"In an area with HOAs you get to pay the HOA fees *plus* the property
tax.

Dimitri "

Well, whoopee! And what does that have to do with anything? You
claimed previously that the fact that HOA make you pay somehow makes
them different. Someone pointed out to you that municipalities make
you pay too, and a whole lot more, through property tax. And everyone
knows they are for different things. A HOA fee may include a pool or
landscape maintenance. A municipality pays for roads, fire dept,
police, etc.

So, what exactly is your point?