Letter: It's not a "unit," it's our family home

After reading about an initiative to establish a tax on owners of vacant residential units in the city of South Lake Tahoe, I would like to share some thoughts about family homes, legacy, and to serve and protect.

My dad signed up to serve his country with his two older brothers in World War II after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. He was twenty-two at the time, married and they were waiting for the arrival of my older brother, born on December 17, 1942. My dad and other Italians from our community also joined to serve and protect our country even though some of our Italian families were put into internment camps. Yes, Italian-Americans were also put into internment camps by President Roosevelt in World War II.

After the war, my dad joined our community police force to serve and protect our community. These oaths he stated; to serve and protect his country, his community, and his family were the “cornerstone” of his life. After serving for more than twenty-five years in law enforcement my dad retired and moved to South Lake Tahoe where he built our family home with help from my brothers and family friends. My brothers and I all had young families by this time and would come up to the cabin for all the holidays, especially Christmas, and my mom’s home-cooked great Italian dinners for all seventeen of us.

My family home is not a “sterile unit,” it holds fond memories of good times, and great dinners, for my parents who have passed. We should not be taxed on our inherited family home because we don’t live in it for 182 days a year. That’s just not right.

Part of my dad’s legacy was passed down to my brother who also took the oath and served in law enforcement for more the twenty-five years. I too, took an oath of office to serve as I was elected to a board position at Tahoe Paradise Park for more than ten years and serve on the Meyers Advisory Committee since it was instituted. All these oaths are pledges that we make to uphold the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

This oath includes complying with the 4th amendment. These are our property rights set forth in the Amendments to the Constitution. So, if we have elected officials that violate their oath of office and have the purpose of evasion of truth and facts and try to establish illegal property taxes just because you have an inherited family home or second home does violate the Constitution.

The fact that South Lake Tahoe City Council is promoting taxing second homeowners and most of them don’t live here. This is “Taxation Without Representation.”

I was taught that we fought a revolution over this issue. These owners already pay property tax, STPUD fees for non-usage of water and sewer when they are not there, garbage bills when they don’t generate regular weekly garbage, most of them pay school tax and don’t have children going to the local school, and so on. To single them out to pay additional taxes on their property cannot be legalized.

If this does pass what is to stop this Socialist thinking from having you rent your home to strangers just because it’s an “empty unit.” Next, could they be then telling you to let someone use your car because you are not using it full-time. Perhaps your skis or who knows what next?

- Joe Cardinale
Constitutional Advocate