I'M GLAD SHE WASN'T MY MOM

As you may or may not know,Texas doesn't have a state income tax,so they rely on property taxes to generate revenue.Which essentially translates to: you will never really own anything outright.And that pisses me off.The grand share of this tax is generated supporting the schools,and then the rest is divvied up into other areas.
The tax is high and continues growing each year,forcing many home owners out of their homes either by selling or being sued and foreclosed on by the appraisal district.
Being home owners,we are effected by this,especially because folks are coming in from out of state and buying the small,affordable homes in our neighborhood,tearing down the homes and building what the local media refers to as McMansions...huge,ultra modern pieces of architecture that are the bane of my existence.Literally.
Inevitably,I fear we will be taxed out of our home,either by selling to one of those aforementioned carpetbaggers, or the county will swoop down and take it to pay back taxes.To say I have a problem with property tax is an understatement,back when we had a mortgage,the tax was included in the monthly payment,we didn't have to think or plan for it,but now that we own it outright,we have to budget for what I like to call the great county assfuck.And that's kind of hard to do when unemployment and a shitty economy strike right around the time the mortgage was paid off.
I do not have a child in the public school system and when I did,the system,I believe,contributed to his problems and ultimately failed him.Regardless of our attempts to make it work.My son bears some responsibility for this,as we parents do as well,but the school system here is shit and I resent having to contribute to it's ongoing misuse of children and funds(my money).
Other services are lackluster at best,and lets just say it's a fucked up situation all around.
I had to go negotiate with the county today to address our arrears.My initial phone contact with them was kind of like that scene in goodfellas when Ray Liotta says "Fuck you,give me my money" while choking that guy with the phone cord until his wig flopped off.
They wanted monthly installments that we could of made providing we could live on air pudding and jam sandwiches (jam 2 pieces of bread together and pretend there's something in between).
So I went down there,hat in hand and seriously repressing a desire to twist off on some sort of academy award winning rant about the unfairness of it all.
I walked out an hour later with a payment plan we can live with and the feeling that I had been lined out by the most intimidating mom in the world.Don't get me wrong,she helped me out of a jam when she didn't really have to and I appreciate that I can keep my house for a while longer.
But damn! This woman had it down pat.