Text 10746, 131 rader
Skriven 2014-03-10 09:14:12 av Dave Drum (1:261/38)
  Kommentar till text 10721 av Jim Weller (1:123/140)
Ärende: Houses
==============
-=> JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

 DD> appeals have been won, also, in the depressed market following
 DD> the recent housing bubble debacle, when homeowners successfully
 DD> appealed that their properties were no worth the assessed value
 DD> in the market.

 JW> if everyone gets a reduced assessment in a distressed
 JW> market, then the mill rate goes up to meet budget requirements
 JW> anyway. TANSTAAFL.

 DD> But, the people in the tax office know that lethargy and inertia will
 DD> prevent most from doing anything but some minor P&M over their tax
 DD> bill. The proactive tax avoider will *ALWAYS* have some way of gaming
 DD> the system.

 JW> You make it sound like a game of cops and robbers. Property
 JW> assessment is or at least ought to be a pretty objective and
 JW> transparent process.

Not so much cops and robbers as politicians and bureaucrats - which is to say
thieves and liars. You are correct that assessment OUGHT to be objective and
transparent. But, this is the Untied States of America and politicians are as
obfuscating as they have ever been. They are afraid (and rightly so) that if
the great unwashed masses should ever twig to what is going on we'd have the
second American revolution.  Bv)=

 JW> And assessors ought to be fully trained technically.

No argument. But many a politician's nephew has no capacity for learning
anything except how to get over on the system by having a relative who will get
him a twice a month job.

 JW> In Canada the minimum educational requirement is a 2 year
 JW> community college diploma (equiv. of your associate's degree from
 JW> a junior college) and membership in good standing in a professional
 JW> association.

I have commented before on the common-sense way you Canuckians (except,
apparently when it comes to the FLQ) do things.

 JW> I'm sure you can guess what Afghan gurbanzos are. These dumplings
 JW> can be filled with ground meats as well as mashed beans.

I note that they are canned gurbanzos. That's a good place for them.

 JW> MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

 JW>      Title: Aashak
 JW> Categories: Afghan, dumplings, dairy, beans, vegetarian
 JW>   Servings: 4

 JW>   1 1/2 ts ground coriander
 JW>   1 1/2 ts masala
 JW>       1 lb green onion washed and
 JW>            chopped
 JW>       1 cn gurbanzo beans

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Ground Beef & Cucumber Pita
 Categories: Beef, Squash, Breads, Wine, Beans
      Yield: 7 servings

      1 lb Ground beef
    1/2 md Onion; chopped
      2 lg Cloves garlic; minced
      1 ts To 1 1/2 ts ground cumin
           Olive oil; if needed
    1/4 c  Dry red wine
    1/2 c  Tomato sauce
      3 ts Minced fresh oregano
      2 tb Capers; rinsed, minced
      1 c  Cooked garbanzo beans
           - (canned OK)
           Kosher salt & pepper
      4    Round pita; 7" diameter,
           - halved
      2 tb Chopped flat-leaf parsley
      2 lg Cucumbers; peeled, seeded,
           - diced 1/4"
           Dijon mustard, mayonnaise or
           - sour cream to taste (opt)
           Thinly shredded romaine or
           - leaf lettuce (opt)

  In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground
  beef until little pink remains, breaking beef into small
  pieces with a spatula as it cooks. If the beef is very
  lean, you may need a little oil in the skillet unless it
  is nonstick. Remove beef from skillet and drain, placing
  beef into a small bowl. Discard the fat in the pan but do
  not wipe.

  In the same skillet over medium heat, add the onions and
  cook until lightly browned and translucent before adding
  the garlic and then the cumin (you may need to add a
  little olive oil to the pan to keep it from burning). Just
  cook a bit longer until the garlic and cumin become
  fragrant.

  Add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Add tomato sauce,
  oregano, capers, garbanzos and beef to the skillet.
  Reheat, and then season to taste with kosher salt and
  pepper.

  To serve, warm the pitas by wrapping them in foil and
  placing in a moderately hot oven - about 375øF/190øC, or
  wrap them in a clean towel and quickly microwave on medium
  setting. Stir parsley into the beef mixture. Mix cucumbers
  with the beef as you stuff each pita, about 1 cup beef
  filling to 1/4 cup cucumber. If desired, spread Dijon
  mustard and/or prepared mayonnaise, or a mixture of
  mayonnaise and sour cream, inside the pitas before
  stuffing with beef filling, cucumber and lettuce, if
  using.

  Serves 6-8 - Makes about 4 cups filling

  URL: http://sfgate.com

  MM Format by Dave Drum - 19 February 2009

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... Avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that carries any reward

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