The rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

Consider the source and audience.

The article titled "Older black communities hurt by family issues, appraisal hike" is written by Leslie Casimir. Casimir is a immigration reporter that concentrates on black immigration in the United States. This article was published in the Houston Chronicle which I was intended to educate the general public.

Lay out the argument and the underlying values and assumptions.

The basic argument of the article is that African Americans in Houston are losing houses that they inherited because of taxes that they can not afford because of appraisal increases. The assumption that the article relies on is that there are several families and individuals that are being affected by the taxes because they simply do not have the money to afford it. In the article Casimir never comes out and says what she thinks the government should do but from the article I think that she believes that the government needs to lower the taxes or create some type of payment system that is easier for them to afford.

Uncover the evidence.

I think that Casimir has made a good argument and has supported it well with facts. She stated in her article that the number of houses being foreclosed has gone up considerably in the past three months. Her article stated that "328 (houses) in August, 389 in September, and 447 this month. That is a drastic increase especially considering we are only five days into October. Casimir also backs up her article by introducing the dollar amount owed by the residents in the third ward, were most of the house foreclosures are taking place. the third ward alone owes the county 17 million in tax dollars because of the resent appraisal hike.

Evaluate the conclusion.

I believe that Casimir's argument is successful in two different ways. She convinced me and brought to my attention that there is a serious problem in Houston. I think they have to find an alternate way for the county to get their money but also for the residents to also get to keep their houses. Casimir was successful in changing my mind because she simply introduced me to a problem that is effecting several people. I used to believe that everyone should pay their taxes with no questions asked. Now I believe that when someone buys a house that they should get to pay the original tax for the property for the extent of them owning that property. Once the house is sold then i think it is okay for the property tax to go up to what it should be. If that were to happen the buyer would know what is to be expected from them financially instead of a long time owner get hit with tax raise after tax raise.

Sort out the political implications.

This article is very important because it shows that you never truly own your land. You will always be making some form of payment on it. The government just like everybody else is dependent on money because it helps them continue to be successful. It is a shame because people who have had houses in their families for close to 100 years are losing them. This is another perfect example showing that wealthy people are going to get the better thing in life.

The article written about in this blog can be found by clicking here.