When you think about "the system is rigged" you get angry, but that whole thing is just a vague idea until somebody does some digging.
Listening to Michael Lewis's podcast "Breaking the Rules" he details the sleazy way companies have ruined the lives of teachers, cops and firemen by acting as their "student loan managers" and managing to deny the former students the Congressionally enacted program which allows their student loans to be zeroed out after 10 years of faithful payments. When this happens, the companies managing their accounts lose customers and so they do everything in their power to keep the former students on the hook.
That's a pretty obvious scam.
But lately I was reminded of another sort of less personal but still sketchy scam involving apple orchards.
The richest man I personally know, a guy I knew from high school when I didn't know how rich his family was, now lives in New Hampshire and he invited me up to his apple picking fete one autumn. He lives on a ten acre compound bordered by a creek which feeds into a river and he's devoted maybe half an acre to apple trees and he invites friends up to pick the apples, drink apple cider and he cooks hamburgers on his Weber.
"This is a great party," I said. "Much better than just a dinner party."
"Well," he said, "Of course there's a financial angle to it."
"Oh, did I miss the admission tickets?"
No, he explained, if he keeps a certain number of apple trees, or a certain acreage in apples, he gets a tax break on his property taxes, which are then cut because his land is in "agricultural use."
I hadn't thought about it again until I took my bike ride yesterday and coming down Old Stage Road in Hampton Falls I noticed the big McMansions on Avery Ridge Road had apple trees. Riding up the road, it was remarkable nearly every single manse was flanked by apple trees. At the summit of the ridge I looked over toward that huge chateau with the windmill and the Buddha statues out front, and apple trees lined up from the ridge on down. All these rich folks with their huge chateaus were apparently apple fanciers.
And I thought, these guys are gaming the system.
Now, I haven't seen the tax returns of any of the folks who own these McMansions on Avery Ridge Road, but I do find it curious they all seem to have apple orchards.
Listening to Michael Lewis's podcast "Breaking the Rules" he details the sleazy way companies have ruined the lives of teachers, cops and firemen by acting as their "student loan managers" and managing to deny the former students the Congressionally enacted program which allows their student loans to be zeroed out after 10 years of faithful payments. When this happens, the companies managing their accounts lose customers and so they do everything in their power to keep the former students on the hook.
That's a pretty obvious scam.
But lately I was reminded of another sort of less personal but still sketchy scam involving apple orchards.
The richest man I personally know, a guy I knew from high school when I didn't know how rich his family was, now lives in New Hampshire and he invited me up to his apple picking fete one autumn. He lives on a ten acre compound bordered by a creek which feeds into a river and he's devoted maybe half an acre to apple trees and he invites friends up to pick the apples, drink apple cider and he cooks hamburgers on his Weber.
"This is a great party," I said. "Much better than just a dinner party."
"Well," he said, "Of course there's a financial angle to it."
"Oh, did I miss the admission tickets?"
No, he explained, if he keeps a certain number of apple trees, or a certain acreage in apples, he gets a tax break on his property taxes, which are then cut because his land is in "agricultural use."
I hadn't thought about it again until I took my bike ride yesterday and coming down Old Stage Road in Hampton Falls I noticed the big McMansions on Avery Ridge Road had apple trees. Riding up the road, it was remarkable nearly every single manse was flanked by apple trees. At the summit of the ridge I looked over toward that huge chateau with the windmill and the Buddha statues out front, and apple trees lined up from the ridge on down. All these rich folks with their huge chateaus were apparently apple fanciers.
And I thought, these guys are gaming the system.
Now, I haven't seen the tax returns of any of the folks who own these McMansions on Avery Ridge Road, but I do find it curious they all seem to have apple orchards.
And that, my friend, is why the little people think the system is stacked against them (rigged)!
ReplyDeleteMad Dog and Anon,
ReplyDeleteThe little people would be correct-the system surely is rigged. As a little person myself, I'm curious as to how many apple trees constitute an orchard. If I were to plant a few trees, could I also share in the benefits of being an orchard owner? Even if a mere fraction of the savings came my way for my embryonic orchard, I would be satisfied. Hey, if you cant beat em, join em...Nah, on second thought I'd rather beat them...
Maud
Maud,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right - and, perhaps more importantly, morally correct!!