Can the Senior School Tax Exemption Be improved?

In Georgia, Republicans don’t care what anyone says or does. Redistricting Democrats into near obscurity was so easy that, for giggles, Republicans put weak white Democratic incumbents into districts with strong black Democratic incumbents to create the racist Republican fantasy, a nearly all white Republican party versus a nearly all black Democratic party.

The Tea Party got the back of the GOP hand when they tried to get some ethics reform through the legislature. Last Tuesday, Tea Party head Debbie Dooley was left betrayed, angry, and in tears after the Georgia GOP pretended to listen to her for a while and then just blew her, the Tea Party, Common Cause, and most of Georgia’s voters off as the time for pleasant PR ended and the time for serious politics began.

The Georgia GOP can handle Democrats and the Tea Party. Their weakness may be their own members who don’t know when to keep their mouths shut.

A few months ago our dear representative in East Cobb, Sharon Cooper, proved this point. At a Commissioner Bob Ott's town hall meeting, the dear lady volunteered her thoughts on a few subjects. For instance, she said that if the Democrats ever take back power, the senior school tax exemption in Cobb County would be their first target.

Why? In Cobb, Republicans praise the senior school tax exemption as the salvation of the Cobb little old widow woman (CLOWW) on a fixed income. The exemption keeps the CLOWW from being evicted from her home due to the high school tax.

Democrats are responsible for the creation, improvement, and defense of Social Security from day one. Why would Democrats want to harm Cobb’s CLOWW?

Democrats created Medicare and have improved and defended it from day one. Why would Democrats want to harm Cobb’s CLOWW?

Before Social Security and Medicare, the elderly were the poorest age group in America. After Social Security and Medicare, the elderly are now the most affluent age group in America.

Not every senior in Cobb is affluent and some could use a little help from their local government, except that our local conservative Republican government (county and school board) is not helpful, at least to the poor. It says that it does not pick winners or losers. It praises personal responsibility and has condemned government giveaways like parks, sidewalks, and quality public education.

For logic to be logical, it first must be consistent. When Rep. Cooper makes bizarre statements like this, it makes some people use the logic part of their brains to try and make sense out of this nonsense. Many Cobb Republicans who think, and a lot of them do think, are finding this discussion, at the least, perplexing.

Next, someone, perhaps the T-people, may come to Rep. Cooper’s defense and say that the school tax exemption for seniors in Cobb is a wonderful plan. To prove how good the exemption works for CLOWW, they might ask for transparency in our local government’s taxes. Just put online everyone’s property value on Excel in one column, the amount of their property taxes in another column, and the amount of school taxes in another column.

Want to know how much Roy Barnes house is worth? Want to know if he is taking the school tax exemption? Is Roy’s house one of the most expensive in Cobb, top 10, top 100, top 1000? Is Rep. Cooper’s house in the top 100? Does she take the exemption? Is your Representative in the top 100? Are your representative’s top contributors in the top group?

It is nonsense to think that Democrats are the natural enemy of CLOWW. When Rep. Cooper talks, there must be Republican leaders who are thinking, “Loose lips sink ships” or at least get people thinking about things they shouldn’t think about. No one thinks much about exemptions on their taxes. They just take the exemption and wish that they had more of them.

Rep, Cooper may get Republicans in Cobb thinking about the very nature of the school tax exemption. Does it do what it says it is supposed to? Is it a tax exemption mainly for those who don’t need it like Rep. Cooper? If the school tax exemption is a good idea for CLOWW, why not double the exemption for them and eliminate it from those that don’t need it and reduce the millage rate for everyone.

The 2014 school board budget has an $80 million dollar shortfall. “The Cobb County School District does not have a spending problem,” board member David Banks said. “We have a revenue problem.” http://www.ajc.com/news/news/cobb-schools-facing-80-million-deficit-in-early-fo/nTyZ5/

Do you wonder if the top 1% of Senior Cobb School Tax Exemption users adds up to $80 million dollars? Could it be 2%? First have tax transparency, and then let this majority Republican county start a discussion on the facts.

FYI, I am eligible for the senior school tax exemption but do not take it.      

The Cobb County Commission has nothing to do with public education.

The Cobb School Board has nothing to do with sidewalks or parks.

Our Cobb state representatives can affect taxes from the school board and the county.