Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-08-06
their homesteads in order to secure
the old age assistance.

their homesteads in order to secure
the old age assistance.
If this nefarious legislation should
remain on the statute books of Min
nesota, the time will arrive when
many of those old homes will be-
come the property of the state. AS
an example, let us picture home
that was built 40 or so years ago at
$4,000 to $4,000. This home may
have been kept in good condition,
repaired and painted, and the gen.
eral surroundings in good order. The
children reared in that home are
grown up, married, have families
of their own, and such responsible
tiles that they are unable to care
for their aged parents. The parents
then submit to the lien on their home
stead. Many of them will not be
as interested in that property in their
few remaining years as they were
prior to having lien plastered on it.
Some day these old folks die. The
state may try to rent the property.
The state inspectors and managers
may or may not be successful in
renting it. If it remains vacant very
long and is in run down condition
the property will bring but a few
hundred dollars at public sale.
Whether the property brings $500
or more or less that money will then
be divided one-half to the federal
government, one-third to the state
and one-sixth to the county if there
is any money left after paying for
supervision, sale of the property and
other expenses.
Here is where Minnesota is the
loser and it is poor business for our
state. The many states that do not
have homestead lien laws will pay
back nothing to the federal govern
ment.
An excuse for the lien law enact
ment was the neglect by children
of their aged parents. In such rela-
lively rare cases in which the chill
dren are well able to provide for
their parents, but neglect them, the
law can step in and force action.
That is up to the law enforcement
officers and the children's respon-
sibility law of over fifty years stand
ing has been invoked. The lien law
does not remedy that situation.
The homestead lien was enacted
into law in the 1889 Legislative SEES
sion and became effective Jan. l.,
1910. About 3 per cent of those
receiving old age assistance prior
to Jan. l, 1910 refused to permit
liens on their homesteads. Thus to
81 per cent of the cases the assistance
given by the state in cooperation
with the federal government and the
counties was an absolute necessity.
Home ownership in Minnesota has
in the main been promoted and en-
couraged by our citizens and our
lawmaking body down through the
years. The 1888 Legislature enacted
the homestead preferential law, cut
ting taxes approximately 20 per cent
on rural as well as urban homes.
In the same session the income tax
on individuals and corporations be-
came law. Collections through that
form of taxation have amounted to
between $13,O0O,0OO and $14,OOO,O00
annually the last two years. All that
money is allocated to the public
schools, thus further keeping down
the tax burdens on the homes.
But during the present state adj
ministration there was a change. We
got the homestead lien law, which
certainly is not an encouragement to
home ownership. If that law should
remain on the statute books it will
turn out to be another rural credits
mess. But the law should and must
be repealed.