Red Tape Idiocy

Kim sent us an interesting and morbidly funny article about a dead person with a zero credit card balance who was racking up quite a bill for annual and late fees. Of course, they couldn't close the account. You have to do that in writing which is extremely hard once the fingers begin to stiffen or decay.

Although I roared with laughter as her family loaded one tactic after another with a fair share of dark humor and tongue in cheek wit, I also realize this sort of catch 22 happens all too often. Here's ours:

We are having a similar situation with our deed. Seems an error was made in the legal description before the house was even built. We are now told the land and house do not exist and were never deeded to anyone during the subdividing of the original orange grove. Our response is that we should then be removed from the property tax rolls. The mortgage company didn't pay the insurance premium because the insurance is supposedly useless until we can prove our house and lot exist and belong to us. It matters not that we can send pictures or even bring the bureaucrats here to stroll through house and measure the lot. The county courthouse says our place is nonexistent. We're having so much fun! If we were braver, we'd stop making mortgage payments altogether or claim this as a true homestead.

I picked up a copy of our deed today from our safe deposit box and, armed with many pictures, a survey and appraisal and closing documents from when we bought the place, we'll load up Monday and head over to the county offices and tax assessors hideout to see what were can work out. I'm bringing Bible, a book on Mark and my iPhone with lots of games.

We got out tax notice today. Seems after the property tax cut all us Floriana voted for last year gave Richard and I a $1200/yr increase on our property tax. So, I am off tilting at windmills like a flower child version of Don Quixote. We cannot afford $300 a MONTH PROPERTY TAX! Taxed to the limit and receiving few governmental services,,, Someione needs to step up to the plate and put a stop to shoddy, overpopulated and uncaring government. HELP, I'm too old to run, not too mention way too slow.