Aww man... that just makes ya sick to your stomach!
I've gone through a really *wrong* vote on a new building project but it sure didn't amount to something as major as that! Pretty similar overall circumstances ... course, we were in a rural county... there weren't as many of us and the tax hit was bad... but nothin' like what you're talking about there!
Gees, I'd be goin' with the militia too.