Tax Exempt

I've heard a lot of talk about how the Mormon Church, upon pumping millions of dollars into Proposition 8 should have its tax exempt status revoked. Personally, I don't see why ANY church should be tax-exempt. I can understand not getting taxed based on your income from tithes. These are essentially donations, and I think donations should be tax exempt. But people, churches don't have to pay taxes for ANYTHING. My big beef with this is with regard to cities. (Of course it is.)

Cities have a dwindling tax base. Yes, this is largely due to population loss from white flight. However, the number of tax-exempt buildings within most cities is ASTOUNDING. Here's a list off the top of my head of tax-exempt institutions:

• Universities
  
• Government Buildings
• Hospitals
• Churches

And you guessed it, a lot of these institutions are predominantly found in cities. Their concentration is especially high in older cities. And even higher in cities with poverty.

Now, universities are good things to have. Assuming there isn't a walled campus, universities have help cities out tremendously. They bring in young, creative people. They foster new ideas. They give a city a sense of place. Some people even seem to get excited about their athletic programs. Though their grounds are tax-exempt there is a lot of spin off value that is generated.

Government buildings are good to have in cities too. Being located in the urban core means more people have access to the building. Given that governments are technically about all people (not just the rich) this should be a deciding factor. However, it is tough on a city when the municipality hosts not just city hall, but also the county seat, various federal buildings and branches of state offices. Those buildings add up, however they create a stable base of employment which supports various weekday spin-off activities (like lunch spots).

Hospitals. These are definitely important to have in a highly accessible (ie, urban) environment. It doesn't help anyone if by the time they get to the hospital, they are dead. Also, like government buildings and universities, hospitals and generate spin-off income for cities. Bed and breakfasts for families staying near a loved one in the hospital. Restaurants for families. Near-by medical offices.

Now churches. What do churches provide? What do they generate for the civic good? (Note: I am not questioning their spiritual efficacy, but am keeping this to the material body) A single preacher / pastor does not generate much spin off income. One does not see businesses appearing around churches. In fact, in many urban communities, churches spring up everywhere. I know of some parts of my city where there are multiple churches on a block. Keep in mind this is a de-populating rust belt city. Do the few remaining residents really need that many churches? And what happens when the church closes?

In short, get those church off the tax extempt status. Make them pay property tax like any other corporate business. Oh wait.... corporate businesses don't pay taxes either.

Ugh, I'll have to save that for another post....

Dangerous Suburbs

It's always nice to have confirmation of my rants. In my last post I talked about how there is a greater perception of danger in cities, but the reality is that suburbs are actually more dangerous. I got to this point through reasoning through my points, but I didn't do a study or look for statistics. Well, here is the statistic: You’re 20 percent more likely to die in the suburbs from accidental deaths. (And by accidental deaths, we are referring to cars.) Here's the article. It's largely about how our land use patterns contribute to many chronic health problems. Sounds like a future post to me.....

Fear of the City

The myth: "Cities are dangerous. Suburbs are safe." This is such a common myth and I have no idea why it exists. I can only point my finger to mass media's focus on spectacle to an increasingly anesthetized audience. It's so chilling and mind numbing in its simplicity. The media focuses on gang violence, guns in schools, rape, and other graphic and disturbingly violent crimes. Do these crimes happen more frequently in cities? Well, to be honest, yes. However, where will I be safer: a city or a suburb? The answer is a city. There are three factors that explain why: (1) the density of crime, (2) the propensity of crime and (3) the type of crime.

Density of Crime
This is going to sound crazy but.... there's more crime in the city because there is a higher density of people in the city. Instead of thinking about the sheer number of crimes, think about the crimes per capita. It's surprising how the city-to-suburb field levels out. Another aspect of this is there is greater social friction in cities. People in cities knock elbows with one another, while people in the suburbs have plenty of elbow room. There is a greater chance for interaction, and thereby a greater chance for conflict. However, there is also a greater (I would argue MUCH greater) chance for serendipity to occur when interacting with someone.

Propensity of Crime
This aspect gets into the types of crimes found in a city. The annual list of Safest / Most Dangerous Cities is complied by looking at six types of crime:

1. Murder
2. Rape
3. Robbery
4. Aggravated assault
5. Burglary
6. Motor vehicle theft

As uncomfortable as this is to admit, studies find that murder, rape, and aggravated assault mostly happen between people who know one another. Yes, there is the rare case of the rapist attacking a random person in a park, or of a stranger getting held at gun point (these stories make wonderful fodder for sensationalist media, by the way). However, most often these situations happen between people who know one another. And yes, they happen frequently in impoverished (urban) communities where role models and supportive families are few and far between.

That leaves us with robbery, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. Now these can happen to anyone. But, these are all easy to avoid if people take precautions. Most of these precautions simply involve using common sense and trusting your instincts.

Type of Crime
In my mind, this is the clincher. Yes, we can worry about the six crimes above from happening to us, but do you know what is the biggest cause of accidental deaths? CARS. And it has been for years. One person is killed every five minutes from a car accident. So really, don't live in fear of someone coming along and shooting or raping you. You should live in fear of your car. Bringing this back to the urban / suburban divide... where do people drive more? The suburbs. Where do people taking longer driving trips? The suburbs. No matter what way you cut it, if you're in the suburbs, chances are you'll be driving a heck of a lot more than your urban counterparts. Think about that next time your turn the ignition!

Conclusion
The "Cities are dangerous. Suburbs are safe." myht is completely false. The city is actually safer than the suburbs. Per capita, crime rates are not much different between the two. Urban crimes do not affect most people who use common sense and avoid dangerous situations. And really, the level of danger in your life ultimately comes down to how much you drive.