AJC.com > Opinion > Opinion Talk > Archives > 2008 > April > 02 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTraffic wreck for commuters?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Are you tired of sitting in traffic every morning and evening? Are you fed up with wasting an hour on a trip that should take 10 minutes? Are you getting angry waiting for elected officials to address the problem?
Well, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and members of the state Senate have a message for you: too bad. They believe you won’t mind much if they make you wait another year or more for help. Or maybe a lot longer than that, like never.
Last week, the state House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to give metro Atlanta a tool to addresss its transportation mess. With approval by the Senate, and then by voters in November, metro Atlanta and other regions would be given the right to raise the sales tax by a penny, with all revenue earmarked to pay for regional transportation projects.
That approach has a lot of merit. Regions where traffic is not a concern would not see their taxes raised. In regions where transportation investment is badly needed, local voters would still have to approve the tax. And tax proceeds could be used for a variety of transportation needs, including options such as commuter rail, light rail and bus rapid transit. (Currently, gas tax revenue —- the major source of state transportation funds —- can be used only for roads and bridges.)
The House approach is so good that, initially, the state Senate passed legislation very much like it. But now, late in the session, Cagle and other Senate leaders have changed their tune dramatically.
They still propose a constitutional amendment on transportation funding, but their new version is barely a sketch of a solution. If voters approve it come November, next year’s Legislature would have to come back to pass still more legislation to put the idea into effect.
State Sen. Jeff Mullis, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, claims the new proposal would be more popular with voters because it is simpler to understand. But it is simpler because it does nothing, and voters would have no idea what they were voting to approve.
If voters approve the Senate version, the Legislature could decide next year to take a regional approach. But it might not. The tax in question might be a one-penny sales tax. Or two pennies, or a tenth of a penny, or no tax at all. It might allow funding for transit, or it might not.
Transportation funding will be the the most important piece of legislation enacted this session. Voters shouldn’t sit idly by while the Senate sabotages the effort
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By Daedalus
April 2, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this
No surprise here. Cagle does not care about metro Atlanta traffic — what he really wants to do is find a way to siphon off more tax revenues from metro Atlanta to the rest of the state.
Governor Perdue has wasted his two terms in office when it comes to addressing basic infrastructure needs.
The Governor, Lt. Governor and House/Senate all ran on anti-Atlanta campaigns so its no surprise that this legislation has been scuttled.
The GOP message to metro Atlanta commuters: Enjoy Your Car!
By Roger Coley
April 2, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
State government is responsible for providing transportation for its citizens. I am so fed up with this state’s total disregard to provide for the needs of the people of Georgia. The one cent additional sales tax is an easy way to fund transit. Since Roy Barnes left office, mass transit projects have come to a screeching halt. The tape on Gov. Perdue’s “Fast Forward” program seems to have broken. It’s plan that has no teeth because all it seems to do is address traffic flow.
By now, we should have a new multi-modal terminal downtown that provides commuter and Amtrak rail service, Greyhound and commuter bus service. We also should have by now, commuter rail service to Macon and Athens at the very least. MARTA needs to be extended further, whether its by heavy or light rail.
Unfortunately, the government of this state would rather sit on its hands and flap its lips producing nothing but hot air. Meanwhile the people and the economy of Georgia suffer in loss of time for families and loss of business, which translates to loss of jobs and revenue.
Maybe my kids will get to use transit - if they don’t move away first.
By Steve
April 2, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this
Time to vote these idiots out of office - we need new blood.
Like more Democrats.
By PJ
April 2, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
The representatives from across the state say they are against gambling, but they seem perfectly willing to bet that gas is going to continue to be cheap enough to allow us to travel around the way we always have. What kind of leaders put all their eggs in one basket in the face of evidence that major economic shifts are on the horizon? Those representatives that so love their supposed rural lifestyle are going to get thier wishes as the state’s economy loses out to better prepared neighbor states like North Carolina and Tennessee.
By atlcrooks
April 2, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
Another scam by corrupt Ga politicians to get money for pet projects all over the state, to pay back their friends and contributors. It never ends in this corrupt state. I may move!
By Kick the Bums out!
April 2, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
Vote the bums out of office. Tax and spend; fee and spend. It’s all the same thing. Let these legislators drive from Alpharetta to Stockbridge in friday afternoon traffic, then see what they will have to say.
By SUBURBAN OVERLORD
April 2, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this
Sonny “The Obstructionist” Perdue and Casey “Judas” Cagle killed this referendum and there will be repercussions. Their actions show they have no plan, don’t want anyone else to have a plan, and will obstruct local initiatives to local problems. This is about power and they want it.
And metro Atlanta was worried about Glen Richardson being power hungry? We now know who is trying to fix problems, the Georgia House and Glen Richardson.
Metro Atlanta’s state senators are an absolute embarrassment! Why do they hate their own home communities so much? Try explaining at election time that you don’t think your own constituents are smart enough to decide if they want to tax themselves. Thanks for showing your true “Nanny Government” colors Sonny, Judas, and the Georgia senate!
“Judas” Cagle should not even think about getting support for a run for Governor from metro Atlanta. You have failed to back up your words with actions, lied to many people over the last month, and have shown your true slime ball colors. Metro elected officials and the businesses community will treat you like the leper you are from now on.
By PudHead
April 2, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
The dumacrats had control for over 100 years, why aren’t all of Georgia’s problems fixed?
By GaLiberal
April 2, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this
What a complete surprise. I didn’t know that traffic was a crisis in Atlanta. So glad Rethuglicons like Mr. Cagle are trying to “help” us. Let’s not forget the Rethuglicons reworked the road project funding formula to divert gas tax money paid by metro drivers to fund rural projects. Like the downtown bypass in Vidalia to relieve ‘congestion.’ So Atlanta, the economic Golden Goose, chokes to death on smog and gridlock.
This penny sales tax option is not for traffic relief. It’s just another method for ensuring a large Rethuglicon turnout for the November election. Like all the anti-gay legislation the Rethuglicons put on the ballot in 2004. Cagle knows the Rethuglicon anti-taxe bootlickers will turn out in large numbers to make sure this fails.
When you vote Rethuglicon, you vote against your own best interests. And Atlanta’s gridlock mess is living proof.
By Rex
April 2, 2008 2:15 PM | Link to this
I agree with most of previous blogs. I do not trust any Republican or Democrat from Georgia with any of MY tax that I pay. If they all resigned tomorrow, I wonder if the government of Georgia would fare better.
By fed-up
April 2, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
It is incredible to me that they have time to have beauty queens of all ages and try to pass bills like the one that would have made state employees lose weight, but it would have excluded department heads and higher-ups in state gov’t… good thing state employees were saved from that one… too bad Sonny hasn’t followed suit with that. I am sick and tired of these so-called lawmakers who are willing to tackle the easy fluff pieces of legislation and to heck with the ones that really need addressing and matter most… I cannot believe my tax dollars pay for this crap they dish out… who exactly are they serving? Oh wait I know the answer to that- themselves!