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by mertd 1473 days ago
I stand to benefit from Prop 13; yet I would vote against Prop 13 without a second thought. It is causing enormous and unjust human suffering. People vote against their self interest all the time, if you convince them that it is for the greater good.
2 comments

Would voting against Prop 13 result in you having to sell your home/condo? I've wondered this myself and if I'm perfectly honest... I'm not so sure.

Voting against my self interest when all it does is affect my bank balance? No problem. But if it forces my kid to change neighborhoods (and therefore schools) while giving up a home I plan to retire in... that's harder.

It's hard to imagine a situation where property values rise would kick me out of my home, were Prop 13 repealed. If the home is going up massive in value, a 1-2% tax on the value of the home is dwarfed by the increase in property value. Refi or whatever to take care of it. The tax portion of a mortgage isn't that big anyway.

And if property values are rising so quickly that I even notice an increase in the property tax, then every single renter is completely screwed by comparison.

The only way that property value increases could cause somebody to lose their house is if they are completely financially incompetent, as far as I can see.

A system that requires self sacrifice isn’t ideal, especially in a heterogeneous society like the US where cohesiveness is lower than say … Japan.

Crafting the message, targeting the various groups, etc. Yes, there are folks like you who may do it, but convincing the majority is an uphill battle.