Paul: I hope your son isn't harmed while he's in Afghanistan, either physically or mentally- a lot of folks come home from there with bad memories.
Cyril: sorry to hear about what's happened with your acreage- I imagine when you bought it you planned on staying. I work with a land conservation group here in Maryland, trying to protect open land from development. Making it possible for people to survive by farming is an important part of that. The taxes get crazy because too many people move into open space, and then want roads, schools and services that cost a lot of money. It's a viscious cycle, since as development occurs, everyone feels that they want part of that increased value created by chopping up land into little lots. It is a bad way to create housing, when so many cities are half empty, yet everything is already in place there, like water and sewage, schools and roads. When some folks have their land down zoned, they cry about losing their right to sell, but over the long run, the value will increase as people realize the "value" of uncrowded open space, and pay what it's worth for what it is. We live in an area that has had development restricted, so much of it is still farms, but the morning and evening rush hour traffic as vehicles pass thru from surrrounding sprawl areas to the city and jobs is mind boggling. I am glad to be retired, and not part of sitting in traffic an hour a day, wasting resources. So many of these Mac Mansions, which are poorly built, at least around here, will soon become suburban slums as energy costs go up and they become too expensive to heat and cool. Why live in the country when you never go outside unless you are in your SUV, and hire someone to take care of your lawn?
Sorry for the ranting.
