Interesting short essay;
http://www.thediplomad.com/2017/12/disconnect.html

some insightful comments as well

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic.” Benjamin Franklin

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy.” Alexander Fraser Tytler (and others)

I knew that - about voters and taxpayers being different.

A long time ago, I was introduced to the idea that in order to vote, one must be paying or have paid income taxes to the government. Sorry if that takes away the dignity from people on welfare but when people who don't put any money into the pot get to influence how that money is spent, only bad can happen.

Well, originally only landowners had the franchise. The idea was that only those with something to lose would be careful how they voted. It wasn't democratic, of course, but it seemed to work.

flashguy

Rey HRH, interesting point you bring up. I think that in matters of millage, tax rates, special assessment districts and boundary changes it should be up to the taxpayers that own real estate in the affected areas.

Northville Township Michigan got caught up in a mess over the now closed Northville State Hospital. From Detroiturbex.com:
Immediately after the closure, the state moved to sell the property, which it valued at over $70 million dollars, to plug an expected shortfall in that year’s budget. Initially expected to take only a few months, the sale of the Northville property would drag on for nearly 10 years, as developers fought each other and the township in court over the actual value of the land and what to do with it. One buyer after another bought the land and then backed out, discovering that the hospital site was heavily polluted with medical waste, oil, arsenic, barium, lead and other chemicals. Large amounts of asbestos would have to be removed from all 20 buildings before they could be demolished, as well as the underground tunnel system, adding to the overall cost of cleanup. The sale was finally completed in 2006 for less than half the original price - $31 million dollars.

In July of that year, REIS – the new owner – announced an $800 million dollar housing and retail development for the site called “Highwood,” which included 1,000 houses, restaurants, office buildings, senior houses, condos, parks, and a school. Construction was to start in 2008, but almost immediately ran into trouble as the township balked at the size and scope of the project. They rejected the plan in 2007 on the grounds that it was too large, sparking another court battle that took an unusual turn that fall.

In October of 2007, REIS applied for and received permits for four temporary or mobile homes on the hospital grounds, ostensibly for housing site security. A few weeks later though, the township was surprised to find out that the developer was renting the houses out to families for $650 a month, who soon after moving in, filled a petition to annex the entire property from the township of Northville to the neighboring city of Livonia. The company was taking advantage of a law whereby residents could, by a majority vote, allow another city to annex their property. In this case there were just seven residents on the property, effectively giving them – and the developer - the power to let Livonia take the entire property through a ballot issue, where presumably the developer would be more favorably received and be allowed to carry out its plans without hindrance. Amidst a flurry of lawsuits, the proposal for annexation was rejected by the residents of Livonia in 2008, killing the plan.