Ok, not really, but would you consider boycotting Christmas for the next four weeks? For weeks now, if not longer, the stores have been pushing Christmas. A major retail outlet in my neighborhood was putting out their Christmas wares at the same time as the Halloween candy, back in September. But the truth is: Christmas is not here yet! Christmas does not begin until 12:00am, December 25th. In fact, this coming Sunday begins the season of Advent. A time to prepare for Christmas. Not by doing the shopping, or decorating the house. But, by examing our lives. Considering the difference between our wants and our needs. AND, waiting in joyful hope for Jesus' coming. The Church knows that Christmas is too big for one day. That's why she gives us from Christmas Day to the Feast of the Epiphany to celebrate. But she also gives us this time to prepare for the best house guest ever. So, I'm boycotting Christmas until Christmas Eve. I'll avoid the carols and the stores as much as possible until then. Even if Christmas is more cultural tradition for you than Holy Day, do you really want your celebration to be dictated by corporations trying to sell you stuff? Or, would you rather it be a time that connects you to something bigger, something ancient that your ancestors have shared across the generations?
posted by JTC 12:50 PM
Every now and then I surf through real estate listings. There's an aspect to it that's fun. The pondering of the possibilities...but, in the end, it usually makes me angry. Why? TAXES! Today's exercise- $80,000 dollar houses in the 1000-1500 square foot range. Lot sizes from small city lots to larger (250'x250') rural lots. In NY the lowest taxes to be found were about $1900 a year in Buffalo. The highest I saw today? A small $79,000 house in Lancaster at $3,600 a year. Compare this to the Wilmington, North Carolina area where the highest taxes to be found are in the city of Wilmington. They don't even bother to list them on the real estate ads. With full valuation though an $80,000 house in Wilmington comes to less than $700 a year in taxes. The combined sales taxes in New Hanover county? 6.75% In Erie County New York? 9.75% So why am I still here? I have fewer and fewer answers to that question.
posted by JTC 8:55 PM
Monday, April 06, 2009
City Rejects Urban Farm http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/630158.html?imw=Y The city can talk about assembling contiguous tracts for development all they want. The fact remains, at half of our peak population, we don't need more housing. What we do need is less restrictive, more diligent, creative use of existing land and infrastructure. Try reading the relevant, convoluted sections of the city charter. They appear to say that while chickens are verboten, we are apparently still entitled to one milk cow per plot.
posted by JTC 1:29 PM
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