Legislators leave voters in traffic jam

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

That about describes why many Atlanta businessmen and women are so angry about the debacle that just ended under the Gold Dome.

MY OPINION: THOMAS OLIVER
• Send an e-mail

RECENT COLUMNS
[an error occurred while processing this directive] • More Thomas Oliver

For the second year in a row, the Legislature failed to pass a transportation sales tax amendment — one that would allow a regional sales tax to fund local projects.

This, despite pledges, promises, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, drinks, cigars and campaign contributions.

“There is so much outrage,” says Bill Linginfelter, one of the metro chamber’s point people on transportation and lead executive of Regions Bank’s North Georgia operations.

He said he’s not taking some calls from angry business executives, as he needs time to calm down himself.

This is deja vu.

Last year, the business community was spitting mad after the constitutional amendment lost on the last day by three votes in the Senate. This session, the Senate passed it, but the House threw a statewide sales tax in as the way to go.

This despite all the research that shows a statewide sales tax for transportation failing at the ballot box.

“No state in 15 years has passed a statewide transportation sales tax,” says Sam Williams, president of the metro chamber.

Williams remembers 25 years ago when another failure of state leadership led to our banking center moving to Charlotte.

As the rest of the states allowed their banks to grow by becoming statewide banks, Georgia lawmakers wouldn’t allow banks to branch beyond their own county. They were protecting their home county banks. By the time they allowed statewide banking, it was too late.

Much bigger, stronger North Carolina banks gobbled up all of our banks but the present-day SunTrust.

Charlotte is the banking capital of the South.

All because our provincial legislators and state leaders couldn’t do what needed doing.

Williams worries, rightfully, that this generation of legislators and leaders are going to fiddle away our economy.

You don’t need a survey to believe businesses are thinking twice about relocating to an area known for our kind of traffic congestion.

Just ask yourself: If you had a choice, would you drive in this mess?

Linginfelter said eventually the business community will have to decide how to continue pushing the issue, as the alternative is unthinkable.

Williams said the chamber would advise its members not to support any candidate for any legislative or statewide office that can’t support the regional sales tax plan.

“If we can’t deal with this, you might as well close down the borders,” Linginfelter said.

Georgia’s days of economic growth will be over.