Hamburgers

 

Ever wonder where that sizzling patty of ground beef wedged between a bun originated?

While the exact origin of the hamburger may never be known with any certainty, most historians believe that it was invented by a cook who placed a Hamburg steak between two slices of bread in a small town in Texas. Others credit the founder of White Castle for developing the “Hamburger” as we know it today.

Prior to this disputed invention of the hamburger in the United States, however, as early as the 12th century, Genghis Khan’s marauding cavalry–fast moving and sometimes unable to stop for a meal–(sound familiar?) would often eat while riding their diminutive Mongol steeds. To do so, they wrapped a few chunks of meat under their saddles so it would grind under pressure and motion and would actually be cooked by heat and friction …definitely the original “slider”!

It wasn’t until some eight centuries later, however, that hash slinger Walt A. Anderson–one of the original founders of White Castle–would be credited with coming up with the “slider,” which sold for five cents into the 1940s (they go for 75 cents today). Walt is also credited with the invention of the hamburger bun which, by the way, wouldn’t survive under a saddle.

Let’s change menus from the frozen puck of ground beef with five distinct holes to one of America’s most expensive burgers; one of those upscale burgers that chefs are charging an arm and a leg for (makes one wonder what is done with that arm and leg . . . hmmm?).

Here’s how editor Dan Myers for The Daily Meal describes New York’s Beer & Buns Indulgence burger, “The burger at Beer & Buns hits all the right luxury notes: a wagyu beef patty, topped with foie gras sautéed in sauternes, fresh truffles, and Osetra caviar, served on a toasted brioche bun.”

Do we even know what any of these ingredients are and if people are really supposed to eat them?

Obviously this high-end burger is worlds apart from our slider steaming over a bed of rehydrated onions.

Burgers are nothing if not democratic, however, so thankfully we still live in an era when someone can spend $.75 on a burger at White Castle or $250 on the B&B Indulgence Burger in New York.

So why the focus on hamburgers?

Well, I thought most people could relate to an analogy that used the hamburger as its metaphor.

Given all the lectures we hear about the fact that Cook County has one of the lowest property tax rates in the state– actually, according to the MN Department of Revenue’s 2016 report on property tax rates for all 87 Minnesota counties, Cook County settles in the top 48 percent which means 52 percent of the state’s 87 counties have property tax rates lower than Cook County.

Let me say that again … over half of the state’s 87 counties had property tax rates in 2016 that were lower than Cook County!

Now mull over the fact that the county administrator is encouraging the board of commissioners to move toward a property tax rate equal to that of St. Louis County, which presently ranks within the top 13 percent of the state’s counties at number 11 on the list.

In 2016 the median property tax rate was 42.786 percent (meaning 43 of the state’s counties had property tax rates higher than this rate and 43 had rates lower). Cook County’s property tax rate in 2016 was 43.927 percent which amounts to approximately one percent above the median.

So when people tell you we have one of the lowest property tax rates in the state, and we are sitting with 52 percent of the state’s 87 counties with rates lower than Cook County . . . one wonders?

It is this single “talking point” that has been consistently brought up in commissioner budget meetings, town halls, radio interviews and to anyone who dare engage county leadership–and I might suggest, is used as a battering ram to gain access to your wallet.

There’s more to it than just tax rate, however. Tax rate is only one part of the equation.

So here’s where the burgers come in . . .

Let’s say you stroll into the Old-fashioned ’50s Malt Shop and shell out $14.04 for a burger and leave a 20 percent tip ($2.80) because, not only did you enjoy the burger, you loved the jukebox music. When you walk out the door you’ll have $16.84 less in your wallet.

A few months later, to celebrate your birthday, you visit the same Malt Shop but this time you order the “Elvis Special” at $24.70; nearly 76 percent more than the burger you purchased last time. But hey, it’s your birthday!

After the waitresses finish singing their rendition of “Happy Birthday” and you’ve blown out the candle on your free “Ooby Dooby” hot fudge sundae, you are handed your tab to which you add a 20 percent tip ($4.94). Your total bill, this visit, comes to $29.64. Quite a bit more than you paid a few months earlier.

So what contributed to the increase?

“Well,” you say, “any sock hopper knows the answer to that. It’s the more expensive burger!”

You’d be partially right. While the tip (20 percent) remained the same in both cases, it was the value of the burger that affected the amount of tip paid . . . nearly doubling.

So let’s look at how this translates to the local property tax rate:

Using the analogy of the price of a burger, consider the median value of a home in St. Louis County at $140,400.

In 2016 St. Louis County property owners–at a 66.171 percent tax rate– paid $1,102.00 in property taxes on a median home value of $140,400.

In 2016 Cook County property owners–at a 43.927 percent tax rate–paid $1,016.00 in property taxes on a median home value of $247,100.

The difference in median value and tax rate has a significant impact on your property tax bill.

As in the burger analogy, the tip (tax rate) applied to the value of the burger (home) determines the overall cost.

Because the median value of a home in Cook County is 56 percent more than the median value of a home in St. Louis County, taxpayers pay nearly the same amount in property tax: $1,016 in Cook versus $1,102 in St. Louis.

If St. Louis County property owners were to see their median home value increase to that of Cook County’s–$ 247,100– their tax statement would jump to $1,927.38, nearly a 75 percent increase (74.86 percent).

Conversely, if Cook County property owners were to see their median home value decrease to that of St Louis County’s–$140,400– their tax statement would drop to $616.74, a 39 percent decrease (39.30 percent).

So when county officials attempt to sell you double digit levy increases based on the fact that we have one of the lowest tax rates in the state it’s a misrepresentation of fact and certainly not the whole story.

The reality is, if the county were to move toward a 66.171 percent tax rate–similar to St. Louis County–Cook County property owners would see nearly a $1,000 increase on their next tax bill (for those who own property valued at the median of $247,100).

It’s enough to make a person identify with that piece of meat ground under pressure under the saddle of a marauding local government.

Former Cook County Commissioner Garry Gamble is writing this ongoing column about the various ways government works.