I think this painfully funny.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. Since you are all such good customers, he said, I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But, what about the other six men, the paying customers?

How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share? They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay!

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. I only got a dollar out of the $20, declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, but he got $10! Yeah, that's right, exclaimed the fifth man. I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I! That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks! Wait a minute, yelled the first four men in unison. We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor! The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat the @#$% out of him. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
 

I've been accused of being greedy because of my anti socialism stance against Obama's supporters.  However, I think I fit the mold of most of my conservative roots.  I give generously to charitable organizations (money and time) repeatedly over the years.  In fact, there are countless number of articles floating around the internet about donations between the liberals and conservatives.  I just think that I can manage my money better than the government (what has government done well except for the military?) and thus Obama's idea of redistribution goes agains my better judement.  Especially with his history in the Fannie Mae debacle.  Before all you liberals jump on this article, ask your self when was the last time you donated your time or money.

Republicans give a bigger share of their incomes to charity, says a prominent economist Arthur C. Brooks. He finds that religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others.

Hard to believe, but my propery tax has actually gone up.  Why?  Because the county has a built in 2.03% increase over the past 3 years.  I did call the assessor's office early this spring and they assured me that the market decline will be considered and there is nothing I needed to do. 

Anyone else experienced this?  If so, what have you done that has been successful?

I emailed the county and it bounced back with an error message.  I'll call them today to see what they say.