Mayor Williams 2007 Budget To Increase Taxes On Housing

At a time when the real estate market is slowing down and homeowners are worried about a housing bubble, enter genius Democrats with a late-to-the-party TAX.

In Mayor Williams's new budget, he proposes an increase in the deed recordation and transfer taxes on residential real estate transactions from 1.1% to 1.5%. That works out to $2,000 in settlement costs for both the buyer and seller of a $500,000 house-- after they pay the federal government taxes on any capital gains due to increase housing values and after they pay their agent a sizable chunk for his cut. A family of two $60,000 income earners with children who can barely make the mortgage will take a real hit here.

And (drum roll please) Mayor Williams also hopes to snag $250,000 to establish a new "housing czar" job position. A task force recommended the position, but some members of the task force argued that the new position would duplicate responsibilities held by the city's Deputy Mayor for Economic Development.

We need affordable housing solutions, not new tax and spend bureaucracies. Affordable housing is a hot issue in D.C. But a candidate who doesn't rush to trample settled homeowners in order to help low-income renters/buyers could pick up some votes.

D.C. Young Republicans Call Upon City Council to Respect Self-defense Rights of Law-abiding Citizens

The District of Columbia Young Republicans (DCYR), one of the largest Republican grassroots organizations focused on the District, tonight called upon the City Council of the District of Columbia to amend the District law banning possession of handguns by law-abiding citizens to allow the possession of such firearms within the home for the purposes of self-defense.

The resolution also embraces the “right to carry” position and calls upon the City Council to hold hearings on the creation of a Citizen Marshal program, consisting of a certified gun safety course and training for those citizens that pass a mandatory background check, that would permit possession of a concealed firearm for the purpose of crime prevention. Such an action would bring the District within the American mainstream, given that 46 states permit concealed carrying of firearms under some circumstances. The resolution passed nearly unanimously.

The text of the resolution:

DCYR Resolution Concerning D.C. Gun Control Laws
Adopted March 13, 2006

Whereas every individual has a fundamental right to defend him or herself, or another, from an imminent threat of death or bodily harm;

Whereas since 1976 D.C. gun control laws absolutely bar law-abiding citizens from possessing handguns for self-defense purposes;

Whereas 46 states permit concealed carrying of firearms in some circumstances and 38 states permit the practice with few restrictions;

Whereas nearly 200 more people each year continue to be murdered in the District despite 30 years of draconian gun control laws;

Whereas right-to-carry states have on average 21% lower total violent crime, 28% lower murder, 43% lower robbery, and 13% lower aggravated assault, compared to the rest of the country;

Therefore be it resolved that:

The D.C. Young Republicans call upon the Council of the District of Columbia:

(a) To amend the District law banning possession of handguns by law-abiding citizens to allow the possession of such firearms within the home for the purposes of self-defense.

(b) To hold hearings on the creation of a Citizen Marshal program, consisting of a certified gun safety course and training for those citizens that pass a mandatory background check, that would permit possession of a concealed firearm for the purpose of crime prevention.