Home > Jay Bookman > Archives > 2008 > May > 22 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USVoters seeing purple because of traffic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Georgia Republicans don’t find a way to address metro Atlanta’s transportation problems, they will find themselves replaced by someone who will.
In fact, if GOP legislators in the Atlanta area want a peek into their future, they should cast their eyes northward to Virginia, a state where until recently Republicans held a firm grip on power. Virginia was solidly red, with Republicans in control of statewide offices and the General Assembly.
That’s no longer the case. The number of Republicans in the 100-member state House has fallen from 67 in 2003 to 55 in 2007. Last fall, the GOP also lost four seats in the state Senate, which gave Democrats control of the upper chamber for the first time in a decade. In addition, Democrats have won two consecutive races for governor and a U.S. Senate race, and are favored to win a second Senate seat come November.
There are a lot of reasons for Virginia’s transformation from a solid red state to a state now decidedly purple, including demographics. But the GOP’s biggest problems have come in northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area, fast-growing regions where traffic is a critical quality-of-life issue.
Virginia Republicans, handcuffed by pledges to never ever raise taxes at any time ever under any conditions ever ever, have failed to respond to that problem. So voters in those fast-growing areas, desperate for a solution, slowly began to abandon the Republicans.
“This is not a blip,” said GOP state Sen. Russ Potts, who retired after the ‘07 elections. “This is a change in the face of Virginia politics for the next 20 years. This business of no-tax pledges and no abortions, no exceptions, is not going to fly. The party desperately needs to widen the circle.”
Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, intends to drive that point home. In a special session of the General Assembly called for June 23, Kaine will seek passage of a $1.1 billion statewide tax increase to fund transportation projects in congested areas and cover a deficit in road-maintenance funding.
“We are going to make something happen or let the public see who is obstructing, and frankly, that is one of the reasons why Democrats have won elections in Virginia,” Kaine said.
Interestingly, Virginia Republicans did try a variety of ways to fund transportation without raising taxes. For example, they championed the idea of raising fines for traffic violations as high as $3,000, hoping to raise around $65 million a year. Kaine signed that measure into law last year as part of a larger transportation bill, but it was quickly repealed after public outrage.
The Virginia General Assembly also passed legislation that would create regional transportation agencies in northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area and allow those agencies to raise taxes for transportation. That attempt to duck responsibility was shut down by the Virginia Supreme Court, which ruled that the Legislature could not delegate its taxation powers to unelected agencies.
If all that sounds familiar, it should. Georgia Republicans are traveling down that same road. Gov. Sonny Perdue, for example, has proposed a milder version of the speeding-fine approach, and earlier this year the Georgia Senate came within three votes of letting metro regions tax themselves for transportation needs.
As in Virginia, Georgia legislators hoped the regional approach would be a way to generate funds for transportation while shoving the responsibility off on someone else. However, Georgia’s approach was much smarter than that of Virginia, for two reasons.
First, it was designed as a constitutional amendment, to pre-empt legal challenges. And before a tax could take effect, it would have to be approved by a majority of voters in a metro area.
But in the end it didn’t matter, because Georgia legislators lacked the guts to pass the measure. Once again, legislators told constituents stuck in traffic that there’s nothing the state can do to help them, and you have to wonder how long voters will tolerate that.
Comments
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By Donovan
May 22, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
Gee! Here’s a novel idea for the Democrats…increase taxes on everything.
By ByteMan
May 22, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
@Donovan: care to actually bring some light to how to solve the transportation problems around the cities in this state. Please make sure to cite other locations where your ideas have worked.
Meanwhile, the answer to the question of how long voters will tolerate this is going to be right after the 2010 census and re-districting. At that point, we’ll find out just how much bigger (population-wise) the Atlanta region is compared to the rest of Georgia. We’ll also have two chances by then to elect more people at the county and city levels who will make a lot more noise about lack of transportation funding from the state.
I think the business community is being too quiet on this as well. They wanted to try to work behind the scenes, but that’s not going to fly in a short legislative cycle where it’s easier to kill off a good bill than it is to pass a bad one.
By Road Scholar
May 22, 2008 3:01 PM | Link to this
How have we gotten out of past recessions successfully? Public improvement jobs! Put the people to work in order that they can support their families and make their mortgage payments, afford the cost of food, buy goods and services (which spurs on other job growth… and tax revenues).
If a tax goes to a single purpose… transportation…especially if a list of specific projects are to be completed in a specific timeframe… then it becomes a user fee. Some of these anti-tax people think that things are free or just magicaly appear. You’ve got to pay for them..something the Bush Adm does not seem to comprehend.
By TrafficSucks
May 22, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
Great…like the Democraps are going to do anything about traffic. Vote third party.
By Jay Bookman
May 22, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this
To: TrafficSucks
And what is “third party’s” position on transportation funding?
By Totally Screwed
May 22, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
I must respectfully disagree with Jay. Because of gerrymandering during the redistricting process and the solidly conservative and libertarian cultural nature of the Atlanta suburbs and the majority of the state, Georgia Republicans aren’t in any immediate danger of losing control of the governor’s office, the state legislature or any US congressional seats or the US Senate seats, but with the past two legislative sessions Georgia Republicans at all levels haven’t done themselves any favors. Unfortunately, instead of taking the chance of having to vote for Liberal Democrats and putting incompetant incumbents out of office, most voters will probably sit on their hands and stay at home on Election Day, making the status quo even more powerful with less voter input.
By Christian Schweiger
May 22, 2008 7:06 PM | Link to this
We wish Sen. Russ Potts was still in office, He presents a no nonsense approach to funding transportation.
We miss him in Virginia politics!!
By SUBURBAN OVERLORD
May 22, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
Our Governor views himself as a post-Reconstruction Era Houston County plantation owner, incredulous that his metro Atlanta field hands dare seek compensation to pick his cotton. The motivation of the Governor and his Cracker cousins in keeping metro Atlanta down, while communistic, is completely understandable from a self interest standpoint.
But why does metro Atlanta’s OWN STATE SENATE DELEGATION TREAT THEIR CONSTITUENTS LIKE DIRT?
Metro Atlanta’s state senate delegation is a joke, routinely out-witted by the good ol’ boy middle and south Georgia delegation. The south Georgia boys LAUGH AT the ineffectiveness our “city slicker” delegation, whose only skill is prancing around in their expensive suits like a bunch of bantam roosters.
By Jay Bookman
May 22, 2008 7:54 PM | Link to this
Overlord, I wish I could disagree…
By bobg237
May 22, 2008 10:21 PM | Link to this
Jay it time for the people to say the word from Network . WE ARE MAD AS HELL were are not going to take any more.
Your coloum hit right the head. We need to hold on the the Seantors and House polticans that vote against the bill be called out in public forum and asked why. In ATL it time for action not just talk. For the last couple of week you have great articles along with Maria Sporta it time for the AJC to post the people who voted aganist the in full page so they can answer to people. It time for the power people to send message to.