OPIEs just don’t get it.

14. December 2007 by Greg Kelver.

Bill Wendt and Mike Conner have it right.  These men have taken the lead in challenging the absurd assessments that LaPorte County Assessor Carol McDaniels has inflicted upon the residents of LaPorte County.  This week property tax bills were finally mailed out and many LaPorte County residents are finally seeing first hand just how far out-of-whack the property tax mess is. In her wildest dreams, Alice in Wonderland couldn’t have come up with this one but Old Party Politicians  (OPPs) and their cronies on the Tax Court did.  Indiana’s new “Fair Market” Assessment is inherently flawed and is anything but fair.  Perhaps if the OPPs actually took a few minutes to read the Indiana Constitution they have sworn to uphold, a couple of the brighter bulbs might realize that what they are doing is not constitutional either.

Mr. Wendt and Mr. Conner have scheduled a public forum for 10 AM Saturday at the Blue Chip Casino where attorneys with the law firm of Newby, Lewis, Kaminski and Jones will instruct participants how to file a property tax appeal and discuss the progress of their lawsuit

 http://www.heraldargus.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=412&TM=19432.87 

Not that it means anything to McDaniels & OPPs, but it seems partcularly fitting to me that this forum will be held on Bill of Rights Day - I think this forum is exactly the type of grassroots involvement that Jefferson and the Founder’s had in mind when they were putting the pen to the parchment. 

 But Assessor McDaniels is apparently pitching a royal hissy fit

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=7616

about the $100 fee that they will be collecting to help offset the cost of legal fees they have incurred. Assessor McDaniels wants people to think that is “ridiculous.”  But I think most people know the truth about what is really “ridiculous.”  Personally, I am greatly appreciative of the efforts by Mr. Wendt and Mr. Conner to challenge McDaniels ridiculous assessments.  And I will happily go and VOLUNTARILY give those gentlemen $100 to help their effort.  For me, the math is easy - $100 voluntarily given for real value is far, far preferable to the bogus $1900 tax increase that McDaniels is forcing me to pay for little value.  While it may be a no-brainer for most, that concept clearly is not understood by the Old Party Incompetent Electeds (OPIE’s) we continue to put in office.      

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