Bullrushes in a creek at the Middlebrook General Store.
Kurt Michael and Jason Bibeau talk with Francis Chester while the barn kitty sleeps on the desk.
Francis Chester talks about Wednesday's meeting.
THREE DOWNThe News Virginian has covered this issue since it began last fall. The showdown will be Wednesday at the Government Center in Verona at 7 pm.
Well, surprise, surprise, the Augusta County reassessment has been certified. It happened Friday, five days before the big showdown Wednesday between angry taxpayers and supervisors and three days earlier than officials told The News Virginian the event would take place. Pastures District Supervisor Tracy Pyles urged the GANG OF SIX, the other half-dozen supervisors, to delay certification until after Wednesday’s supervisors meeting. State law gave Augusta until March 31 to certify. So why the big rush? We’ll see Wednesday, when we expect the Gang to tell petitioners demanding a rollback to 2005 values that the deal’s done and hands are tied. That should go over well.
I returned home, vexed, from my appointment with Augusta’s Board of Assessors. The young man representing Blue Ridge Mass Appraisal (BRMA) had been polite, listened to my appeal. At his side, a senior county resident added a local touch, an air of legitimacy. But the outcome of my appeal will be dictated by BRMA parameters, not market realities. The game is fixed. In March, the assessors will mail revised number crunches. Supervisors will then conduct a burlesque of due process, offering “hearings” to a still-irate but smaller number of victims. Form without substance: an exercise in futility.Bemoaning the fact that local government is not "local" in many issues, he continued:
Today, the barriers to wielding influence over local matters are far higher than ever. Virginia officials have abdicated. Ginning up political pressure against them in a county the size of Augusta would require a full-scale campaign, with phone banks, printed flyers, ads in papers, mass meetings and mobs at the Government Center, bearing tar buckets and feathers. Supervisors would be intimidated by such a show. Class action litigation would also get their attention. Such drastic (albeit well-motivated) efforts would be popular. but futile. Remedy is urgently needed, but equity for taxpayers will not be thus achieved. The supervisors, those artful dodgers, are not the real culprits. The focus is wrong. The assessment problem, as horrendous as it is, is the tip of the iceberg.True enough ... it's the tip of the iceberg ... but at least Supervisor Tracy Pyles, Churchville attorney Francis Chester, and Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments are all trying to do something by standing up for their fellow citizens and going up against the Government.
Locally, the market began to tank in 2007. Large tracts and homes wouldn’t sell, even at 2005 assessments. Instead of smelling the coffee and squelching higher 2009 assessments, Augusta County hired BRMA.... When the 2008 real estate implosion could no longer be ignored, contractor benchmarks were reduced for homes, but land revaluations were allowed to soar. 2009 assessment notices were delayed.Ending the article, Mr. Ernst offers words of advice to some of those involved in the battle:
Now, property owners are being asked to stick their heads in the sand with the supervisors, pretend fair market values are higher, be thankful assessments aren’t more astronomical and accept the illusion of well-managed county government. Verona can’t look us in the eye, or itself in the mirror. It hopes to get blood out of a turnip or (Plan B) delay our trip to the poor house. It has shrugged off complaints, figuring eventually we’ll give up, go away and pay up. We’re in thrall to a regionalized Ponzi scheme.
As our influence over our lives decreases, as our independence diminishes, as the web of rules and regulations tightens around us, as we have our pockets picked at quadrennial intervals (extortion under color of law), our heritage, our prosperity and our constitutional freedoms have gradually, unnoticed, become things of the past.Petitions asking the Board of Supervisors to roll back assessment values to 2005 levels will be turned in at the supervisors meeting this Wednesday, March 11, at 7 pm at the Government Center in Verona. All residents who are concerned about real estate assessments are encouraged to attend.
Augusta taxpayers: Recognize that you have been regionalized and federalized.
Francis Chester: If you do litigate, include CSPDC and Federal Region 3 defendants in your suit.
Supervisors: The political reality is that you have been marginalized. However, you are the elected representatives of the people of Augusta County. They still look to you. Start being honest with them. Admit that none of us has the answer. But we can begin by looking to our County motto: Redeant In Aurum Secula Priscum. “Let us return to that first golden age,” to a good time, when we governed ourselves.
Have you ever felt like you're the only one in your community who see's what's happening to America? Well, you're not and on Friday March 13th at 5pm ET on the Fox News Channel, Glenn Beck ... and you ... will prove it.At a time when many Americans are feeling overtaxed ... when they feel as if they don't have a voice ... conservative talk show host Glenn Beck is offering a rally for hard-working Americans to gather and reinforce the principles they believe in.
Many Americans, both Republican and Democrat, understand that Washington is broken. Many times it seems that the political solution is the problem. No more. Our founders knew the solution is We The People.
This will be a must-see show and we highly recommend that you watch it with friends, family, and neighbors who share your concerns.
Do you watch the direction that America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it?Check here for participating radio stations that will carry "We Surround Them."
Do you believe that your voice isn’t loud enough to be heard above the noise anymore?
Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach ... as if you’re completely alone?
If so, then you’ve fallen for the Wizard of Oz lie. While the voices you hear in the distance may sound intimidating, as if they surround us from all sides—the reality is very different. Once you pull the curtain away you realize that there are only a few people pressing the buttons, and their voices are weak. The truth is that they don’t surround us at all.
We surround them.
So, how do we show America what’s really behind the curtain? Below are nine simple principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common. I urge you to read the instructions at the end for how to help make your voice heard.
The Nine Principles:
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
You Are Not Alone
If you agree with at least seven of those principles, then you are not alone. Please send a digital version of your picture to: wesurroundthem@foxnews.com and then stay tuned to the radio and television shows over the coming weeks to see how we intend to pull back the curtain.
12 Values We Believe In
Honesty ... Reverence ... Hope ... Thrift ... Humility ... Charity ... Sincerity ... Moderation ... Hard Work ... Courage ... Personal Responsibility ... Friendship.
The seven members of the Augusta County Board of Assessors are scheduled to sign and certify the Augusta County reassessment at 1 p.m. today, just five days before petitions calling for a rollback are to be presented to supervisors.Wednesday's Board of Supervisors meeting will see county residents concerned about their increased real estate assessments attending to speak out and be heard at a time when many are feeling disenfranchised by their elected representatives.
Next week’s supervisors meeting – expected to be a showdown between angry taxpayers and supervisors – did not affect the timing of certification, assessors board co-Chairman Walter Brown said Thursday.
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The board of assessors, which was granted a certification extension, is required to sign the reassessment by March 31.
Supervisor Tracy Pyles said the board could have waited until after the public meeting.
“Obviously there was some effort to get it done before March 11, which I think is unfortunate when you have that many people wanting to be heard,” Pyles said. “I think this has been a very rushed bit of work … It’s just a hot potato that they’re flipping out of their hands … I hope there’s still some options available for us.”
Former first lady Barbara Bush was making "an excellent recovery" following 2 1/2-hour heart surgery to replace her aortic valve and was joking with hospital staff, her lead surgeon said Thursday.The Bushes have been married 64 years.
...
He said Mrs. Bush awakened earlier than most elderly patients do after undergoing the "very routine procedure" and started joking with the doctors.
"She recognized all of us immediately and then she started cheering us up with some humorous comments as soon as we took that tube out," Lawrie said, referring to the intubation tube in her throat, noting that she gently cajoled him for having "misled" her about post-operative pain.
"She continued to do very well," he said.
Her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, said "she looks well to me, and beautiful," as he choked back tears, describing the operation as one of the most stressful days of his life.
We aren’t buying it. Neither are Augusta taxpayers.Read the entire editoral here.
They are preparing for what Lynn Mitchell calls on her SWAC Girl blog a “tax revolt tea party” Wednesday at the supervisors meeting, during which Churchville lawyer Francis Chester plans to present petitions demanding a rollback of the reassessment to 2005. Property owners are predictably angry that values have increased by an average of more than a fourth. Supervisors like Coleman are unpredictably deaf to the cries of outrage.
Apart from the Gang of Six, a seventh supervisor, Tracy Pyles of the Pastures District, has been working feverishly to sift reason from thick obduracy, so far to no avail. He backs Chester’s call, but has been rebuffed by the Gang on legal grounds.
While reading Feb 27 issue of The News Leader, I noticed a front page story about Francis Chester owing the county "more than $2,500 in taxes." I am still trying to put this story into perspective.Read the rest of R.G. Howard's letter here.
Will any other citizen who disagrees with the county be publicly humiliated or is this special treatment just for Mr. Chester?
Did (Augusta County Treasurer) Mr. Homes call the Leader to report this breathtaking news or did (reporter) Trevor Brown dig up this high impact dirt on his own?
Either way, someone needs a lesson on social ethics.
Village of Westview in western Augusta County.
Lynn -- Thank you for mentioning Run for the Fallen. I was coming back from hiking in Shenandoah last summer when I came upon the memorial at the top of the pass. I read the names and cried a bit. Please feel free to use this photo of the flags. I thought it was a beautiful tribute to some beautiful lives. -- BobOn August 13, 2008, Bob posted about finding the American flags:
Today's HeroesI agree with Bob ... we can never repay our military for the freedom we enjoy due to their service to country. The very least we can do is recognize them, thank them ... and never forget.
Modern Soldiers Deserve Our Respect and Admiration
Having given up on the mainstream media before the surge, I suppose this is old news to some, but I found this group, Veterans for Freedom, a breath of fresh air. Their mission is simply to make sure the real story gets told. Indeed there is plenty of heroic good to report and I think it is a shame that the press goes silent when there is progress.
Perhaps it is just the "bad news sells papers" phenomenom but the young men and women who put themselves in harm's way deserve better from a free press that thrives in a free nation who owes that freedom to the sacrifice of such men and women.
So stop by their Website and learn more about their mission.
If passed, the bill would require home schoolers to double the amount of reporting currently required and would allow a school superintendant or principal to determine if the home school program should continue or be terminated.More proposed laws ... more people standing up for their rights....
The legislation has angered many home schoolers who showed up in record numbers when the bill was being debated in Concord.
"There were about a thousand home schoolers there. It was a record-breaking crowd, never been that many home schoolers," [HSLDA lawyer Mike] Donnelly notes. "In fact some of the people at the state house said that they've never seen such a large crowd inside ever."
Donnelly says he and about 100 home schoolers were able to give testimony. "Well if it passed, this would become one of the most restrictive [home school] laws in the country," he adds. He states New Hampshire's situation is in stark contrast to the trend in other parts of the country where states are reducing the regulations placed on home schoolers. Donnelly says that the legislation will come up for a vote in early- to mid-March.
A Mighty Warrior for Family, Faith, and FreedomRay Schneider, Harrisonburg GOP secretary and newsletter editor, sent out the following information:
We were deeply saddened to learn yesterday of the death of Lt. Col. Jeff White, a resident of the Valley and a close friend of the Forum who had just returned about one month ago from an 18-month tour in Iraq.
Jeff was struck by a massive heart attack while singing in the choir of his family church in Texas where he had just been re-united with his wife Jocelyn and their three children: Jane, Jeanine, and Jedediah.
His contribution of service to his Lord, his country, and to all who knew him exceeds our ability to measure or to fully appreciate. He was a devoted husband, father, and loyal friend whose bold and uncompromising commitment to biblical values and to the enduring principles of our nation’s founding was an encouragement, an inspiration, and a challenge to all of us.
We will miss him greatly, and ask that you remember the family in your prayers.
In Sorrow for Our Loss but with Deepest Gratitude for a Race Well Run, a Life Well Lived, and a Rich Legacy of Service for Us All.
Dean
Jeff's funeral will be in his home in Tullahoma, Tennessee where his mother lives. The family has asked that flowers be directed to the Tullahoma Funeral Home where the point of contact is Bob Burt at 931-455-4567.God bless this family at a time of such grief. Who knows God's plan ... to allow this man to survive war only to return home and die this way? Our prayers and thoughts are with Jocelyn and the children ... and our eternal thanks to this military man who served his God, served his family, and served our nation. He is truly an American hero.
I have forwarded emails of condolence sent to me to Jocelyn White and she asked me to thank you all for your prayers and your caring.
Jocelyn White has informed us that the funeral for Lt. Col. Jeff White will be held at his mother’s home in Tennessee on Saturday. There is no word yet on whether there will be a later memorial service in the Valley.Update: Harrisonburg Daily News Record editorial remembers Jeff White.
She has also advised that instead of flowers, friends can make a contribution in Jeff’s memory to the Centurion Bible Society of the Shenandoah Valley, which he founded four years ago to raise money for ROTC graduates from JMU, or to the Valley Family Forum – “two organizations that were close to Jeff’s heart”.
You may send your condolences with enclosed gift if you so choose to 1739 Massanetta Springs Rd., Harrisonburg, VA 22801.
Humbled by Jeff’s heart.
Dean
It may be tough to get financing for a new car these days, but in Detroit you can buy a house with a credit card.H/T Davos
The median price of a home sold in Detroit in December was $7,500, according to Realcomp, a listing service.
Not $75,000. Remove a zero—it's seven thousand five hundred dollars, substantially less than the lowest-price car on the new-car market.
The Mardi Gras Fox News snow person.
Though 80-year-old Marshall Davis lived through the Great Depression in the 1930s, he says the current recession is just as difficult and worries for the younger people living through it now.Another resident, who saw his assessment go up 40% on a house he has lived in since 1979, was more direct:
Davis, who lives in Waynesboro but owns property in Augusta County’s Wayne District, says he’ll be able to get by even with reassessments on four pieces of his property that went up from 27 to 55 percent.
“I think it’s too high,” Davis said. “I’m with the Augusta County residents – we have some representatives that are pulling for us, the taxpayers, like Francis Chester and [Pastures Supervisor Tracy] Pyles.”
Chester, a Churchville attorney, has led a petition drive against the current reassessment, which went up by an average 27.7 percent over four years ago. The protests against the reassessment, according to the petition, are because the United States is in a deep recession and local landowners can’t afford the taxes on them, and because the properties wouldn’t sell for the appraised prices. The online petition currently includes more than 800 names.
“It hasn’t been good for me or for anyone,” Davis said. “Overall, people’s reassessments have gone way out of line.”
Robert Sheard, 60, who lives off Sunset Drive in the Grandview Heights subdivision near Ladd, said he wasn’t able to appeal his reassessment due to an illness in the family. He said he hopes the current Board of Supervisors is voted out of office.Read the entire article here.
“Houses are not worth that much, especially in this economy,” Sheard said. “I hope somebody can do something."
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“I’ve never seen it go up like this,” Sheard said. “I mean, it’s gone up some, and you expect it to go up some, but I’ve never seen it go up this high.”
