written by Richard Thomas.

The taxpaying citizens of Albany and Dougherty County are being faced with a failed city and county government who have completely lost touch with reality, common sense, rule of law and, above all, the present and future interest of its citizens.

As a bumper sticker I recently witnessed says: "Throw the bums out!"

We do not need any more ramblings of a professional bureaucrat attempting to justify the existence of his job in his lame efforts to distort facts and cheerlead apathetic citizens into believing that downtown Albany will rise up like the great bird Phoenix if infused with more of the $155 million destined for downtown restoration, much of which will be decided by even more bureaucrats who refuse to disclose how the initial $6 million is to be specifically allocated - a clear violation of the Code of Georgia (O.C.G.A. Sec 36-82-100, Miller et al. v. State of Georgia).

Nor do we need to be insulted by another (educational) bureaucrat who tells us in a recent op ed how wonderful things are in this "good life city" when we have a failing educational system (notwithstanding the presence of armed guards in most of our public schools) with a 40 percent dropout rate, a crime rate (muggings and burglary) that is five times the national average (now politically referred to a "home invasions"), the highest per capita property tax rate in the state of Georgia (now under Supreme Court Appeal) based upon an unconstitutional and illegal assessment on 2006 (inflated) property values that are in some instances 50 percent less today (and yes, Roger, we haven't had a millage rate increase in three years, but why do that when you can gouge the public with these inflated real estate values?), and we continue to be financially burdened by having to subsidize pie-in-the-sky boondoggle projects of the past which show no hope of ever supporting themselves.

Commissioners try to distract us with such chump-change issues as opening the Carver Pool ($200,000), $500,000 lost to the Mayor's bankrupt development crony, abuse of expenses on commission trips to Atlanta (give us a break, please), enforcing an ill-conceived sign ordinance and collecting fines from the only small business and financial backbone of the community, etc.

All the while, they continue to hire expensive Atlanta and Gainesville law firms spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of more taxpayer funds fighting their own taxpaying citizens who have demanded openness and transparency in government, and restoration of our constitutional rights conveyed to us by the state of Georgia and the U.S. Constitution. It is reprehensible what we, the citizens, have allowed our government to sink to this level.

And now, to continue this incompetent abuse of power and financial hide and seek, the city of Albany and ADICA have filed a recent motion for appeal bond demanding that the plaintiff of the recent $6 million ADICA bond intervention (and supported by the Dougherty County Taxpayers' Association) be required to post a $606,534 bond "to cover all damages and costs which may accrue the Authority by reason of such intervention."

Ladies and gentlemen, this is nothing short of government extortion in the form of bullying the taxpayer(s) to back off from this issue, as these jackasses intend to shove this downtown financial shell game down our throats, regardless of what the constitution provides and our rights to appeal are. We have no intention of backing down. However, we need to hear from every concerned citizen (nomoretax.net) on this issue, as your support is vital to taking our city and county back. We have an election this fall, and we encourage every citizen to get out, vote and remove every incumbent from office, as it is our only hope to end this downward spiral in which we now find ourselves.

We are looking for new candidates now, and encourage your involvement in this most just cause. And now, to continue this incompetent abuse of power and financial hide and seek, the city of Albany and ADICA have filed a recent motion for appeal bond demanding that the plaintiff of the recent $6 million ADICA bond intervention (and supported by the Dougherty County Taxpayers' Association) be required to post a $606,534 bond "to cover all damages and costs which may accrue the Authority by reason of such intervention."

Ladies and gentlemen, this is nothing short of government extortion in the form of bullying the taxpayer(s) to back off from this issue, as these jackasses intend to shove this downtown financial shell game down our throats, regardless of what the constitution provides and our rights to appeal are.

We have no intention of backing down. However, we need to hear from every concerned citizen (nomoretax.net) on this issue, as your support is vital to taking our city and county back. We have an election this fall, and we encourage every citizen to get out, vote and remove every incumbent from office, as it is our only hope to end this downward spiral in which we now find ourselves.

We are looking for new candidates now, and encourage your involvement in this most just cause.

Mission Statement

Our mission includes four important goals: education, activism, oversight, and reform. To achieve this mission, we must:

Educate the citizens of Dougherty County about their legal rights regarding how their property is taxed.

Actively engage the citizens of Dougherty County in demanding accountability from their county government, to ensure that the property taxation process is administered fairly, uniformly and in compliance with the laws.

Provide vigilant oversight to ensure that the citizens of Dougherty County can control how their tax dollars are spent, and to prevent waste, mismanagement and poor decision-making in County government.

Achieve reform by successfully challenging the constitutionality and legality of the property tax system overall in Dougherty County, ultimately resulting in a fair, equitable and democratic governing process that truly represents the will of the people.