Not only fix comm. prop. taxes, but res. too. We moved here some 15+ years ago and , surprisingly, even before we moved here , the locals warned us of the high taxes ( they were right ). And, we have seen just about every politician has mentioned of the need to reform ( lower ) property taxes but yet it seems no one has budged on this issue yet. Can we get someone to finally address it ? If nothing else, consider a constant residential tax basis that only adjusts when the property is sold, not every year as it is done here . Many other states do this and they do it successfully.

And, no armed guards in schools please. Just my opinion.

As far as "preparing for Obamacare" ....... this whole issue is mainly a tax package, so when we prepare for O'care, prepare for the shock of your life as we all learn of exactly what the new 23 taxes are all about. Get ready ..... it is less than a year away. And, how do you get ready for something that is 2,700 pages in length ? Even a "summary" of what this thing is all about would probably be 50 - 100 pages !

Lastly .... why increase gas taxes if we already have hit all car buyers with a car tag fee that is very unfair. If you increase gas taxes, then go back to the old way of calculating tag fees. A constant tag fee for 8 yrs ( it might even be 12 ..... I have forgotten ), is very unfair ! There is plenty of money out there to fix the roads ..... we just need to find out where it is disappearing to.

Kurt I agree with everything you just said. Our prop taxes are rediculous and my license plates fees are 500.00 each yr! It's terrible. And I don'tunderstand why people who have no children in school have to pay school taxes. It is nonsense, people could live better if the government didn't have to take so much of our money to cover thier own butt. Obamacare, well don't even get me started on that one.

Ok maybe I didn't really mean the part about school taxes, I know they have to get it from somewhere. It just seems like we are being taxed to death on everything. My kids are grown, but I do have 8 grandkids in school. So I do see the need. But tell me why in plates cost 500.00 a year. When I hear the money goes to fix the roads, I cringe because the roads around here are terrible. You can't drive two blocks without hitting a pot hole. That is the one that really gets me. And Stephen I am wondering how you feel about the voucher system for education? I also think there should be incentives for teachers who actually go above and beyond just teaching only what they have to.

The vouchers where you can choose any school for your child and it helps pay thier way. I also think we are going to see a huge boom in home schooling pretty soon. With registration fees going up, lunches going up and the cost of supplies, I really think it may be less expensive for people to teach thier kids at home or even hire a tudor. It's going to get alot harder on people before it gets better I'm afraid. Also with the school shootings, that may be another reason for home schooling. No I haven't read anything about Gov. Branstad's reform ideas. But I will look it up now that you have mentioned it. Is it something that you find interesting?

The Iowa Legislature should restore the public's right to review draft documents under Iowa's open records law. This right, except in such limited circumstances that are so narrow they are extremely unlikely to help, is going away as of July of 2013. The public's taxes pay for draft reports and for salaries of the government employees who commission drafts documents so the public should have the right to access drafts. Open access to draft documents, which Iowans currently have, was too great a right to trade away and eliminating the public's access makes government less transparent.

What can happen once the law changes is that the government can start labeling reports it doesn't want to release to the public as drafts far longer than the documents should be counted as draft documents so as not to release these documents to the public upon request.

Anyone who pays $500 to license their cars either has a lot of cars or late-model very expensive cars. If those cars are affordable, $500 is also.

David, I didn't say I couldn't afford to pay it, I just said its rediculous because they say it goes to fix the roads etc. but they are in the worst shape I have ever seen. And yes I have a new caddilac and I love it. I wouldn't mind paying a higher fee if I didn't have to worry about damaging my car driving on the roads that are full of potholes!

You are right Kurt like you usually are! I'd like to know the answer to that question too. Just where does it all go? The trouble is like with DC, you just can't get a legitimate breakdown as to exactly where it goes. Its obviously not going to fix the roads in Iowa!

Welll Stephen that is the big question isn't it. Why do you supose they roads never seem to get fixed? Its like the fix one at a time, so they are never all done at the same time. Or I should revise that. "They" repair the roads never really going down deep enough to really fix the problems so then they have to keep patching the same roads every yr. so they don't make any headway. Seems to me they need better engineers to make sure it gets done right.

David, I live in Marion and I am alking about inter city driving. The highways are not bad. And PUG.....I know it costs millions to repair the roadways, And I also know my paudry little 548 that I pay for my license plates dosen't sound like much. I don't mind paying the fee, but I live in a new house in a new heighborhood with new roads that have already deteriated rapidly. So I don't feel like I am being over taxed, I feel like I am being ripped off.

I think everyone agrees ..... it is expensive, and necessary, to repair the roads especially in our relatively harsh climate. In my opinion though, it still comes back to a taxing issue and how it is being spent. Just this season, for example, I have noticed a lack of snow plows to get rid of the packed ice on many of the roadways ( the worst one I have seen in ages is the new exit # 94 @ Ankeny on I-35 ) The best time to hit these ice packs is when they are softened up by the recent warm weather. The weather has finally gotten rid of most of the issues. And.... you just wait .... we'll have a 1 inch snowfall later this season and the plows will be out in force. I have watched them come right by my house, maybe 5 or 6 of them, all plowing a tiny bit of snow that the truck that just went by already plowed.

So, to me, Maxine's point is : the tag fee is not the issue. The high tag fee that is not "stepped down" as the cars value decreases ..... that is the issue. Consider a $500 tag fee for a brand new $50,000 car. Not too bad. But 5, 6 or 7 years later, that same car is worth maybe $20,000 yet the car fee is ...... you guessed it ..... still $500. And don't forget who is paying for a majority of the road maintenance - the trucks that pass through Iowa every day of the year, especially on I-80. A typical 18 wheeler will have several hundred thousand miles on it and gets maybe 5 - 8 mpg. That is a LOT of diesel fuel, and a lot of fuel tax paid. Not all in IA of course.

Exactly Kurt. "steeping down" the fees sooner is a good option. I don't see it happening soon though.

Kurt, I don't like paying taxes and fees anymore than anyone else, and TRUE waste needs to be minimized or eliminated. But I see all the things that I am blessed with as a result of paying those taxes, so I don't complain about them constantly or pull the woes me bit (not that you are saying woes me). We are a very spoiled society and it is getting worse all the time. "More and better services with less taxes" seems to be the rallying cry right now. But only services that I actually use, of course. MIne are important, while yours are a waste of "MY" tax dollars. Old people don't see why they should have to pay for schools. Young people complain about Medicare (until they become seniors and then, "YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH MY BENEFITS! I'VE EARNED THOSE!!") Others will complain about trails and parks.

The thing is, Kurt, if they reduce the tag fees or step them down as you suggest, then what new taxes will we need in their place to still cover the actual costs of what we all get to use and enjoy everyday? Or, as Stephen mentions, fix all that has gotten to a miserable state of disrepair over the past 50 years? If you are driving a new Cadillac and yet complaining about the fees you have to pay to enjoy this lifestyle then I think you need a reality check. Our grandparents and great grandparents would all love to come back and kick all of our butts. Would they think that the ice packs on the roads for a couple weeks, or the ocasional pothole is not worth the other benefits that we all receive today? Would they choose to not trade their covered wagon or even basic automobile and gravel / rutted roads for that Cadillac on a paved interstate or county road? Would they trade $.10 a day with low / no taxes for $50,000 a year and our taxes to get our lifestyle? More importantly, would you choose to trade places with them?

Proud UniGrad....I know you think I am crying about the cost of my license plates, but its actually not the case. I truely don't care about the cost, I do however care about the damaged roads. And because I drive a caddilac dosen't make me special. I actual wanted a new charger and my husband bought me the caddilac for my birthday last year. And we have had our fair share of beaters in our day and since we our turning 60 we thought we'd splurge alittle. So don't think I am all about money because I am not.

Stephen...I think once the round about is finished it will make a big and better difference to driving in Marion. When we moved to Marion about 13 years ago there was hardly any traffic, or anything really. But now it has gotten so busy and crowded that for a really small town it can be annoying. But I think the projects are supposed to be completed by fall and I am really looking forward to the changes.