Senior Jobs Program in Westchester County
Tom Pauken is at it again, digging up a horror story to drum up support for his anti-tax politics. This time, Pauken goes as far away as Greenburgh, New York, to find one Audrey Davison, who lives on Social Security, suffers from arthritis and sciatica, and uses a walker to get around. She finds her $12,000 per year property tax bill hard to pay. To help seniors like Ms Davison, Greenburgh employs seniors and gives them a tax break in exchange.
Pauken doesn't tell readers how much Ms Davison's house is worth or how long a reverse mortgage could keep Ms Davison alone and happy in her big house. He doesn't tell readers that Greenburgh, New York is one of the wealthiest parts of the country, with a median home price of $592,000. He doesn't tell readers that Greenburgh's property taxes support outstanding schools, libraries, police and fire service, etc. He doesn't tell readers that the work program in New York is primarily aimed at keeping seniors involved in work and volunteering, with a side benefit of giving them a break in their property taxes. In other circumstances, this is exactly the kind of program you could expect a conservative like Tom Pauken to champion. Similar programs in other states have been judged successful and popular.
But Pauken is on a crusade in Texas to cut property taxes. Pauken doesn't suggest offering means-tested property tax credits to ensure that property tax relief is limited to those who truly need it. Pauken doesn't suggest replacing property tax with an income tax to ensure that Texans earning the most pay the most. No, he spins a story from New York to drum up support for his own failed plans to shift the property tax burden in Texas from wealthy landowners to low and middle income working people. If he's really interested in helping seniors like Ms. Davison, there are ways to do it. But he's not interested in Ms Davison, except for using her to promote his own anti-tax agenda.
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