It is rare that a person realizes when a snare is being placed around them. You are probably in many more snares than you realize.

One class of snares are those worn by the subset of the population who is managing to do well for themselves in spite of the general decay of our currency, economy, and culture. These are they who have high-paying jobs, investments, and valuable assets. As I have said repeatedly, any boon you experience should not be taken lightly or wasted on present pleasures, but leveraged for things of greater lasting worth. It will become increasingly difficult to hold onto the treasures you presently have, and opportunities for gain will be increasingly difficult to come by. It's past time to start thinking seriously about a very different future and preparing accordingly.

There is a swelling resentment against property taxes across the United States, but very little is being done about it. The principle problem is that citizens refuse to acknowledge that rallying against property tax will do nothing until and unless the budget it funds it stripped to the bone. Until people complain against budgets as much as they do property tax, nothing will change. Property tax is far too predictable, convenient, and profitable for governments to get rid of.

Florida seems to be leading the charge in property tax reform. I say "reform" instead of "abolishment" because, like all other states, they have no intent on cutting the public school, guaranteed government retirement, and welfare programs that account for the majority of their state budget. Instead, they plan on merely shifting those taxes to others--others who are guaranteed to be fewer than the present percent of the population that pays property tax. It doesn't matter to them that the people who pay the tax and the people who benefit from it are two different groups, and exactly no one from the group benefitted is asking for fewer benefits. It's yet another clear signal that modern ethics has absolutely no qualms about arbitrarily stealing money from the minority of people to give it to the majority. I say again, this is just another example of many.

Today I read a news article stating that part of Florida's plan to shore up the taxes lost by reforming property tax is to shift all of it onto non-primary residences. Imagine what this will do to someone who has sacrificed to acquire rentals, or depends upon them for their income. Additional homes are very expensive. I don't know too many people who own rentals and could afford to lose them. Imagine what this will do to property prices at large when those who have to sell flood the market, and how this might effect those people's ability to relocate to other areas likely to have a higher cost of living. Imagine what this will do to the cost of vacations in Florida, and the downstream effects to businesses.

Florida does not stand alone in its willingness to saddle owners of multiple residences with unfair taxes. As resentment of those with more increases, and as the younger generations increasingly struggle to afford even one house, the targeting of owners of multiple or single homes alike will become increasingly acceptable. If you own multiple properties, it's a good time to start thinking about how you can diversify. Even if you own one, it is becoming increasingly important to think about your options given the likelihood of increasing home insurance, increasing costs to build, increasing costs to maintain, and increasing property taxes. The particulars will be specific to individuals, but general trends emerge. Be very careful about living in a home that is much more valuable than the median in your state and county. Be very careful about doing anything that puts you in a demographic that is easy to single out for taxation.

I have warned you so many times of the dangers of staying in an isolatable minority, but my warnings have not been taken seriously. Instead, the feedback I receive is essentially, "it won't happen to me, but if it does, it won't be as bad as you say, and even if it is, I'll be able to overcome it." You may well be wrong on some or all counts, but suppose you are right. Even so, tell me, can you live your life this way and still say that you are doing the best you know how? Can you not see how this is a form of intentionally less-than-your-best? One of the many problems with living this way is it carries cascading consequences whose joint effects tend to remain hidden until it is too late. How many shortcuts can you take in life before you find yourself falling far short of where you would like to be? How much intentional sin do you think you can commit and still be able to confidently cry to God if and when serious catastrophe strikes in your life? That confidence--and God's power--requires you to live up to the best you know and do the best you know.

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:17)

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. (2 Nephi 25:23)

Exactly how lightly can you take his repeated warnings and still call to him for help in your time of need? It is not to those who have ignored warnings that God's miracles are manifest.

And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; (D&C 1:14)

In that day, why do you think he will answer you with anything but "you have your reward"?

7 They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.

8 In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me. (D&C 101)

There are mitigations that can be employed, but they are not easy and though they carry an enormous long-term net benefit, they are not cheap in present terms. Human nature artificially boosts near-term costs and benefits, making long-term ideals very difficult to see. You can more easily calculate these costs by sketching out projections, something everyone in business has to learn how to do. A simple exercise is to build a spreadsheet with the past few years of home ownership costs. This lets you easily extrapolate things like increases to property tax, increases to homeowners insurance, utilities, maintenance, and so on. You can project what happens long-term if the rates of increase stay the same. You change the percent increase in the recurring expenses to see what would happen in worst-case scenarios. You can even include infrequent expenditures like needing to replace your roof. Typically, these kinds of exercises reveal that the long-term cost of a decision are much higher than you thought, boosting your willingness for present action.

Careful consideration of present circumstances, present options, expected changes, and future outcomes are necessary to achieve an optimal life. As you do this carefully, you will avoid both types of errors: 1) Not being extreme enough, and 2) Being too extreme. Most people are firmly in the first camp, but as you exercise due diligence, you will avoid going too far.