$8M Revenue Shortfall Blamed on Bad DB Entry

SierraPete writes "Yahoo! News reports that an improper database entry, most likely caused by an external user, has created an $8 Million USD revenue shortfall for a northwestern Indiana county because a house that was supposed to be valued at $121,000 showed a value in the database at $800,000,000. There's no specific suggestion that this erroneous entry was done maliciously, but it is leading to big problems in the local governments as they try to figure out how to drop that much money out of their respective budgets. As an aside, how would you like to be in the homeowner's shoes when he opens up his mail box and finds an $8M property tax bill? I'm sure there was a trip to the emergency room or the dry cleaners involved."

Comments

Re:It doesn't have to be that way

[DeafByBeheading]

This is Indiana, where the state legislature passed a law decreeing that pi (as in the ratio of the circumference of circle to its diameter) is 3. Just 3. No messy fraction. No messy transcendental. Just 3.

That was Alabama, not Indiana. *And* it's just a myth...

Re:The homeowner

[Saanvik]

This has the be the most ignorant comment I've seen on Slashdot since the last thread.

If you live in nearly any country in the world you benefit from the government that you pay your taxes to. How you ask? Medical care so you don't catch TB walking down the street. Police services so you don't get shot by someone taking the law into their own hands. Emergency services like the fire department so your house doesn't burn down when your idiot neighbor falls asleep smoking and starts his house on fire. Government isn't perfect, just like any other large organizations, but it's better than not having any government. Vigilantism is rule by the mob, not by justice.

Society benefits from a government that is concerned with the well being of the people in society. State sponsored education, penal systems, and transportation networks all have great positive benefits on the quality of life of every person in a society. Education is the number one method to decrease crime. Public education assists you if you own anything, even if you don't have any children yourself.

In addition, because most governments regulate commerce, individual members of society are protected from unethical and hazardous business practices.

From the sound of your post either you understand this and you were just trying to yank someone's chain or you are some kind of anti-government zealot that belive governments are the root of all evil in society. If the former, nice troll. If the latter, get educated and stop spouting nonsense.