So, what caused the historic 34% home appraisal increase

Do you remember that New York political party “The Rent’s 2 Damn High?” They ran a candidate for governor in 2010. Though it sounded like a Memphis blues song, the instigators tried to ride a wave of disgust about the unviability of city living.  When the Hamilton County auditor announced an historic 34% rise on average in home appraisals, I wondered if we might see the “These Property Taxes Are Killing Me” Party. The underlying data were certainly vexing. In many cases, the rich got richer on the backs of the poor. For example, the suburban community of Milford saw actual property tax cuts as did affluent Mariemont and Glendale, where the average house costs $363,000. To make things worse for those keeping track of unfairness, Mount Lookout, Montgomery, Terrace Park  and Blue Ash saw some of the smallest increases, while places like Camp Washington, East Westwood, English Woods and Evanston saw some of the largest.  So, who and what are to blame? First, the only people in Ohio who can change the fundamental system of property taxation is the Republican-dominated, largely rural-centered Ohio state legislature whose power comes from years of district gerrymandering. So, it was the cheapest of...