I am responding to a letter appearing in the Feb. 11 edition of the Courier by Mr. Charlie Bethel, titled "Caps on ‘most hated' tax skew free market."
Mr. Bethel's article is baloney. The outrageously high property taxes paid by Liberty County and Hinesville property owners is legalized robbery, in my humble opinion, and abuse by our local government.
High property tax is characteristic of greed, a lack of fiscal discipline and blatant disrespect perpetrated by our elected commissioners, school board, hospital authority, as well as other conspiratorial cartels, but without using a gun against our citizens.
This heavy-handed and "Godfather-like" scenario is played out by the commissioners, engaging in a mafia-like agenda using tax assessors, like soldiers, to accomplish their dirty deeds. Is it any wonder that Jesus Christ dined with tax collectors? They need salvation.
The victims of this conspiracy are the citizens who have cast their votes for these tax-and-spend, unethical, liberals formerly referred to as communists. "We the People" are being fleeced. Talk about dogs biting the hand that feeds them, this is a prime example. This is betrayal, arrogance, greed, lack of self-control, misrepresentation and a violation of the trust, and confidence by our public servants against the voters of this American community.
Are we just going to stand by and watch the dismantling of our republic? A line needs to drawn in the sand now, and you fence-post sitters need to choose sides. Citizens taking a stand now will prevent our children and grandchildren from becoming future slaves on forced camps, farms and industries. This is what socialists do to folks not toeing the party line. They will do it here too, comrade.
I believe a recall of the public servants identified above is needed. Also, a dismissal of employees, such as those working against our citizens, in our city and county budget office should be considered.
Where is the outrage? The citizen voters of Liberty County and Hinesville must unite under a common anti-tax, pro-republic banner and demand drastic reductions in property taxes. Citizens must exercise their right of free assembly and protest with placards while shouting out in harmonious discontent. This must be accomplished at "our" city hall, "our" courthouse, "our" board of education, "our" hospital authority and any place else impacting our property tax condition. This is our money.
In closing, several million dollar projects are in the works, such as (1) the new courthouse, replacing the other new courthouse, (2) the bus service providing transportation for non­taxpaying, voluntarily unemployed, and young healthy folks receiving welfare, (3) the marina project, which will benefit only a very small group of local wealthy aristocrats and (4) the poorly planned, designed, and lack of vision-like road construction going on at Highway 196 East. These projects have been approved "our" public servants, with the blessing of the local budget guru, even though there is a budget short-fall. This has got to be the epitome of ineptness, arrogance, irresponsibility, and negligence on the part of "our" public servants, and our taxpayer paid local government employees. Let's do something about it.

John Howard
Hinesville