Black UVA student sustains head injury at The Corner during ABC arrest

Warning: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

Washingtonpost.com:

Racial tensions flared at the University of Virginia after a black student sustained head injuries while white police officers arrested him outside of a popular Irish pub early Wednesday morning.

The injuries, captured in cell phone videos and photographs from a crowd of students nearby, left the student with bloody streaks down his face, an image that quickly spread on social media. In one of the videos, obtained by The Washington Post, the student calls three officers from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control “racists” as they try to handcuff his hands behind his back.

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THIS IS NOT A TAX BILL

The tax assessments are in for tax year 2015.  What on earth has all the hype been over.  I was expecting to have to take out a second mortgage just to be able to afford the increase.  I had been eyeing the cat food for months now, figuring I was going to have to substitute at least a couple meals a week with the stuff because of PWC’s oppressive tax burden, imposed by all those “tax and spend” supervisors.

Such is not the case.  Back to hamburger and chicken.  The sky is not falling.  My tax bill increase, if it stays at the advertised rate hovers in right around $300 per year.  That’s about $25 a month.  I think I can afford that.  Oddly enough,  the tax amounts have gone down.   The assessment statement was much more detailed this year.

2013    $1.2562

2014    $1.2212

2015    $1.1936 (advertised)

Its pretty obvious that our tax amounts have decreased.  The actual housing assessments have increased which shows growth in the county.  You always want your house to be appreciating.  PWC housing assessments have always been low, compared to what you can get on the real estate market so things are even better.

The bottom line is, my taxes will go up a little bit more than they did last year.  My house is worth more.  My taxes were fairly flat for several years after the great recession so I am really not going to complain.

However, the tea party mentality people of the county will have you believe that our current supervisors have been fleecing us for the past 8 years.  That is simply a lie.

I live in an older neighborhood, Sudley, to be specific.  My house is about 45 years old.  Sudley has held its value fairly well and most streets still look presentable.  It’s not grand living though.  If you want granite countertops you have to remodel your kitchen.  If you want 10 foot ceilings you are pretty much out of luck.   If you want mature trees, you are in tree heaven.   Some of the people squawking the most about taxes live in much fancier digs than I do.  Perhaps some of them need to return to normal living if their taxes are too high.

I have lived here a long time.  I expected my taxes to go up over the years.  They have not disappointed me.  They have.  This yearly occurrence is normal.  It is what happens.  If your taxes are too high, you either bought too much house for your income or you really shouldn’t be living in Northern Virginia.