Just mind all the dog shit when you go to sleep in the park. The stock market is about 80% over valued and the same is true of real estate. The banks don't put all their foreclosed inventory on the market because they don't want the price of houses to become affordable. Rather, the banks wish to lend only for big mortgages. Same is true of office space. I pressed a rental agent for an explanation as to why there were no small offices available. He said that he would be happy to rent me a small office, but would charge me the same price as a bigger office, because the property owner gives him no incentive for renting cheap office space. The banks all got bailed out for the bad loans they made, because the government coerced them into making those loans in order to stimulate the economy. The government might just as well have given the money to the borrowers with which to repay the loans, and the banks would have been bailed out just the same. The fair thing would be for the loans to be forgiven, in exchange for assessing the property at it's true market value; about ten cents on the dollar, but then local municipalities would shit because of the 90% reduction in property tax revenues.

Words words words

Thank you for your participation in civilized society; you are welcome to leave at any time.

What's happening right now?

Wahhh! I'm rich! Taxes are oppressive! Waaah!

CONCUR!

And owning a home = rich? Awesome! Here I thought I was just another idiot who fell for the "buying a home is a good investment" scam in 2007. But now that I know I'm rich, I don't have to worry about my mortgage and stagnating wages!

People that whine about taxes are rich.

Ugh fuck you. My landlord owns a shitload of property and jacked up our rent by almost $500 per year. And guess what? He can do that because the rental market in Portland is so competitive. We're looking for a new place but... yeah. So here's a thing. Don't be a greedy asshole for two goddamn minutes. I'm sure you can suck up that $500. But it's going to make a big difference to us.

Compared to the bums so desperate to find a place to sleep that they lie down in the parks on dog shit, renters are rich. Scappoose is within striking distance the deadly earthquake zone of Portland and it's realatively cheap.

This town is full of so many working class bums. How dare anyone make more money than you!

Stop voting "yes" on every single tax measure that is put on a ballot.
I'm a landlord. I am far from rich, for the first time in 3 years I am going to have to raise the rent. I have tried to be understanding of our current economic environment, being sympathetic to my tenants, but this last increase is insane.
It's hard to survive in a state where 65% of the population works for the government and votes in favor of tax increases that benefit the public sector.

Fuckin' A Right BokChoy. We just passed 3 new taxes last election, and they are gearing up to ask more.

It doesn't pay to own anything. Dump your real estate before the bubble really bursts. Put your cash into Swiss Annuities. Lease a pickup truck with a camper. Sleep on the outskirts of town.

I voted for some of the bond measures and against others. If you voted for them, you don't have the right to complain about increasing rents.

If you voted for all of the measures and complain about an increase in rent, then you're probably just an asshole.

The typical home owner is a bit more knowledgeable of the issue at hand because they directly get the bill and see the impact, not to mention they are tied to their property versus a renter who could vote yes or no on anything and skip town the next day and not being around to see the impact.

If lots of people left town, mostly renters, then there would be serious implications of rental units not finding renters to pay the mortgage and increased property taxes.

The South Bronx wasn't a nice place in the '70s, so hopefully that won't happen here.

I think there is a lack of understanding that your vote can impact your wallet. Homeowners see that impact directly whereas renters only experience it through rent hikes that they attribute to greed since they don't get the tax bill.

Simple fix: those that don't own property aren't allowed to vote. Just like the good old days.

@Chunty

Uh no, your snarky one line comment doesn't say anything.

How about if you vote, realize the entire consequences? If you voted for bond measures, then accept that they may increase your rent or another person's cost of doing business in the city?

If you're comfortable with that, then proceed.

I hear a lot of complaining about high rents around town, and incomes are definitely not commensurate with housing prices here (housing should never cost more than 30% of gross pay), just don't be a whiny bitch about it and realize part of the increase is property taxes have gone up in the city due to voter initiatives.

www.portlandmaps.com for proof a properties' taxes over the years.

No, I don't trust these fools to vote for the interests of...well, ME.

How come all these "renters" don't have my family's vast financial resources? Can't they just call up ma & pa for a couple hundo thou and buy a house? No, they're throwing their meager service industry wages (get a real job, losers!) away on organic food and microbrews, instead of making a a killing reaping souls like a red blooded AMERICAN.

I tell you, the minute we let these leeches cast a ballot that could affect MY profits, MY yacht, MY checking account balance pushing into the six figures-- President Ronnie rolled over in his grave and wept. Do these tears not trickle down?

Yeah, Chunty, all property owners have yachts.

I've offered a reasonable analysis of the issue at hand, and pray tell, what's the point of your posts so far?

Hyperbolic snarky know-it-all smug bullshit, which is every post on this newspaper's blog so I guess you're in the norm.

And I'm a renter, too, just as you, with a dash of less entitlement. Have fun viewing life through your myopic lens.

Ah yes, the I,A commenter braintrust! All the world's deep sociological issues are solved here!

The Founders had the right idea; they knew what they were doing. Just like with that niggling litte Natural Born Citizen clause.

Uni o'Bama, I'm starting to get the idea you are a little nuts here pal.

Rents here are still comparably cheaper compared to a lot of the major west coast cities. I was paying the same rent I am paying here up in Seattle for a room in a dilapidated house in a shitty neighborhood and here my accommodations are much better. Shit, I just saw a decent sized 3 bedroom house for rent for 800 bucks a month. Probably not particularly nice, but good luck finding anything comparable to that in Seattle, San Fran or anywhere near LA, even in the bad neighborhoods.

@BokChoy

65% of the working population of Oregon works for the government? This seemed fucking insane, so I went here,

http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/ArticleR…

And the number they have is 18%, half of whom are schoolteachers.

So you're a fool, basically, spouting numbers you probably heard on AM radio without checking to see if they're true.

Everyone has narratives they'd like to believe, but as a citizen you're responsible for checking yourself, and checking your facts.

You're a failure as an American, as a member of a Democracy, as are all those like you, who believe such ridiculous things.

Are you even vegan?

jamdox, insulting me because you disagree with me makes you no better than your average Tea Partier.

The numbers on the link you have provided show seasonally adjusted public sector employment to be pushing 45%. That number does not include work that is contracted out for studies, consultation, and urban renewal construction.

Admittedly, my number of 65% was a bit inflated, there has been a contraction of the public sector in the past few years as a result of the stagnant economy.

Your own link shows that homeowners at a disadvantage when it comes to voting down initiatives that benefit the public sector.

Questioning the bullshit spewed by both the right and the left makes me very American.