To: The Dallas Morning News 
Date:  November 12, 2007
Subject: The wealthy get a break
Result: not printed 

Dear Editor,

Welp, there you have it, another victory for the wealthy. They slipped in the proposition saying that we can't raise anybody's real estate appraisals more than 10 percent a year, for taxing purposes, but before many wealthy people's expensive homes were adjusted to their true value. Now they never will be, thanks to the new constitutional amendment. Therefore poor people like me get to pay rich people's bills, since they don't pay their fair share. Now they can go buy more fur coats and fancy cars and things.  [It was previously reported, once, a long time before the November 7 referendum, that the homes of the wealthy are often undervalued by millions by the tax appraisal district].

Who but the wealthy will benefit from this new law at all? In this age of falling real estate values, it will be a long time before most people are going to have to worry about their home appraisals rising more than 10 percent.

There is a question of where was our watchdog, The Dallas Morning News, to bring this matter to the voters' attention and keep it there – the same way you did with those propositions that served your own interests? In the case of the Trinity vote in particular, you were extremely diligent to make sure the voters knew just what it meant to vote "yes" or "no". There was an unending campaign in behalf of the "sunshine" amendment, Proposition 11 on the November 7th ballot – where you want the light to shine on everybody but yourselves.

But of course you didn't want to say too much about Proposition 3 on the ballot, the Home Appraisal Value Amendment. Hey, you've probably got some executives with Belo Corporation and The Dallas Morning News who profited from this amendment, in addition to a bunch of your wealthy friends.

"Live Better Here" is your current marketing slogan.  I think I know who that phrase applies to.

Thank you, John Vehon