag or a weight rack. Not your people.
Doc, I'm so glad you're reaping the benefits of another step forward in medical science. I grew up knowing that no male on my dad's side of the family had reached age 60. Heart attacks were universal. I started monitoring my cholesterol when I was 30. Right after I turned 40, my number jumped from a borderline 240 to a frightening 340. That was 1997, right when the first statin drug, Lipitor, was introduced. I got it and my number has never been over 185 since. Congratulations to you and your siblings on getting the next generation of "stayin' alive" drugs. Live long and prosper.
It's an interesting internal conflict, Jeffrey. In the same paragraph you talk about contentment and angst from the same cause, having more than enough money. When you used the word "angst" I thought of this Schopenhauer quote: "Money is human happiness in the abstract."
Jonathan spent 20 years in a house he never much liked. We spend 75% of our lives at home. That's 15 years of his life in the wrong house. Everyone makes their own choices, but I would never, ever have purchased a domicile I didn't love. I'm in my fifth and probably final home now, and I've been crazy about all of them. Some were financially unwise purchases, but to me the warm, happy feeling I had walking in the door or just hanging out in the place was, and remains, worth more than money. By the way, size never mattered. It was all about the water. View was my #1 priority. Still is.
Comments
John, too often when school taxes are under discussion I find that loaded word "results" to be a tool for hiding multiple red herrings in the interest of opposing public education in general. The question of how to assess "results" disappears in debates over math and reading scores, dropout rates, graduation percentages and college enrollment rates, where too often a red number is leveraged as justification for voting against any property tax increases for schools. In cases such as yours, you may find that the rising tax spending despite declining enrollment may be for school infrastructure -- the construction and repair costs for maintaining school buildings have absolutely exploded -- or for upgrading technology enabling students to meet rapidly changing tech demands in the job market, or the rising costs of maintaining extracurricular activities vital to creating a "whole" person ready to face the world, whether it's sports or music or art or literature. The raw number of students is not a major factor in those costs. Personally, I always vote for school bonds and property tax increases for schools -- not because I've ever had kids in the schools, but because I'm selfish. When I'm gone, I want my widow to be able to sell our house for more. Multiple studies have shown that school spending increases local property values. A 2020 study by the Harvard Kennedy School found that a 1 percent increase in school spending increases local house prices by 0.95 percent. An earlier study found that for every $1 increase in per pupil school expenditure, per pupil housing values increase by about $20. And when school bonds or taxes are voted down, house hunters who want quality public education for their kids may steer away from the community towards one that does support school funding. Home prices can actually drop.
Post: Shouldn’t property taxes be a realistic part of retirement planning? Sorry, I think this is a major financial and social issue.
Link to comment from September 24, 2026
Any particular recommendations for a password manager?
Post: Two Fraudulent Attempts to Withdraw Funds in Two Days
Link to comment from September 22, 2026
I consider the razing of the East Wing of the White House -- the People's House, not the property of the current resident -- and its replacement with a ballroom for billionaires to be an obscenity against America. Bezos helped fund it. And he promoted it in the Washington Post, which he personally owns and whose editorial policy and news coverage he has perverted to his own personal views. He has explicitly stated that the paper will promote only positive coverage of personal liberties and free markets, with no opposing viewpoints published. This is another abhorrent use of his wealth. That's why, Dick.
Post: Little luxuries
Link to comment from September 21, 2026
Mama is doing so well with her cancer battle that last month she was able to travel with sister-in-law to Wisconsin to visit the other side of her family for a while. Our house is now spookily quiet. I went a little overboard finding something to keep me busy in the evenings. I auditioned for three local theater productions, hoping to land one part. Unfortunately, I got all three. 6-day-a-week rehearsals. I'm onstage this weekend as Zeus in a comedy about Greek mythology, and next month it's Fiddler on the Roof. Retirement is utterly exhausting.
Post: Little luxuries
Link to comment from September 20, 2026
Our refusal to further enrich Bezos is one reason we decline to enroll in Amazon Prime, but another is a visceral dislike of paying for the privilege of quicker delivery. When I run short of vitamins or see a book I want, or Sarah needs some doohickey for her artwork, I add it to the Amazon shopping cart -- but I don't click "Proceed to Checkout" until I have the $35 minimum required for free shipping. Might take a week or so. That also acts as a brake on impulse purchases. I'll generally delete one or two "what the hell" items from the cart before clicking.
Post: Little luxuries
Link to comment from September 20, 2026
I knew, just knew, that the money I loaned my brother to launch a tourism venture in Hawaii wasn't all coming back. I knew he would bail on the repayments sooner or later. My wife and I even set aside a significant sum as a sort of insurance policy to cover the expected loss. When the inevitable blowoff came (complete with obscenities), it was actually for much less than we expected. Instead of pursuing the issue as we could have, we made the decision to let it go. We took it as a win, ended the relationship for good (a much-overdue step) and eventually splurged the money on a wonderful vacation. Not to Hawaii.
Post: When $2000 Isn’t Worth the Hassle
Link to comment from September 17, 2026
My heartfelt advice to you isn't about work or retirement. It's about relationships. A short, curt reply can stick with the questioner for years, for a lifetime. It can cause not just hurt feelings but lasting embarrassment in someone who belatedly realizes that their remark to you may have been thoughtless or even inappropriate. They may never forget an exchange that lasts only seconds. I know you're hurting, but don't spread that hurt around to family and friends. They are far more precious than the job you lost. I have been there and done that, and afterwards wished I had just smiled back. So fake it and smile, and take out your frustration later on a punching bag or a weight rack. Not your people.
Post: Being terminated…
Link to comment from September 13, 2026
Doc, I'm so glad you're reaping the benefits of another step forward in medical science. I grew up knowing that no male on my dad's side of the family had reached age 60. Heart attacks were universal. I started monitoring my cholesterol when I was 30. Right after I turned 40, my number jumped from a borderline 240 to a frightening 340. That was 1997, right when the first statin drug, Lipitor, was introduced. I got it and my number has never been over 185 since. Congratulations to you and your siblings on getting the next generation of "stayin' alive" drugs. Live long and prosper.
Post: On Being a “Healthy” Person
Link to comment from September 9, 2026
It's an interesting internal conflict, Jeffrey. In the same paragraph you talk about contentment and angst from the same cause, having more than enough money. When you used the word "angst" I thought of this Schopenhauer quote: "Money is human happiness in the abstract."
Post: Taking It With You
Link to comment from September 5, 2026
Jonathan spent 20 years in a house he never much liked. We spend 75% of our lives at home. That's 15 years of his life in the wrong house. Everyone makes their own choices, but I would never, ever have purchased a domicile I didn't love. I'm in my fifth and probably final home now, and I've been crazy about all of them. Some were financially unwise purchases, but to me the warm, happy feeling I had walking in the door or just hanging out in the place was, and remains, worth more than money. By the way, size never mattered. It was all about the water. View was my #1 priority. Still is.
Post: Jonathan’s Parting Thoughts: No. 7
Link to comment from September 4, 2026