You're an idiot

I normally try to play nice, but Crazy is right.

You're an idiot.
The only taxpayers in Woonsocket who haven't been gradually drowning for YEARS are the single family home owners, thanks to the Homestead Exemption.
You can't believe everything you hear, Robert.
Our commercial tax rate is 36 per thousand, and that's just on property.

The tax rates are insane, especially considering what we have to offer, which is virtually nothing.

Robert lamarre, clearly you're probably one of the zero liability tax voters in the city. Socialism has failed every time it's been tried. The idea that 10,000 taxpayers is going to support 42,000 is unworkable, in a financial sense.

If the Gen. assembly were to pass a residency tax for woonsocket it would no longer be illegal, and a good civic minded individual such as yourself could have pride in the fact that he is a contributing member of society.

But due to the bureaucratic red tape and the in action of our local and state government the only real solution is bankruptcy for the city of WOONSOCKET.

Socialism, sounds great until you run out of other people's money!

well if its illeagal for renters to pay tax . How come they pay a tax on the auto.
the only ones who don't have to pay taxes are the free loaders on welfare. and untill the chichen hearted council weeds and mows this area and also get brave and go after out of state registrations.then its done hill each year.
So get get ready for next years suppp. tax

robert,
As usual - your comment is one of the most idiotic I have seen yet. You have yet to add anything concrete to these discussions. If you are a resident of Woonsocket, I truly beleive you must live under a rock.

To both of you ; your both wrong. , state, federal,officials can tax anything they come up with if they can pass it. No illegal anything. In a round about way , landlords do tax renters. who do you think pays the tax?? Or the tax the city needs to accommodate what it needs to pay its bills. A very simple way to put it, no matter how big or how small the pie is, and no matter how many slices you have, or how one piece may be larger than the other, the pie will be eaten all up. taxes are bourne in the same way. ex., residential,both homestead and non homestead, commercial, personal,industrial, and a couple more. taxes are not equal but the pie will be all eaten. Now i do know one thing,it is impossible to tax renters as a renters tax. totally impossible !

First of all i have a sibling in this school department and another sibling at beacon charter high school! That supplemental tax bill you all are complaining about hasn't even gone for a vote by the general assembly so stop whining about something that might not even happen!!!!!!!

If you think the supplemental tax bill is a one time deal then you are wearing rose colored glasses. Our worthless City Council will not make the serious cuts required to get this city moving forward again. They will continue to gouge the taxpayers until we are all on welfare . Their goal is to make certain that no one in this city can afford to own anything. The goal of the politicians in this city, state and country is to control the population by forcing people to be dependent on them for our needs.

I just looked at my 3-year revaluation that was done in 2011 (you know that every 3-year one) -- my house is still valued at 212,000 (but when you actually have it valued, it is 152,000 -- 60,000 less)!!!!! You can look it up on line under the City's website....Where they got that figure from -- and if the city paid them to do this, another bunch of money thrown away for nothing!!!!!!!

Last year when they took out a $12 million loan to fix the problem it did not work.
Here we are again, one year later with a $10 million problem.
Three years ago a tax increase was going to fix the problem, it didn't happen.
They, like the federal government, refuse to live within a budget. I have to live within a budget and if I write checks for money that I don't have or are authorized to spend the police department has a special word for that kind of thing.
A supplemental tax bill does nothing to solve the problem, Bankruptcy, though painful, has a better chance of working then what we've been doing for the last three years.

robert,
As a taxpayer who is sick of being bled to death because I was apparently stupid enough to beleive Woonsocket would be a good place settle and purchase property, I don't have a problem with helping legal citizens who need help. The welfare program in this country was implemented as a way the help people get back on their feet. Unfortunately, our politicians have made welfare a way of life for legal citizens and illegals. There is no incentive for welfare recipients to become productive members of society. We have made it profitable for a woman to pop out a half dozen kids by six different fathers. We don't penalize those fathers that sire six kids by six different women. I'm more than willing to help those who only want that help while they try to make a better life for themselves and their families. I don't want to help those who refuse to hel themselves and their families.

Because, socialism has failed every time it's been tried. It strips a man of his self respect and pride by making him slothful and lazy.

Socialism only works until you run out of other people's money. 10,000 taxpayers supporting 32,000 deadbeats is socialism. I know some of them are legitimate but most are willing to be slaves, dependent upon the federal and state government rather than self-reliant, they have made poor choices in their life, they need to live with their bad choices and get some self respect.
Look up the United Nations agenda 21 and its goals which are being implemented by many local governments in this country and compare the results to what we are seeing In Woonsocket.
Bankruptcy is the doctors tool to cut out the cancer in this city!

woah, woah, woah...Harold.
two problems.

10,000 people are not supporting 32,000 deadbeats.
This idea is getting out of hand quickly, geez.
There are 10,000 property owners out of a total 42,000ish residents, yes.
But the rest of that total number includes the husbands and wives and children of those 10,000, and memeres and peperes who gave up their homes to live in high rises after a lifetime of work.
The total number also includes plenty of hardworking people in apartments who pay rent, and taxes on their cars, but either have too little money --or too much brains-- to have bought a home in Woonsocket.
Chill. Out.
Take a breath.

Think about it. If you live with your wife and two kids, but the bill comes in your name...you're one of the 10,000 and they're three of the 32,000.
Common sense.

Second problem--
a psychology of dependence/entitlement is BAD for the individual and bad for the society--
but being poor is not the same as being lazy and evil!

There ARE people who are legitimately disabled, and people who have had hard knocks of various kinds that set them back financially through no fault of their own, who need a chance to catch up.
There are people-- lots of them in Woonsocket-- with learning disabilities that prevented them from going to college or qualifying for jobs that could help them make a better income than their parents.
Help these people the RIGHT way, and you strengthen your society.

A democratic society that prevents those people from starving on the street may be a social democracy, but it is also a decent one.
(a social democracy is not Socialism, btw.)

We've already tried the opposite extreme of no government intervention at all, we abandoned that approach for a reason. After industrialization, it doesn't work... unless you're okay with kids eating trash in alleys every day. That was the Gilded Era.

Have we gone too far in the opposite direction? yes.
But let's be reasonable.
The answer to one extreme isn't the opposite extreme, it's moderation.
Are there people who abuse the system? Is there waste? Are these SERIOUS problems that need to be fixed?
Yes. Absolutely.
But there are people who really, truly need and deserve some help.
They're people, Harold, just like you.
We have to try not to forget that.

If you're renting in Woonsocket, you're lucky because you have the option of moving out of this mess. If you're a homeowner, your stuck because you can't sell you're house without taking a tremendous loss.

Hmmm...
raised taxes....cut services...plummeting property values...
why does this all sounds so familiar? =( ....ba-dum bump!
ahh, you have to laugh so you don't cry sometimes.

btw, J.
suppose that, now that they have gone through bankruptcy,
the property values in Central Falls are going up?
Suppose they are now, on average, higher than Woonsocket's...

Would that affect your position at all?
(I'm not being snarky, I'm serious about this)

J .HEAD... You have cancer and you been seeing your family doctor for three years but the cancer continues to get worse and you wonder why? Go see a doctor who specializes in cancers! (Bankruptcy )

SDE I do agree with you, I deliver freight to central falls every day. They have a butt load of small businesses every place. I do believe in the long run they will emerge from bankruptcy a much stronger city.
Woonsocket is dying and it's time to see the doctor(Bankruptcy)

Central Falls will be coming out of bankruptcy very soon. The last road block was removed last week. The template that was used to straighten out that city financiall will be used in other communities around the state. While bankruptcy/receivership, whatever you want to call it, the process will level out the debts and taxes and reset government on a sound financial footing. It's getting to that point that will hurt - taxes may go up, services WILL be cut back - people will be forced to do with less. The extravagances of the past will be gone - no more spending beyond your means.

Thank you, Erin.

Erin,
As a senior citizen who is collecting the Social Security that I paid into - DO NOT lump me into the same kettle as those who are collecting benfits that those of us paying taxes have paid into. I have frequently said that I have no problem providing a temporary hand up to do those who want to better themselves. I do not want my tax dollars going towards providing a hand out to those who have no desire to better themselves. There is a major difference. Social Service organizations in general are designed to keep people on welfare. It protects their jobs. An even bigger concern for me is the fact that we insist on treating illegal immigrants the same as legal citizens. Why should our tax dollars go to supporting people who are here illegally to begin. Again, the social services industry sees this as job securtiy. I see it as a travesty and a major insult to all legal Americans.

Ron, I don't think she was lumping you in at all.
A lot of legitimate frustration and anger is turning into blanket scapegoating, but Erin wasn't doing that. Did you read what she said?
She said senior citizens collecting SS, and the working poor getting temporary services to help them better their situations, should not be talked about like they are freeloaders.
I think that's very fair, and true.
From what you wrote, it seems like you do as well.

Thank you la_moufette. You are correct that there is a lot of frustration and anger brought about by feeling like we are in a hopeless situation. You are also correct that Erin and I are on the same page .

Perhaps we should change our motto in one socket to;
"from each according to his ability, two each according to their needs."
That used to be a very popular saying in some European countries, it didn't work then and it will not work now. Do you know who the author was?
Karl Marx.... Socialism sounds great until you run out of other people's money.

erin B. wow i would love to debate you, being in this city in the real estate rental business and know thousands of people on some type of aid in this city, lets go for it. lets go one for one, who is legitimate and who is playing the system, you will run out of your side long, long long, before i do. You need a reality check ! but before you attack me, I just want you to know I dont care either way. You can keep your job and I can keep mine, doing what we do! are we both Hippocrates? either way im glad your stuck paying little taxes or are you on some kind of aid yourself. Ive made some mistakes and have fallen on hard times and paying for it myself. and guess what i pay for my own blue cross at 800.00 per month. I dare you to admit what agency you work for in this city that gives money away like water

More state funding and a budget commision

Harold
Sandy Springs made a very important choice to buck the unions. Unfortunately, we don't have any elected officials who are willing to do that. Drive around the city and count the number of "Stop Privitization" signs that have been put up. In my neighborhood alone, I have at least 5 unionized city workers - one or two water department employees and two or three "highway" department workers. In fact, I noticed the other day the son of one of my neighbors is now wearing one of the neon yellow shirts that the highway department wears. Since he just graduated from high school last year, he would have been a fairly recent hire. Again, our city officials are not willing to make the cuts that need to be made. We live in a city and a state where the politicians would much rather see residents loose their homes than take on the unions by turning over municipal services to private contractors. When you have time, if you locate the handout that you gave to the City Council last year, I would like to see a copy.

Harold,
Thank you for trying to post. I do appreciate the effort.

Harold, don't give up yet, you can still share it!

You have two options
1. break it up into smaller sections, and post them in a few consecutive posts
or
2. post it elsewhere, and provide a link.

The Empire is crumbling......where will we be when the 16 Trillion dollar debt bomb goes off in Washington?All things are CONNECTED.This city is not an island onto itself,restructure now,before it's too late!

Mr Dionne,
That is not what I want for Woonsocket either but for this City to survive that is what has to happen for Woonsocket. I'm an average taxpayer and I can't afford it! I can't afford the supplemental tax increase and the thought of my taxes rising 17%+ next year has my looking for a third job to support my family. From listening to other people I know that I'm not the only one who can't afford these major tax increases. I don't want the receiver or bankputcy in our city either I want CUTS! Unless required by State or Federal laws I don't want to fund the library, senior center, museum, extra cirricular activities, breakfast and lunches at the school, etc. The city, schools and above organizations have to come up with other ways to fund these programs. When times get better and the City receives additional funding then we can resume funding these things. I haven't received a raise in years but I'll do my best to keep paying my taxes. I'm sorry Mr Dionne...I'M BROKE!

John,
I’ve heard you take this stance of not going into receivership before, and I have a real problem with it.
Although I understand that the 10 million dollar deficit is “Money already spent”, I, and I think the majority of the tax payers in Woonsocket, have a real problem on how and why it was spent in the first place.
You keep saying it’s the Mayor’s fault, the city council’s fault, the school committee’s fault, the WED’s fault, the state’s fault, but none of these statements of blame directly address the root cause of the problem which is the School Department and School System spent money they didn’t have. Period!
As tax payers in this city, we depend on a professional work ethic of the folks we vote into office, not the total and complete incompetence that has been constantly illustrated over the last four to five years by the School Department and School System in this city.
For them to systematically overspend, knowing full well that the tax payers in this city are on the hook for any spending that is over budget, shows complete disregard by the WED and the School System for the city in general, and more over the tax payers in the City of Woonsocket.
We’re tired of hearing it’s the State’s fault, we don’t have enough funding! We’re tired of hearing the “Fair Funding” formula is not “Fair”. We’re tired of hearing that “You think this year is bad, wait until you see next year” (thanks Ellie Nadeau)!

At any time during the budgeting process, if the WED and the School System knew that they didn’t have acceptable state funding, local funding or federal funding available, why on earth didn’t they raise the red flag then, but instead, they just continued to spend like everything was working as normal? This thought process is mind boggling, and again, shows complete disregard for the city and tax payers in this city.
The WED and the School System need to learn how to stay within a budget that THEY have set forth, not gee, we’ll give it a shot this time, and hit the tax payer again at the end of the year for another 6, 8, or 10 million dollars down the road if we overspend. It is this type of lack of financial oversight that is the main reason why over the last four to five years, the City is in such dyer financial straits.
So now, what does the city have to do? We have to go back to all the other groups in the city and ask them for more cuts, more degradation to services, increased fees and increased taxes going forward, for what? So we can continue to fund a bloated School Department (yes bloated) that is literally driving the city into bankruptcy?
If I were a fire fighter, police officer or city worker in this city, and they asked me to take another 10% hit on my paycheck and benefits, just so we can continue to feed the WED beast, I would say “Take the 10% and BLEEP it”, we’ve already given enough over the last five years, we’re not giving up anymore!

So yes John, we all know that the “Money has already been spent”, and that the tax bills are already coming regardless if they come as a supplemental tax bill for a portion or whole part of the deficit as a receiver would send out, but one thing the tax payers want to know is when will this continued WED/School System overspending stop, and if they even have the talent necessary to make such changes going forward.
From what we’ve seen in the past, it doesn’t look good, which is one of the main reasons that folks are calling for a receiver. They flat out don’t trust the current administration, WED or School System to make any relevant changes going forward to get us back on track. And no. we’re not second graders that don’t understand the financial aspects of a receiver, we’re concerned tax payers that want this problem solved once and for all.

Steve,
If you or I or any other citizen in this city were to knowingly write checks based on money we expected to receive but didn't have yet (and ended up not receiving) that would be considered fraud and we would end up in jail. Our elected officials do this and we get "oops - oh well the taxpayers have to cover our mistakes and we don't care what happens to them.". I'm with you, there is not a single elected official in this city that I have one iota of trust in.

dead in the water, as usual your words always make me take a second to think what can be said about you. this doesnt happen to me much but i admit im lost for words. mr. dionne would patch.com better serve the public if patch would hold people accountable for leaving ignorant statements like dead in the water, does on every post. I bet you a lunch that cowards like dead in the water would go away if he would stand behind his real name no guts dead in the water. maybe ill post under the name" alive in the air".

Here's a fact.....it's not my debt,period.

mr. dionne in the past 35 years, always a pleasure thinking about your ideas. you happen to be correct just about every time or at least bring up fair minded solutions. thanks

Meesh,
Suddenly the Patch is practicing very stringent guidelines (censorship). I'm suspecting our city leaders have put pressure on them because they don't like some of the posts.

I don't like this one iota!

Renters feel some of the burden when taxes go up our rent goes up so no i wouldn't feel differently maybe you need to think differently. Memere noone forced you to buy a home this tax as i mentioned doesn't have the full support of our elected officials in the general assembly so don't fret something that won't happen!!!!!!

One thing is for certain Robert, your posts are consistently the most idiotic comments written/posted. You have absolutely no common sense and obviously have no clue how stupid your comments are. If you are an example of the typical WHS graduate, then you are living proof that the education system is failing. If it wasn't for those of us taxpayer's who bought property in this city, the people who sponge off the taxpayers would have to move to some other city to get their handouts.

Ron do you have a problem, if you don't like what i write don't read it and stop insulting people because what you are doing is BULLYING KNOCK IT OFF!!!!! How do renters get hand outs some homeowners get handouts whats wrong with a handout once in awhile those people need the help they get it or are you ashamed to ask for help?

English first, let's get one thing perfectly clear. I have the utmost respect for women. However, I have absolutely no respect at all for females who's sole purpose in life is to see how many children they can have, fathered by as many different fathers as possible. The only reason they live this lifestyle is because the more children they have, the more welfare they can collect. If someone wants me to respect them, they have to earn that respect. Having multiple children by multiple men with no committment to any of them will never earn my respect.