[CTartist&musician]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

Can we please stop with the BS assumptions that we are simple minded Fox News viewers and suburban disciples that spew vile hatred upon the city construct.

My issue with this particular incentive is that it is simply a wealth grab from the prosperous suburbs to an urban core. (I'm simply following the tax dollars--- pretty well documented that FFLD and Hartford affluent suburbs constitute a supermajority of CT income tax). CT cities are also in their current state as a result of dismal fiscal stewardship and a sheer abandonment of the middle and upper class over the past 50 years in order to achieve a voting block. Dollars were diverted to housing projects as opposed to revitalization and infrastructure. It's not wonder the middle class has long since relocated. I do not believe I should be bailing out such wanton mismanagement.

Wilton2Park,

I do not think you are simple minded but just have a different point of view than a Democrat. I am a Centrist (with a dose of Libertarian) and I watch all sorts of news shows including ones on Fox. I like to see all points of view. I respect the views of Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians and Centrists etc.

I can understand how you can feel like giving people $10,000 for a house in New Haven might seem like a transfer of wealth from the suburbs to the cities.

I would like to point one thing though. I am assuming you are from Wilton. I have received over the course of my loan far more than $10,000 in write offs from my mortgage and I am sure you have gotten even more than me since the houses in Wilton are at least 1-1/2 times that of Trumbull.

As person who worked in a bank and in the mortgage department I would council people on how much they could afford for a mortgage. I would always point out that even though $1500 on a mortgage might seem a lot it is actually less than that depending on what tax bracket you are in. I always thought to myself this seems like a very unfair system because people with the most incomes can afford the most expensive houses and thus get a very big tax break.....they are getting a tax break on 30% of their income. The people with average incomes get smaller tax breaks and only get a 15% (or less) tax break. And the most unfair of all are the people who are renting that do not get any tax break at all.

Even if the people in New Haven get help of $10,000 over the course of their loans they are still getting much less help than us because the cost of their houses are so low and they are only getting a tax break of 15% or less on a much smaller amount.

Now can you appreciate the unfairness of the home mortgage deduction and how it favors the wealthy while the poor homeowners get next to nothing and renters (which if most likely a large part of urban cities) get nothing.

[Beeker2211]

Wilton2Parkave,

As the above poster noted there are significant benefits having an expensive house that offset the cost of said house greatly. That said I don't know if you spend a lot of time around people in CT, but there is a contingent that is knee-jerk anti-city which is what I was speaking to. They like to think that the only reason that the cities have failed was poor management from the 70's. I don't disagree with that, as I think Robert Moses and his ilk totally carved out the viability of quite a few medium sized cities. As well this said contingent loves to complain about how bad and unsafe said cities are, but are incredibly up in arms about anyone trying to do anything about it. "Streetcar in New Haven?" "It'll be a drug highway." Just an example but it similar themes pop up often. Look at the complaints a lot of people here on C-D have... Economy isn't great, population isn't growing as fast as it could, young people are moving out for cheaper waters... Our cities have a lot of potential and infrastructure to handle a couple of these in big ways, despite being world, national, and world players already. Why not invest in them to bring them up to snuff?