November 18, 2025 • 8 mins
In this episode, we delve into the American dream of homeownership and the harsh reality that accompanies it: the perpetual burden of property taxes. Despite the belief that one can eventually own their home outright, the truth remains that we are endlessly renting from the government. Governor Ron DeSantis has taken a bold step in addressing this issue, challenging the notion that property taxes are a necessary evil.
We explore the oppressive nature of property taxes, particularly for the elderly and those on fixed incomes, who are unfairly burdened by rising rates. This episode questions the morality and logic behind this form of taxation and highlights the need for reform rather than revolution.
Join us as we discuss the potential for Florida to lead the way in eliminating this antiquated system, proposing solutions that ensure fiscal responsibility without sacrificing essential public services. Discover a conservative path to liberty and be part of a movement shaping real solutions for the future. Subscribe now to stay informed and engaged in the battle for true homeownership and financial freedom.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
There exists,in the American mind,this enduring fantasy—that after decades of work,
(00:06):
of paycheck deductions and mortgage payments,of the occasional indulgence in that greatest of all financial indiscretions,
the home renovation project,one might finally cross the finish line into that most hallowed state of being (00:13):
true homeownership.
That moment when you can walk into your yard barefoot and feel the grass under your feet on the property that you now fully own—debt free.
And yet,lurking beneath this noble aspiration,hidden in the fine print of our social contract,
is an inconvenient truth (00:34):
you never really own your home.
You merely rent it from the government, indefinitely, at whatever rate it determines, in perpetuity.
Governor Ron DeSantis,to his credit,has taken the first steps in acknowledging this peculiar form of legalized extortion,
identifying property taxes as not merely a necessary evil but an outright oppressive and ineffective means of funding public services.
(01:00):
This,of course,is an act of intellectual bravery,since it is a curious and continuous quirk of our modern age that to challenge taxation—once upon a time the spark that ignited revolutions—is now considered the domain of cranks and radicals.
Nevertheless, the governor is correct, and the path forward is clear.
The only reasonable conclusion,then,is that property taxes,
(01:24):
like an overindulgent houseguest who has worn out his welcome,
must go.
Not at once, of course.
We are conservatives, not Bolsheviks.
We believe in reform, not revolution.
But go they must,and if Florida is to become the first state to rid itself of this particularly medieval means of revenue extraction,
(01:46):
it must do so in a manner both prudent and permanent.
Why Property Taxes Must Die—A Gentle Yet Resolute Euthanasia It’s an absurdity,
upon even the most cursory examination,that the government should be able to seize a man’s home for failing to pay his annual tribute,
even if he has no other debts to his name.
(02:06):
Back in the day of the feudal lords,they at least had the decency to demand rent before allowing their vassals to construct their hovels upon their land.
Today,the arrangement is in some ways more perverse—men are permitted to build and buy freely,
so long as they agree to be taxed for eternity thereafter.
Worse yet,this burden falls most cruelly upon the elderly and those on fixed incomes,
(02:31):
who find themselves at the mercy of an ever-expanding tax assessor’s ledger—punished not for some failure of industry,
nor for any lapse in responsibility,but simply for continuing to exist within the walls they have already paid for.
Unlike the young, they cannot simply “work harder” or “earn more.
” Their incomes are drawn from annuities,retirement savings—finite resources,
(02:55):
not the playthings of high-frequency traders—and,in the worst cases,
the meager offerings of Social Security.
By 2035,no less than 30% of the Florida population will be over the age of 65—nationally that figure will be about a quarter of our population—yet they will be expected to pay ever-rising property taxes to fund schools their children no longer attend and amenities they are too old to enjoy.
(03:21):
This is,in every meaningful sense,a form of theft—one that would,
in any other context,summon law enforcement.
It’s a crime of property,certainly,but also one of morals,
inflicted upon those least able to resist it.
If there exists a justification for this arrangement that can withstand moral,
(03:41):
economic,or even aesthetic scrutiny,I have yet to encounter it.
Fortunately,there exists a solution—one that doesn’t involve fiscal irresponsibility,
nor the impoverishment of our schoolchildren,nor the apocalyptic collapse of police and fire services that the more excitable members of the public sector—and Democrat opposition—would surely predict.
(04:04):
A Conservative Path to Liberty Now with this we shouldn’t be reckless.
Florida, after all, is a conservative state in more than just temperament.
It is,in the best sense,a state governed by some who recognize that change,
to be meaningful,must be measured.
There is no honor in marching boldly toward policy catastrophe simply for the sake of saying one has marched boldly.
(04:28):
To eliminate property taxes requires, above all, a plan.
The first step,then,is to remove the single largest justification for their continued existence—school funding.
Half of all property tax revenue in Florida is funneled into public schools,
a fact which has long provided the most politically effective,
(04:49):
if not economically rational,argument against their abolition.
The remedy?
School funding must be shifted to the state level,
where it can be supported by Florida’s uniquely robust tourist economy and an increase in the state sales tax—a tax which,
unlike property taxes,is paid voluntarily,requiring only that one engage in the dangerous business of buying things.
(05:14):
Naturally,the predictable objection is that raising the sales tax from its present 6% to somewhere between 9-10% would disproportionately burden the poor.
This is, of course, nonsense.
Florida’s tax code already exempts essentials—groceries,
prescription drugs,utilities—from the state sales tax.
(05:36):
A modest increase,while doubtless the subject of much performative hand-wringing,
would be absorbed primarily by the state’s 142 million annual tourists,
who,if forced to contribute an extra two cents on the dollar while purchasing their commemorative alligator statuettes,
would nevertheless persist in their journey to the beaches.
(05:57):
Once schools are removed from the property tax equation, the rest follows naturally.
Local governments,freed from their need to fund massive educational bureaucracies,
could transition to a model based on revenue-sharing agreements with the state,
bolstered by the expansion of tourism and corporate taxation.
This is, after all, a state that makes its money on visitors.
(06:21):
Why should the burden of maintaining their roads,parks,
and emergency services fall on homeowners,when the largest strain on those services is not the people of Florida,
but those who pass through it?
A modest increase in hotel taxes,rental car taxes,
and luxury goods taxes (applied only to items the average Floridian does not purchase—say,
(06:44):
yachts,private jets,and Lamborghinis) would raise billions,
shifting the financial burden away from working homeowners and onto those who are either visiting the state or wealthy enough that they will not notice the change.
Meanwhile,Florida’s corporate tax rate—already among the lowest in the nation—could rise slightly,
from 5.
(07:05):
5% to 7%,remaining well below the rates imposed by states like California and New York,
while generating enough revenue to fill remaining gaps.
This one will be a hard sell to the political class who rely on their donors,
but it would be a trade off.
A Free Florida—A Model for the Nation What emerges from all this is not chaos, but order.
(07:29):
Schools continue to function.
Police and firefighters continue to be paid.
The state budget remains intact.
And yet, property ownership is transformed—not merely in name, but in reality.
The benefits are vast.
Homeowners can no longer be taxed out of their homes.
(07:49):
Florida becomes a true tax haven,outcompeting Texas and Tennessee in the battle for new residents and businesses.
Investment in real estate explodes, free from the fear of annual government confiscation.
Generational wealth, particularly for working-class Floridians, is preserved.
And perhaps most importantly,the moral absurdity of government placing a permanent lien on every home in the state is finally rectified.
(08:16):
It is not often that a single reform offers both profound economic and ethical rewards,
but this is such a reform.
And if Florida does it the right way—carefully,prudently,
incrementally—it can be the first state in America to fully liberate its citizens from the shackles of property taxation.
Governor DeSantis is right to support this effort.
(08:39):
The time has come to make it a reality.
The question then is do we have what it takes to make the change.
There exists,in the American mind,this enduring fantasy—that after decades of work,
(00:06):
of paycheck deductions and mortgage payments,of the occasional indulgence in that greatest of all financial indiscretions,
the home renovation project,one might finally cross the finish line into that most hallowed state of being (00:13):
true homeownership.
That moment when you can walk into your yard barefoot and feel the grass under your feet on the property that you now fully own—debt free.
And yet,lurking beneath this noble aspiration,hidden in the fine print of our social contract,
is an inconvenient truth (00:34):
you never really own your home.
You merely rent it from the government, indefinitely, at whatever rate it determines, in perpetuity.
Governor Ron DeSantis,to his credit,has taken the first steps in acknowledging this peculiar form of legalized extortion,
identifying property taxes as not merely a necessary evil but an outright oppressive and ineffective means of funding public services.
(01:00):
This,of course,is an act of intellectual bravery,since it is a curious and continuous quirk of our modern age that to challenge taxation—once upon a time the spark that ignited revolutions—is now considered the domain of cranks and radicals.
Nevertheless, the governor is correct, and the path forward is clear.
The only reasonable conclusion,then,is that property taxes,
(01:24):
like an overindulgent houseguest who has worn out his welcome,
must go.
Not at once, of course.
We are conservatives, not Bolsheviks.
We believe in reform, not revolution.
But go they must,and if Florida is to become the first state to rid itself of this particularly medieval means of revenue extraction,
(01:46):
it must do so in a manner both prudent and permanent.
Why Property Taxes Must Die—A Gentle Yet Resolute Euthanasia It’s an absurdity,
upon even the most cursory examination,that the government should be able to seize a man’s home for failing to pay his annual tribute,
even if he has no other debts to his name.
(02:06):
Back in the day of the feudal lords,they at least had the decency to demand rent before allowing their vassals to construct their hovels upon their land.
Today,the arrangement is in some ways more perverse—men are permitted to build and buy freely,
so long as they agree to be taxed for eternity thereafter.
Worse yet,this burden falls most cruelly upon the elderly and those on fixed incomes,
(02:31):
who find themselves at the mercy of an ever-expanding tax assessor’s ledger—punished not for some failure of industry,
nor for any lapse in responsibility,but simply for continuing to exist within the walls they have already paid for.
Unlike the young, they cannot simply “work harder” or “earn more.
” Their incomes are drawn from annuities,retirement savings—finite resources,
(02:55):
not the playthings of high-frequency traders—and,in the worst cases,
the meager offerings of Social Security.
By 2035,no less than 30% of the Florida population will be over the age of 65—nationally that figure will be about a quarter of our population—yet they will be expected to pay ever-rising property taxes to fund schools their children no longer attend and amenities they are too old to enjoy.
(03:21):
This is,in every meaningful sense,a form of theft—one that would,
in any other context,summon law enforcement.
It’s a crime of property,certainly,but also one of morals,
inflicted upon those least able to resist it.
If there exists a justification for this arrangement that can withstand moral,
(03:41):
economic,or even aesthetic scrutiny,I have yet to encounter it.
Fortunately,there exists a solution—one that doesn’t involve fiscal irresponsibility,
nor the impoverishment of our schoolchildren,nor the apocalyptic collapse of police and fire services that the more excitable members of the public sector—and Democrat opposition—would surely predict.
(04:04):
A Conservative Path to Liberty Now with this we shouldn’t be reckless.
Florida, after all, is a conservative state in more than just temperament.
It is,in the best sense,a state governed by some who recognize that change,
to be meaningful,must be measured.
There is no honor in marching boldly toward policy catastrophe simply for the sake of saying one has marched boldly.
(04:28):
To eliminate property taxes requires, above all, a plan.
The first step,then,is to remove the single largest justification for their continued existence—school funding.
Half of all property tax revenue in Florida is funneled into public schools,
a fact which has long provided the most politically effective,
(04:49):
if not economically rational,argument against their abolition.
The remedy?
School funding must be shifted to the state level,
where it can be supported by Florida’s uniquely robust tourist economy and an increase in the state sales tax—a tax which,
unlike property taxes,is paid voluntarily,requiring only that one engage in the dangerous business of buying things.
(05:14):
Naturally,the predictable objection is that raising the sales tax from its present 6% to somewhere between 9-10% would disproportionately burden the poor.
This is, of course, nonsense.
Florida’s tax code already exempts essentials—groceries,
prescription drugs,utilities—from the state sales tax.
(05:36):
A modest increase,while doubtless the subject of much performative hand-wringing,
would be absorbed primarily by the state’s 142 million annual tourists,
who,if forced to contribute an extra two cents on the dollar while purchasing their commemorative alligator statuettes,
would nevertheless persist in their journey to the beaches.
(05:57):
Once schools are removed from the property tax equation, the rest follows naturally.
Local governments,freed from their need to fund massive educational bureaucracies,
could transition to a model based on revenue-sharing agreements with the state,
bolstered by the expansion of tourism and corporate taxation.
This is, after all, a state that makes its money on visitors.
(06:21):
Why should the burden of maintaining their roads,parks,
and emergency services fall on homeowners,when the largest strain on those services is not the people of Florida,
but those who pass through it?
A modest increase in hotel taxes,rental car taxes,
and luxury goods taxes (applied only to items the average Floridian does not purchase—say,
(06:44):
yachts,private jets,and Lamborghinis) would raise billions,
shifting the financial burden away from working homeowners and onto those who are either visiting the state or wealthy enough that they will not notice the change.
Meanwhile,Florida’s corporate tax rate—already among the lowest in the nation—could rise slightly,
from 5.
(07:05):
5% to 7%,remaining well below the rates imposed by states like California and New York,
while generating enough revenue to fill remaining gaps.
This one will be a hard sell to the political class who rely on their donors,
but it would be a trade off.
A Free Florida—A Model for the Nation What emerges from all this is not chaos, but order.
(07:29):
Schools continue to function.
Police and firefighters continue to be paid.
The state budget remains intact.
And yet, property ownership is transformed—not merely in name, but in reality.
The benefits are vast.
Homeowners can no longer be taxed out of their homes.
(07:49):
Florida becomes a true tax haven,outcompeting Texas and Tennessee in the battle for new residents and businesses.
Investment in real estate explodes, free from the fear of annual government confiscation.
Generational wealth, particularly for working-class Floridians, is preserved.
And perhaps most importantly,the moral absurdity of government placing a permanent lien on every home in the state is finally rectified.
(08:16):
It is not often that a single reform offers both profound economic and ethical rewards,
but this is such a reform.
And if Florida does it the right way—carefully,prudently,
incrementally—it can be the first state in America to fully liberate its citizens from the shackles of property taxation.
Governor DeSantis is right to support this effort.
(08:39):
The time has come to make it a reality.
The question then is do we have what it takes to make the change.
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