Moore Casts Stones at His Neighbors While Living in His Glass House on Torch Lake
I have a recommendation for a new venue for Occupy protesters kicked out of Zuccotti Park and elsewhere: Michael
Moore's home, sorry, mansion. Courtesy Michigan View, here is a picture of Moore's sprawling, lakefront pad in tony Torch Lake, Michigan, which shows that he has plenty of space, nice views, and just the neighbors they are looking for.
Reports the View:
Moore bought the original 2,500 square foot home, local real estate sources say, then gobbled up two surrounding lots to expand his massive estate. Antrim County public records show the property in the name of Moore and his wife, Kathleen Glynn, and lists its taxable value at nearly $1 million. Local real estate agents estimate the real value of the 7,500-12,000 square foot compound at $2 million (see an overhead view at BigGovernment.com here). A Michigan View survey of the area (see nearby photos) finds an exclusive community of homes and boat slips with housing values ranging from to $500,000 to Moore's high-end $2 million.
Moore's estate can go toe-to-toe in size, nouveau-riche ostentatiousness and pure bad taste with any in the area, which is saying something given that his neighbors include not just fellow Hollywood celebrities such as Bruce Willis, Madonna, and Tim Allen—but also corporate execs such as ex-Chrysler Chairman Bob Eaton and other Big Three execs, Auto mogul Bill Schuiling and boat-magnate John Win, the very people whom the protesters despise.
They'll be able to yell at them right from their tents in Moore's backyard which raises this question: Why did Moore have to go to Zuccotti Park to tell the one percenters what he thought of them? Couldn't he have just walked over to their house and told them to do their "fair share" over Chateau Lafite Rothschild and smoked gouda?
Or, here's an even better idea: Just stayed at home and talked to the mirror?
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Shikhia, you might want to check that lede for spelling. The "G" and "B" keys are close together.
The alt-text, however, is priceless!
Moore, House Sized!
Michael Moore's rapper name is Mos Fed.
Lafite with smoked gouda? Ewwwww.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm having Heart Attack Number 5!"
I wonder what it cost to heat that place in winter?
It's okay. He has carbon credits.
Not much. That protective layer of blubber he sports keeps him warm all year long.
Burning homeless is free.
Yeah, if but you thought they smelled bad when they weren't burning . . .
$500k- $2 mil. doesn't sound all that shmancy, but I guess this is MI we're talking about.
Anyways, Moore made his money in ways that are approved by the Occupytards so he qualifies as one of The People.
I thought he bought an indulgence. That ripped off $750,000 had to come from somewhere.
For that area, $2 million is a shit-ton of money. But everyone seems to have missed the little gem that he's been assessed for $1 million, even though the market value of the house is estimated to be $2 million.
I wonder how he pulled that off? There are a lot of people who would love their property taxes to be 50% less (I don't know if MI does assessment ratios, so let's just assume not). Mike fails to live up to any of his rhetoric once again!
I wonder how he pulled that off?
---------------------------
same way Bon Jovi and Springsteen skate around NJ property taxes - by knowing the right people who can help create the right loopholes.
Obviously, but I would like to know his exact methodology. Does the assessor just blatantly undervalue the home? Does he get some kind of credits? Does he claim to have a cracked foundation or some other flaw?
could be as simple as follow the money. Does Moore buy the good graces of the Assessor or someone else in county govt? Would not be the first time a citizen of means has bought preferential treatment.
Tax assessors' "values" don't have to be the same as market values. I don't exactly recall the rhyme or reason if there is one, maybe something to do with the value of just the land, but it's not a sign of shenanigans necessarily.
High number is right. Most of the time the tax assessed value falls below what the market value would be. Though frankly, working in real estate, don't listen to a brokers opinion on market value for residential real estate, they tend to skew it to the high side. More than likely given this financial crisis the value really is closer to 1 million than 2 million.
Moreover, unlike say commercial real estate, or an annuity of some sort, there are no cashflows to estimate the value. It is a lot harder to guestimate the value of residential property accurately. Each property is unique and what makes one house very appealing to one person will make another not even consider it. Outside of purchasing a place to home residential real estate is very speculative.
same way Bon Jovi and Springsteen skate around NJ property taxes receive farm subsidies.
http://bighollywood.breitbart......subsidies/
tax break / subsidy. Other than process, seems a distinction without a difference.
At least in CA, your property tax is based on the purchase price. Even if your house appreciates in value, the property tax will stay the same. The taxes are only reassessed if the value of the home goes below the purchase price (pay less tax), OR the homeowner makes a significant improvement to the structure such as adding sq. ft., or complete remodel (taxes set at new assessed value). So, if Tub-o-goo bought the house in 2000 for $1 million, and hasn't made any improvements, yet the "market value" is $2 million, he may still only pay at the $1 million (original) value. Unless, of course, they do it different in MI.
CA and Prop 13 are very unusual. Most localities do not cap assessments in that fashion, or even cap them at all.
MI might have caps, but my guess is that Mikey worked the system or is chummy with the assessor. Especially since he combined three lots and made significant improvements to the property; that always gets you reassessed.
Oh. So you mean he's a rent-seeking crony-captalist? socialist?
Prop 13 capped increases in assessed value at 2% per year as long as the property wasn't sold. Once sold, the property is assessed at full value again, then reassessment is capped for the new owner at 2% per year. Taxes still increase, but much more slowly. There are also ways to avoid the reassessment, such as if you inherit a home, it doesn't get ressessed.
This has allowed a lot of people to keep their homes rather than be taxed out of them. The same restriction applies to commercial and industrial property.
Of course, there are special assessments that voters can approve, such as bonds, increases is special district funding, etc.
KY has the same cap. X% of the purchase price as long as you own it. You can petition to have it lowered, but it cannot raised.
The $2 million was only after he had the fat ramps installed.
it's standard MI - there's a 'market value' and a tax-assessed level which is normally half of the market value. When someone dies and passes on the property, or the house is sold, the tax level gets uncapped. eg, the previous owners of my house paid less taxes than I did.
There are various tax dodges that can also be used - in my parent's neighborhood, which is on the coast of Lake Michigan, one of the retired gents there made a trust, essentially selling the property to his daughters. He lives there as a 'caretaker'. It also helps if you know someone on the local township board, who have a huge sway on taxable value - being a small county, corruption is pretty rampant since everyone knows everyone else.
I wonder if Moore has gotten away with violating MI's onerous environmental regulations as well. Put a truck load of soil on that soggy spot in your yard? You have destroyed a wetland! That just earned you a finein'.
I wonder if he used union labor to build the additions to his house. Shikha, get on this.
It's okay. He has union credits.
That's funny.
Build using non-union labor and then just contribute to the union dues pool.
Brilliant business plan, actually.
I'm starting to think just selling credits--or, better yet, indulgences--for all sorts of sins actually is a good idea. Provided, of course, that I'm the one doing the selling.
Wake me up when you've got some sleep credits for sale.
I read that he makes his movies with non-union Canadian labor.
I'm gonna sell non-union credits, too.
Wake me up when you've got some sleep credits for sale.
E-mail me. I can let you have some for a mere $100 apiece. If you buy 100 or more you get 20% off!
ostentatiousness and pure bad taste with any in the area
Go fuck yourself. That house looks good.
And since when does a reason.com contributor have anything approaching fine taste in anything.
It's okay. He has taste credits.
But does he have comment credits?
That's a good question. If I were rich and famous, I'd still comment here, mocking you all in my head, since I'd consider myself a god. That seems to be how that works.
If I ever "hit it big", I pledge here and now to collect addresses from all the commenters and mail them each one monocle, of mediocre or better quality.
Mediocre quality monocles waxed with Tibetan orphan tears? Because I can support that.
Oh, you cheapskate you!
And to thi.k up to this point you've wasted your whole life not being a douchbag.
Glad I'm not the only one. It's a beautiful home, at least from the outside.
It looks like two different houses bolted together.
3:56
Moore bought the original 2,500 square foot home, local real estate sources say, then gobbled up two surrounding lots to expand his massive estate.
Buy a modest, lake-front house. Then quadruple the size of the house to turn it into a mansion.
I'm actually surprised the whole facade has a coherent look.
It looks like two different houses bolted together.
Which is a good thing.
That's a good thing. It gives Moore privacy when he lets all the homeless sleep in the place during the cold MI winters. The guy is a Mensch. Some might say he is a double or triple Mensch.
That looks like 3 nice houses crammed together by a fat kid with too many Lincoln Logs. The net result is shit.
The old money limo-liberals at least have taste.
It looks like a ski lodge.
What joshua said. It may be decorated in bad taste inside, but from that picture, I would say its very nice.
Can we just cut to the chase and have a one-line story every few weeks that simply states, "This man is a sick douche-bag hypocrite, and should be disregarded at all times"?
I'll grant him two things. Roger and Me effectively showed the plight of that town, though it neglected to mention that it was union greed that forced GM to move jobs overseas. But if you can get around that, there's no harm in showing people that there are real places in very dire straights, as it may motivate people to research the issue themselves and take action.
And in Bowling for Columbine, Manson talks about Clinton bombing the shit out of Serbia, which is good, and Moore at one points indicates that violence may not have anything to do with gun availability, because (at the time) the Canucks had guns, too, but didn't kill themselves. He instead insinuated it was fear-mongering in the media, as he also accurately stated that violent movies and video games do not create violence.
There. That is everything positive I could ever think to say about that piece of shit, and it took all of two short paragraphs. Considering his considerable body of work in both books and film, I'd say that puts him at a 99% shit-factor.
Well he's fat and probably pre-diabetic, so we can expect he'll die soon. That's one thing going for him.
Well he's fat and probably pre-diabetic, so we can expect he'll die soon.
Add Sotomayor to your prayer of death.
The Big One, while otherwise forgettable, did a fantastic job of illustrating the economic realities of opening a factory in the states vs. overseas. I know the point was to shame the Nike CEO, but anybody with a brain should have taken away the lesson that hoping real hard for manufacturing jobs to come back to the U.S. is unproductive dreaming.
Not at all. Wreck the U.S. economy, and our much cheaper labor will bring back cheap jobs.
I liked how in F 9/11 he interviewed congresscritters about sending their sons to war. Also, liked TV Nation. But yeah, things to like are few and far between.
Forget Sigma-6. That makes him Sturgeon-99 certified.
Very few can reach this level of utter shittiness, which requires sheer and unflagging dedication to shittiness, day in, day out, and even fewer do it with less style.
He's also been good joke fodder for Matt Stone and Trey Parker...so thats three.
yes but beside the roads and peace what else has he done.
Ostentatious shitpile.
It looks like it was designed by a committee.
Howard Roark would never approve.
I sure wouldn't buy it.
Why did they bother blacking out the addresses?
Maybe 20 seconds after seeing the domain in the news
Pic #4
Property Record
Property Address:
222 S EAST TORCH LAKE DR
CENTRAL LAKE, MI 49622
Mailing Address:
200 PARK AVE S - 8TH FLR
NEW YORK, NY 10003
Maybe Moore should invite the NYC OWS crowd to his Park Ave apt for some R&R while Glynn deals with the Occupy Central Lake group.
I would bet most of my personal net worth that the hypocritical fat slob owns a bunch of firearms for self-defense too.
If the occupiers come anywhere near his property, you can bet they'll find out for sure.
Possibly, if I had to occupy a property in MI, I'd pick Moore over Nugent. Moore probably shoots like Democrat.
"Possibly, but if..."
He has admitted to hiring Former-SEALs for a security team.
He said he's a lifetime member of the NRA.
Anyone can be a life-time member of the NRA. They don't do ideological screenings to allow you to hand your money to them. I'm sure there are plenty of members who are only members so they can conduct research on their opponents.
so they can conduct research on their opponents
Not likely that Moore does his own research. More likely that he joined at some point to be a poser to all the firearm touting, fishin' and huntin' union members in MI.
For that area, $2 million is a shit-ton of money.
For an uninhabited second (or fifth or twentieth) house anywhere, that's considerably more than a shit-ton. Think of it as a time-share that costs a hundred grand a weekend. What kind of $$$-shitting idiot would buy that?
Just stayed at home and talked to the mirror?
Coincidentally, my $$$-shitting grandfather's brother's grandson (I don't know the familial term for that) has a place right 'round the bend from Moore's, if I'm understanding the overhead shot correctly. We don't hang out?the people-with-cities-named-after-them side of the family doesn't acknowledge the side with JOOS on it?so I'll make this up:
There are no mirrors in Michael Moore's house. His neighbor, my...cousin? or something, told me.
Second cousin.
That's right! People always get that wrong.
Actually the ones that I find people get wrong are the Xth cousin however many times-removed ones.
I understand all of that because I lack first cousins.
What do you call your cousin's children?
Are you first cousins? If so, 1st cousin once removed.
SugarFree, you lovely perv, somehow it just sorta figures that the guy who can explain a Cleveland Steamer also knows exactly how to calculate the degree of genetic difference from first cousins.
But does he know what a Dirty Sanchez is?
Why do you express surprise that he knows what a Cleveland Steamer is? That's something every man should know - right up there with shooting a rifle, small-engine repair, basic carpentry, etc..
And you call yourself a scientist.
Actually, I don't know that he's ever mentioned a Cleveland Steamer, but I couldn't remember any of the much more obscure things he has brought to my (short) attention.
You mean the Rusty Trombone and the Cincinnati Bowtie? The Dirty Sanchez? The Screaming Seagull?
Come on, man - this is basic stuff, and you're going to have to be conversant in it if you expect to be taken seriously around here.
Sir, you have gained my highest esteem. Reading the various definitions of a Cincinnati Bowtie has caused me such fits of laughter that I have actually hurt myself.
Everyone should know what a Tennesee turtlehead is
What about the screaming viking? And no I don't want the cucumber bruised.
Can't find that one on Urban Dictionary. Enlighten me!
If it's your first cousin, his children are your first cousins, once removed.
If it's your second cousin they're your second cousins, once removed, and so on.
Welsome to the fold, my son. You are among gods now.
Personally, I laughed hardest at the Rusty Trombone. And would you believe that I recently had a young woman ask to do that to me? She called it something different, though; a "Black Kiss," I believe.
I declined.
"What do you call your cousin's children?"
I usually just go with their first names.
That whole cousin removal thing can get complicated. In West Virginia, it often requires a crowbar.
I was in the Marines with a guy who used to brag openly about fucking his cousin. He was from West Virginia. Smart, funny, engaging guy, perfectly normal in every way but that. It's just an accepted thing up there.
Find the common ancestor and count the generations backwards starting with the grand.
If you and your lady love had the same great-great-grandfather, you are third cousins.
Isaac's in the South, I believe. SF and I definitely are. And we know all about cousins. Is it necessary to make any jokes, or can we just enter them into the record as made?
As a Kyian, I say consider the jokes made. My mom's family tree has far too few branches. There is one particular line that had 2nd or 3rd cousins marrying about every other generation. I think it was easier to remember last names if you married someone with the same one.
The reality is, of course, that most people weren't terribly separated genetically for most of human existence. Including the recent centuries. While I haven't run across any close cousins getting married in my tree, there are repeated visits to families. That is, a Smith married a Jones yet again.
PL, I live in Florida but I'm not from the South.
My knowledge on this issue is due to my Mother being a relatively poor relative in a family full of rich cousins.
It was important to know the degree of connectedness to know how successful your efforts at sponging might be. 🙂
We're all cousins, anyway, so it's completely academic.
I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.
Kissing cousin
Is your grandmother Ann Arbor?
Granny Rapids?
bwa-hahaha
Little Bear. She was an Indian.
According to information from 2009, Forest Home Township in Michigan has zero black residents and is 98% white.
So in addition to being a hypocritical fat rich slob, he's also a racist who needs to get as far away from black people as possible.
2% yellow, then?
? Michael Moore is dastardly, ?
? Michael Morre is bastardly. ?
Michigander here - blacks are really rare in the rural areas here in Michigan. It is 'uber-white' since it's mostly family run farms centered around small towns. There's no work in these area - well, unless you like farming, canning, or dealing with frozen produce. Lots of people living on the dole and making cash under the table doing log splitting, etc etc.
Retired people in Michigan flock to these areas because property is cheap and taxes are low.
How cheap is property? I've been looking at land there - $40-50k for 10 acres. $60-$70k for 10 acres with a mobile home or even a small house. Up in the $80-$120k range, you're talking a really nice house with 5-15 acres. But of course getting a job up in some of these areas is impossible, so that's why there are so many retired folks - mostly teachers! - up there.
zero black residents
The only blacks in upstate MI are the mulatto bastard children of teenagers who spent time downstate.
Your name makes more sense now.
Shit.
^^See! Poop really is the funniest thing in the world!
And, its so much nicer than pretend poop.
"Why did Moore have to go to Zuccotti Park to tell the one percenters what he thought of them?"
The point of a protest is to be seen and heard. Downtown New York is therefore a better protest location than rural Michigan.
The more you know!
"The point of a protest is to be seen and heard."
You don't think they'd be seen and heard if they camped out on fatso's front lawn?
Not by as many people, obviously.
Since there's something called cameras and something else called youtube, I'd bet it would be seen by thousands of people.
(youtube hits) + (people in rural michigan) < (youtube hits) + (people in downtown New York)
"Not by as many people, obviously."
Yeah, sure, since the occutards' main audience is live, right?
Sorry, there wouldn't be a network that didn't have cameras there for that kerfluffle.
Long ago, when Brezhnev was ruling the Soviet Union, he flew in his mother and showed her his fancy digs and expensive everything.
His mother then sat him down and whispered, "Leni, what if the communists find out?"
"They're all dead. Don't you remember how FDR looked the other way while Stalin purged"?
Looked the other way? He gave him half of Europe and told him to repeat.
Only the undesirable half. Tried to give him Greece. He wouldn't take it.
Nigel goes medieval on the eurocrats.
He's dreamy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?f.....ob6QRLRJU#!
when Brezhnev was ruling the Soviet Union, he flew in his mother
I thought the Soviets had airplanes by then.
In Battlefeild 3 the Russian planes fly great and can be shot down with mounted machine gun fire....which is complete bullshit on 2 counts.
They got the US planes right though...they also fly great and can be shot down with machine gun fire.
I do have a question though...wtf are the Russians doing in Paris and in Tehran?
Playing a game?
You mean, he's MARRIED? Ugh.
A guy that rich will always be able to get a woman, no matter how revolting his appearance.
No way!
A guy Anyone that rich will always be able to get a woman or man, no matter how revolting his or her appearance.
FIFY
Or, here's an even better idea: Just stayed at home and talked to the mirror?
Impossible. In order to maintain his self image, Moore has fewer mirrors in his house than Lestat.
He should have gotten Tom Friedman's architect.
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2009/01/1.....ans-house/
That would be I. M. Poop.
This story reminds me of a John Denver bio I saw on TV. He started out poor, with just his guitar and some songs. He traveled around performing wherever he could, sometimes for nothing, and built a fan base. Eventually he got a record contract, got his songs on the radio, sold a shit-ton of records, and became stinking rich. Rich enough to cut down the pristine trees of Colorado to build his dream house. Then he made some appearances with Pres. Jimmy Carter to denounce capitalism. No kidding. I fell off the couch at that point.
John Denver? Didn't he used to do PCP and shoot icicles?
Up next...John Denver, top-shelf pilot.
Too cruel.
Not when you wad it up for not checking the fuel.
If I remember right, he had enough fuel, the switch was behind his head and he couldn't find it before the engine quit and he crashed into the water. It was a modified homebuilt.
I heard he smoked a lot of ganja too. How could someone so cool become a socialist?
John Denver was an entertainer.
Please don't take the entertainers seriously.
Thanks.
Alan Swann is beneath us!
I don't, but to hear someone who benefited greatly from capitalism, then turn around and denounce it is unbelievable.
someone who benefited greatly from capitalism
"Benefited"? So, he "owes" something in return? Like, I dunno...a promise not to get "stinking rich"? A pledge not to "cut down the pristine trees of Colorado"? Come on.
"Benefited"? So, he "owes" something in return?"
Are you having some trouble with logic?
The man was a hypocrite; he didn't owe anything to anybody except not to lie.
Entertainers shouldn't lie?
Now I get it.
Thanks, "sevo"!
Willful moron is willful moron. Film at 11...
Jeebus, you're obtuse. He makes a huge amount of money through the capitalist system then suggests that capitalism is evil. On top of that, he pretends he's not a member of the 1 percent, so he can get with the in-crowd. It's only dense people like you who buy his b.s.
Interestingly, he was cremated with a Gibson guitar.
Wait, this house would have to be a twodoor, wouldn't it?
I have my own special entrance.
There was a guy who did a UFO themed dream house, and made every door out of satellite dishes.
God, Michigan real estate really isn't worth shit, is it?
Compared to major metro areas? Of course not.
No boathouse? He really needs to step up his game.
Judging by how greasy he always looks, I'm gonna have to assume he's hydrophobic.
I don't think Moore has a problem with people making money. He has a problem with Wall St and other large businesses rigging the game by bribing congress to remove their downside risk.
I would think this crowd would agree with him on that point.
I don't think Moore has a problem with people making money.
You clearly haven't seen many of his films, then.
No, it goes further than just criticizing Wall Street. He says in "Capitalism" that capitalism is "evil" and it should be replaced with democracy. But perhaps you are right, to some extent, that he wouldn't object to some money making. What it would mean though would just be that any money to be made would be voted on and the recipients would receive their share by democratic means....or people who are members of pre-selected groups getting more to 'balance out past injustices' as well as the connected. I presume that early on Moore would be a made man and would be allowed to horde his wealth and distribute it as he saw fit (unlike those who are not connected).