Lawsuit asks federal court to impose higher property taxes in Alabama

Having been unable to convince Alabamians that the state's property taxes are too low, a group of would-be tax-hikers is now asking the federal courts to do what their fellow citizens have consistently and overwhelmingly refused to do.

The plaintiffs contend that Alabama's system of taxing property is racially discriminatory. This is in spite of the fact that the state does not take race into account in any way when it levies property taxes. Or any other taxes, for that matter.

Writing for the Huntsville Times, David Prather says:

Without delving into the legal arguments on either side, consider the situation the students are in. The Legislature continues, year after year, to spend less money than schools really need - particularly in poor areas.

In the face of legislative deafness, what recourse do the students who want a quality education have but to take the matter to court?

In other words, no matter where you stand on whether there should be federal intervention in this case, can you blame the students for seeking the only workable remedy at their disposal?

What recourse do the students who want a quality education have but to take the matter to court? Well, they could take it to the legislature and to their fellow citizens, for starters. After all, those are the people who are rightfully charged with making these sorts of decisions.

Can you blame the students for seeking the only workable remedy at their disposal? Yes, we can. We can blame them for their constitutional ignorance, and we can blame them for having the nerve to file a lawsuit that, if successful, would establish a system of taxation without representation in Alabama. If the District Court does its job and dismisses this lawsuit, then these "students" will have received a lesson in Civics that they should have learned in school: that this is a republic and that decisions about who to tax and how much to tax them are properly made through our elected representatives, not through judicial fiat.