LAND OF—HOME OF…?
Let me alone, let me alone.
They own the land, I own the home.
Here they come, here they come
They own the land, I own the home.
Here they come, here they come
assaulting me on my own front porch
with pitchforks,
with pitchforks,
burning timber, taxes due.
Took my pay, took my pay,
here they come now
to take my house away.
Falling, falling
through the cracks;
once I was middle class,
now I can’t pay my back tax.
Now they arrive, now they arrive.
axes at the ready to rend my door.
Who cares, who cares for me;
how will I a social whore survive?
Out now, out now
this place isn’t mine anymore.
Inside, inside now
at the break of dawn
taking all my re-purposed furniture,
throwing it all upon what was my front lawn.
O’er my head, o’er my head for all to see
the vultures are circling, are they too ignoring me,
while waiting to pick through my ousted property?
I survived, I survived
all but this final war,
now I wish I were dead
drawing breath no more.
Suffer, suffer; got no plan
I should suffer an old man’s dread
as the leech on society I am!
Adapt, adapt to survive;
my I never knew
how good dinner is,
to a hungry man, useless now,
this eating the flies
buzzing a garbage can.
Sigh, sigh, now shrug the tumult away,
they took my paid for house,
surprised is me, I feel okay
about taking that fat old fly’s life away.
Them old flies, them old flies and me,
we understand each other
neither of us can fight the larger power.
My government, your government
feeds on we,
I feed on them rot fattened bugs
To slow to fat to fly to fast away from me,
Yes now, yes now it’s true
a mouthful of soft fleshy flies
chewed, saliva thickened
tastes exactly like city chicken!
© M Durfee
5.1.2014
careful, or they'll say you didn't pay taxes on the flies and make you give 'em back.
ReplyDeleteFertilizer Charles...that's the only way they get back a self found lunch from me!
DeleteIt doesn't help when the mayor decides we need to increase property taxes because a handful of advisers say everyone wants the shiny new million dollar fire truck more. I signed the protest letter, but doubt it will help.
ReplyDeleteThat's sad Alice! IN MI we capped property taxes at Xrate unless a mileage was voter approved. The other option was they can rise by .03% or the rate of inflation whichever is less. And still with the caps in place we pay the highest number of mils (70mils for home you live in/99mils for any other owned property) property that is over valued by 2/3rds.
Deleteless than 1/2 of people her pay the taxes on property and quite a few of them are limited liability corporations that bought vacant house sight unseen as rentals. When they found out thast the structure needed thousand to rehab it, they leave it sit to go back to tax foreclosure in 3 years.
Your solution may be having to eat the increase, but at least you get to put the mayor down like a rabid dog.
Actually, we have a state mandated cap. The city is trying to get around it by creating a special uses fund. It's not a one-time thing, either. They intend to buy more fire trucks and to build a new police station on the funds.
DeleteOur special use fund was established in 1968. They call it the Downtown Development Authority. That quasipublic group captures tax money to lobby Lansing for property tax breaks for billionaires. Now they have a pretty vibrant downtown area after 50 years. Things like streetlight repairs rae finally trickling out to the neighborhoods, something that has been in a constant state of neglect for thirty years or so.
DeleteBeen there onece too often.
ReplyDeleteEvery time, I say it's temporary. But it's too much repetitive.
You have issues with City Hall and Michigan.
Over here, I'm starting to hate Ontario.
Many issues old man, I have been watching how Ontario is following the model of dropping taxes but cutting social service programs for all non empowered classes of people. I hear you.
DeleteDear Mark, I hate what the city is doing to you and your's alike. What a sad state of effing affairs. xo
ReplyDeleteJodi in the end they feel that if i am left with enough to purchase medical care and food That's enough. Of course I have all the city and state taxes to still pay, fuel costs, other living expenses. The idea is to force them who retired after 30 years to go back to work if they are under 65.
DeleteEverytime I read of the "Detroit Problem" there seems to be a different outcome. When will they finally decide a future?
ReplyDeleteI am assuming Goatman that in mid-May when they send out packages for creditor votes to say aye or nay, THAT plan will be the final one. You hit on the most frustrating part, what was said yesterday is bound to be different tomorrow. Once politics entered into it, the confusion multiplied by a factor of 5.
DeleteThey certainly are great at taking away, communicating about the take away not so much. EX: We just learned yesterday that trash pick up was privatized in the city starting next week. There had been rumors and some articles about it, but nada until yesterday's mail.
The worst of it is twice multiplied. Trash pick up was working fine until the EM got here and tanked it by choking off money, and we paid for public trash pick up, $240 per year, no one has an amount how much the privatized service will cost next year, no one has published a plan of action going forward. I suppose we the affected on all fronts are supposed to simply accept every abuse heaped on us and fellow citizens. It's not like we can wait for the next election cycle and vote the EM out of office. The citizens have no say. America's dream and promises of freedom have been fully denied here, with the legal installation of a puppet government, run by an appointed Tsar.
Detroit is the canary in the coal mine for so many liberty's lost. The rest of the nation should tread lightly in following us down this pit.
yes they do tend to feed...had to pay taxes this year...
ReplyDeletecause i had to liquidate some retirement to feed the fam when i was out of work
cant get ahead for ...well whatever this is...
got your email...catch you back here in just a bit...long day
Flies Brian, you're expected to dumpster dive to get ahead. You're but a peon, if you want a new anything you're expected to curb drive until you find it in some elses trash. Hard work doesn't count anymore, being unemployed because of FED controlled economy is not their problem, only yours. The only variable here that may get you mercy is sitting on a large pile of wealth and having Co. after you name. They will shower you with confiscated cash, because business need bigger resources than you as a family do.
DeleteThe new play in America comes directly from Citizens United and A.L.E.C.
Just one more possum run over and left for dead....
ReplyDeleteThey tell me the light coming is not a train, but they remain silent when I ask them, why their bleating sounds like a train horn to me?
DeleteHow sad Mark to read this happening to you and your city ~ Taxes here are also high but I am comforted by the fact our mayor (she's an old dame but retiring this year, Hazel McCallion is finally retiring) runs a good job & delivers on city's services ~ But I get you on the taxes, ouch ~
ReplyDeleteGrace the thing is our property taxes range from 79-99 mils. And our properties are generally overvalued by 2/3rds. Yet they would rather put someone out of a house, that is maintained and occupied, for non payment at the same time they openly acknowledge that the return for our taxes is abysmal. 1-10 hours for a cop? 30 minutes for a fire truck? Trash 5 days late? *shrug* it is what it is.
DeleteIn the end it always tastes like chicken. The worst part is the ignorance of so many people. They are oblivious to the fact that our country is falling apart. Those who live in the ivory towers aren't aware of flies. Too busy figuring out how to send in their shiny fraud fucking filled tax returns. Guilt free because they write a check once a year to some bullshit charity. They are absolved. Your city should be a prime example of what is happening to our great country but too many people have blinders on and simply can't see the flies writing on the wall. Much love to you Mark.....
ReplyDeleteSusan many people in both the public and private sector do not realize yet that Detroit is the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation, The private sector was the first to go through bankruptcy with GM and Chrysler with pensions & retirements diminished.
DeleteNow the public sector pensions are seen as a magical cure all for the enormous debt. It's my fault they tell me that the city went bankrupt because I kept police cars on the street. *whatever*
It is a shame what has happened to so many cities and citizens. Urban decay is a blight and yet I don't think gentrification is the solution because it forces people from their homes because of high property taxes. Glad to live in the country.
ReplyDelete