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DEL.ICIO.USTraffic in metro Atlanta: Shifting the emphasis from whittled wallets to whittled lives
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Saturday morning, connected by cell phone and BlackBerry, those who worry most about metro Atlanta’s infamous traffic congestion sifted through the rubble.
Just before midnight Friday, a regional sales tax for transportation became one of the last, many things left undone by the 2008 Georgia General Assembly.
A $5 million campaign to persuade voters to endorse it on a November ballot was shelved immediately, of course. And supporters will be back in the state Capitol next January.
But first they’ll have to analyze what went wrong.
To say that the issue of transportation in metro Atlanta suffers from a lack of political leadership is to say nothing new.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has become famous for his disinterest in the plight of the poor slobs who can spend three hours of each working day sucking carbon monoxide. The entire concept of regional sales taxes, levied by local referendum, was an end-run around the governor’s unwillingness to tackle the problem.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle — although he was first to pitch the idea of a penny sales tax for traffic woes — in the end showed no willingness to risk any political capital on behalf of commuters.
But the real reason that traffic congestion lacks clout in the state Capitol may have less to do with leadership, and more to do with the two-dimensional manner in which the issue has been cast.
Business people of power communicate with political people of power in terms that both understand. They speak of the rise and falls of empires, of the need to keep the state’s economic machine churning, which maintains the flow of tax revenues — and gives lawmakers something to spend.
No doubt they make an excellent point. Atlanta’s fortune was made decades ago when it chose to construct a major airport, while its Alabama rival hesitated. Perhaps Friday was a Birmingham moment for us.
But a topic that is only about economic development is a topic small enough to be trifled with when the Legislature is in session. It risks being snagged by a number of smaller agendas.
“The Metro Atlanta Chamber should have spent more time lobbying for [the transportation sales tax] and less time lobbying against the Grady bill,” growled state Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) shortly after midnight on Friday.
Shafer, who voted against the transportation sales tax, was still smarting from the defeat that morning of his effort to apply strict standards of conduct to the new non-profit board governing Grady Memorial Hospital.
The sales tax legislation fell three shorts vote of the two-thirds majority needed for passage in the Senate. But the measure passed in the House.
The difference may have been House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who — when he’s not challenging the virility of his opponents — can be one of the most eloquent and compelling voices in the Legislature.
In an address from the well on the transportation sales tax last month, Richardson avoided the economics of traffic congestion almost entirely. Instead, he argued as a social conservative.
Government inaction on traffic congestion amounted to the theft of time from families, Richardson said, as he detailed his struggles to drive from downtown Atlanta into Cobb County to see the first pitch of his son’s ballgame.
“How many people are missing a part of their family’s lives? How many people could be home with their family or at the ball game with their son, that are sitting in traffic?” he asked.
Mike Huckabee, at the height of his Republican presidential efforts this winter, made the same point during a stop in Atlanta. He termed traffic congestion — and the missed recitals and suppers it forces — “a waste of social capital.”
Whittled-down wallets spark concern. Millions of whittled-down lives stir passion.
Get Georgia Moving, the coalition pushing the regional sales tax, is a disparate collection of business leaders, government officials, road contractors and environmentalists. They have surprised themselves by hanging together this far.
Next year, they may have another member. Sadie Fields, leader of the Georgia Christian Alliance, says she likes Richardson’s approach to traffic as a family matter. “I think that’s a very good argument,” she said.
When Christian conservatives and the business community form an alliance, they’re very hard to beat, she said. “That’s a marriage that probably should take place.”
Comments
By Jesus Luvs Mexicans
April 6, 2008 7:50 PM | Link to this
God hates pollution but loves black preachers who preach greed so sad so many of my brothers and sisters have fallen 4 an evil fallacy, angry inbred redneck white nobody needs you around attitude acting home boys this ain’t high school grow up man up and love one another
By Mike K.
April 6, 2008 8:24 PM | Link to this
No surprise that this didn’t even come up for a vote. They did have many more things to vote on, like University of Florida tags, or those evil and dangerous marsupials.
The sad thing is that, for all the complaining that goes on in this blog (Dems and Reps), the same clowns will be reelected once again.
By bubba
April 6, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this
The reason this thing failed is Casey Cagle.
his own leadership votes against it. He offers no solid leadership.
The score is simple - Glenn passed it through his House. Cagle failed to pass it in his Senate.
When these guys want to find the person responsible for it failing the can start and stop at the LGs office.
casey is now seen for what he is - an incredibly weak liar and bs-machine.
By Bearded Lady
April 6, 2008 9:02 PM | Link to this
white folk think they so smart look at your best pathetic quit judging by color start loving one another for its just sunshine and freckles 4 shizel
By Zathras
April 6, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this
It’s a strange thing: in 2002 George elected its first Republican governor since Reconstruction, and the next year Kentucky elected its first Republican governor in in almost 40 years.
These were important political events, marking major shifts in the political landscape in each state. One might have expected that after all the effort devoted to making them happen, Republicans would have been anxious to validate their work on the campaign trail by striving to accomplish something significant in government.
What actually happened was that Sonny Perdue rested on his approval ratings; no one could budge him. In Kentucky, Ernie Fletcher managed to get himself and much of his immediate staff indicted in a patronage scandal. Last fall, running for reelection, Fletcher barely managed to win 40% of the vote.
I know what Atlanta traffic is like. I know it has gotten worse in the last several years. It shouldn’t take deep, creative intellectual arguments for Georgia’s political leadership to want to do something about it; one would think they’d be almost desperate to do something about it. The Republican Party’s leader doesn’t want to do anything about anything, and the rest of the party can’t bring themselves to challenge him directly. All that time out of power; all that work to get into office. Why on earth did they bother?
By RJ
April 7, 2008 12:19 AM | Link to this
I feel your disappointment Zathras and a lot of Georgians feel the pain of the inaction of this ruling crowd.
These Republicans have blown a golden opportunity. They have disregarded real conservatives with exponential growth in government, e.g., creation of new departments and city governments. They have disregarded the religious right with corruption and inaction on abortion. They have alienated the rest of us with sheer arrogant incompetence.
By Craig also
April 7, 2008 4:16 AM | Link to this
well said, zathras and RJ.
By GodHatesTrash
April 7, 2008 6:22 AM | Link to this
Let’s face it - since the 1970s and Nixon’s Southern Strategy, the GOP has been the party of the incompetent lazy stupid redneck.
Seriously, look at the trash the GOP has put forward for candidates. Perdoofus is a gawddamn joke, like so many in his party.
Trash.
By Will Jones
April 7, 2008 7:33 AM | Link to this
Atlanta’s traffic is the best for any major city in the world. Naysayers looking to cut more out of citizens’ pockets should just change jobs. Thank you Georgia Legislature for not raising a new tax.
Sadie Fields is a pathetic joke. All is revealed.
Our Nation’s troubles will disappear if we restore righteousness in government. The hypocrites and traitors must be expelled.
By Jeff
April 7, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this
Georgians, just like all Americans, should sit back and reflect on what voting for Republicans has gotten us. Debt, out-of-control spending, war, religious freaks that force their views on everyone, lack of leadership, ……… Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, eh?
By taxpayer
April 7, 2008 2:52 PM | Link to this
maybe Sadie & Sonny can pray for traffic to go away…
By Ga Voter
April 7, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
Rap yourself in Jesus and the flag and you will win every time regardless of your ethics, morals, or principles.
By Eric
April 7, 2008 9:19 PM | Link to this
Sadie Fields joining Get Georgia Moving? You’ve got to be kidding! Okay, Georgia citizens, it’s time to march in protest!
By Will Jones
April 8, 2008 8:54 AM | Link to this
I just drove 285 to take my kids to school. The traffic flies…all lanes…Atlantans together making it work. Car tags were from California, New Mexico, New Hampshire, New York and Pennsylvania.
Americans are coming here because we have it better: better climate, better air, better traffic, better people.
What we don’t have is righteous government in Washington. Atlanta and Georgia must cull those in politics and leadership who are collaborating with the traitors who committed 9-11 to send us to false war: Bush, Cheney, and those in the bi-partisan false-elite who have no interest in justice for King and Kennedy, or for The People and the Constitution.
G-d gave us rain and will give us the means to extirpate fascist plutocracy and the Roman Anti-Christ, as well.
Atlanta traffic: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Washington politics: Death for treason.
By Daedalus
April 8, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this
Its always amusing to watch “conservatives” attempt to disown the GOP.
The sales tax failed because the GOP and “conservatives” couldn’t divert enough of the proposed tax from those that pay —metro Atlantans — to those that don’t — South Georgia counties and the ‘fergit hell’ crowd in the Mountains.
Perdue, Cagle, Richardson, et al., don’t give a stick about fixing traffic — they don’t live here — they just want to assure the rednecks back home that whatever the metro Atlanta governments want — the state won’t deliver. Since they can no longer openly race-bait the GOP has to be subtle — and bashing Atlanta (gays, blacks,liberals, etc.) is the easiest way to do that.
As long as Atlanta suburbanites vote in lockstep with the GOP nothing will be done about traffic — instead we will buld some very nice, but empty, 4-lane roads in South Georgia.
As for Sadie Fields and the right-wing christian hate machine — as soon as they learn that, horrors, there are gay people working to improve Atlanta traffic too —- the Christians will bail. God forbids them to ever agree with a homosexual on anything.
By Will Jones
April 8, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
Wear the effects of your father’s molesting you as a badge of “honor” all you want…or your uncle, or your mother’s boyfriend, or your priest.
Be at peace with yourself, where you are…but please don’t try to assert your perversion as the ruling norm in what should be the guiding light for Georgia and America: Atlanta.
Enjoy the genuine liberal climate as America’s Founding Fathers intended…for E Pluribus Unum…but please don’t forget we came here to escape “European effeminacy” and do not wish to be ruled by corruption inherent in degraded, anti-republican society, whether from homosexual fascists in the closet like Bush and the Roman Fifth Column’s pedophile priesthood, by out gays who want to proselytize children, or the uninformed, unenlightened who need someone to hate to feel good about themselves.
Why give the hypocrites something to hit you with?
Good fences make good neighbors. Mutual respect, tolerance, integrity.
Let’s get the corruption out of Atlanta…not add to it.
By Meatbone Johnson
April 8, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this
Will, Jesus was gay.