[cmsvmom]

This sort of wandered off topic from comparing property taxes. Oh well.

Credit cards are great when you pay them off each month - but the problem is you get these great deals, come ons, beautiful rates, etc - and then life hits you with a whammy. Your ex leaves and suddenly child protective services is at your door and there's a lis pendens on your house. Oops, you need a lawyer (and probably a prescription for better living through chemistry) You thought you would have one or two kids, and oops, you get triplets and one of them needs surgery. You become mortally ill or injured and insurance or workman's comp doesn't pay or jerks you around. So you use credit cards for everyday things or the cash advances for these emergencies.

Oops. Now they gotcha, so they don't need to give you a great rate. Now you pay 30%. That's predatory. And legal.

As for property taxes, they are getting bad in South Florida. But if you really want a glimpse of the future, come to northern NJ. See what long standing corruption will really cost you. I have a two bedroom cape on a modest lot with no garage or carport in a fairly decent area of town, but not the most desireable. Can't send my kids to the public school.

Market value is around $339,000. Taxes - about $560 a month. Add insurance on to that.

You have to be rich to live poorly here. So I am packing!

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by macguy

Isn't Bank of America now giving cards to any aliens? I can imagine the great competitive rates they get. They probably start them at 30% or what ever the top they can charge is. They are really going to screw those people. Credit card companies do, in my opinion, take advantage of people who are many time desperate and they need the credit to survive.

Instead of helping them they systematically bury them. They pray on peoples weaknesses. Give them a good rate then set them up to fail and raise the rate hugely. I guess you can say it is their own fault but the way it is done sucks them in. It is a carefully designed system almost like a casino game.

they call it the "opportunity"" card. They deliberately target sub-prime markets.