We watch a lot of movies these days. A LOT. This is a combination of dad's nice home theater set up and our incredible lack of structure. Since exhausting our every mental and physical effort just to move in here (only to find out two weeks later that we're moving to Chicago) we've sort of defaulted to limbo mode. We find it hides the catatonic schizophrenia really well.
Next week we'll fly out to the midwest to find a place to live. The usual excitement of swimming through real estate listing after real estate listing on the internet has been dramatically muted by the discovery of Illinois property taxes. I say that with the greatest amount of solemnity.
If we're lucky...we'll find a place that only costs $5000 a year in property taxes. It can go anywhere from there to $10k, for a modest 2500 square foot family home in a modest, family friendly neighborhood. The solemnity comes from the fact, that even if we were to find a house that we could pay for in cash, we'd still have to shovel out some serious cash every month, just to live within commuting distance of Mark's new job. The solemnity comes from the fact that we are moving to a state where the residents of said state, although Americans, are unable to affect any change in their heavily corrupted government to ameliorate such a grievous burden.
I don't know why they need so much money, not only are their highways toll roads, but they apparently can't even keep their teenagers in school or their fugitives under control. Go figure.
But it will be green there and pretty and fun and full of interesting cultural opportunities and social observations. Yes...it will be good, but it will be short. Not just because our job stability is project based and we usually move every three to four years, but because; who in their right mind would settle in a place with property taxes as high as some folks mortgage payments??? Anyone? Anyone?
