Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2009 > February > 16 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPerdue’s transportation reorg goes public
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Updated at 4:40 p.m.
In a press conference that just finished, Senate President pro tem Tommie Williams of Lyons, the ranking member of the chamber, announced he would be carrying Gov. Sonny Perdue’s legislation to reorganize the state’s transportation agencies.
Legislation with details — the measure now stands at 100 pages — could be out as soon as Wednesday. Williams, Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) and state Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) all described the current, constitutionally created Department of Transportation to be dysfunctional.
“This is truly a transportation revolution that we’re embarking on,” said Mullis, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. Rail as well as roads would be under the new organization’s jurisdiction.
In numbers, the reorganization wouldn’t be a record-breaker. About 6,100 state employees are involved at one of the state’s several agencies. But in terms of power and money, the reorganization sparked by Perdue would be one of the most influential to hit state government in decades.
Under the plan, which Perdue drew up with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson, two agencies — the State Road and Tollway Authority and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority — would disappear.
In their place would be a State Transportation Authority, whose board would be appointed by the governor, House speaker, and lieutenant governor.
The governor would appoint the board chairman, and the executive director, who would be known as the Secretary of Transportation.
“We’re actually doing away with two agencies, SRTA and GRTA, and creating one. So we’re having one less agency, but with more power. And we’re downsizing the power of the [Department of Transportation],” Williams said.
The DOT, which for decades has determined road policy for the state, would be required to bid for work from the State Transportation Authority — which would also have the power to contract with private entities.
“At the current time, we know [the DOT will] still do maintenance and supervision of state routes that they’re doing currently. I don’t anticipate the regional offices changing a lot,” Williams said. “It’s primarily the funding and planning that would go to STA. And I’m assuming they’ll take some of those planning engineers and financial folks from the department, to the new department.”
Many members of the business community have been critical of the Perdue administration for ignoring transportation during most of his two terms as governor. Williams conceded that the reorganization under consideration could cost more time.
“It’s going to take a couple of years to get all those projects moved from one agency to another agency,” Williams said.
The ranking member of the Senate said he didn’t know whom the governor had in mind to become the first Secretary of Transportation.
Passage would concentrate a great deal of power into the hands of the governor and two legislative leaders — power that’s now dispersed among 13 members of the State Transportation Board of Commissioners, who are by turn chosen by state lawmakers in each of Georgia’s 13 congressional districts.
Said Williams:
”The [new] agency also has the power to propose 90 percent of the projects that qualify based on what we think is good sound science and economics and the need for capacity.
“We’ll have the power over part of the purse. We’re giving up power to elect the board. One of our frustrations with the department now is we have no power over the purse, so we can’t control their agency like we do others, saying these are the programs that we think are most important.”
Much of this has to do with private-public partnerships on giant road construction projects, which Williams has pushed for over five years - and which Perdue explored on a recent trip to Europe.
“Many have done concession agreements that have been very beneficial to states and cities and we can’t get one out the door. We don’t have the best track record there. It’s time to move on and let some of these projects,” Williams said.
The Senate president pro tem said he was currently tinkering with the bill to make sure that rural legislators wouldn’t feel left out of a system that would shift from geographical inclusion to domination by elected officials, two of three of whom are elected statewide.
Two SPLOST initiatives for increased transportation spending — one regional and the other statewide — are now before the legislature.
The initiative unveiled by Williams eliminates Democratic participation in transportation policy-making, which some fear could deep-six both SPLOST proposal. Democrats would be required for the two-thirds majority necessary for passage.
Said Williams:
“I’m not anxious to proceed without some support by the Democrats. And frankly, You can ask any Democrat in the metro area. You’ve had your board members, you’ve had that influence, and you even had the power some years ago. How did that improve transit in Atlanta? The answer, is hasn’t.
“Why not try this new approach? They’re listening. And we want them on board. They’re thinking, and we’re listening to their recommendations.”
My AJC colleague Ariel Hart talked to DOT board chairman Bill Kuhlke, who didn’t quite no what to say — there not being anything on paper yet.
“We work for the legislators,” said Kuhlke. “Whatever they present to us we’re going to have to live with.”
However, the DOT board chairman rejected criticism that the board and DOT are currently dysfunctional.
“I think we’re doing an exceptional job,” Kuhlke said, noting that the quality of Georgia’s roads consistently ranks among the highest in the nation. “Our problem right now is funding,” he said. “The state is growing rapidly. It’s almost impossible to keep up with new roads and the increase in population of the state on an annual basis.”
Comments
By Bulletheads
February 16, 2009 12:25 PM | Link to this
Does anyone really believe this is not another power grab by Sonny? Just who do you think will be the new “Secretary of Transportation” other than Sonny’s puppet Gena Evans, the current GDOT Commissioner! This is the same woman who has made a laughingstock out of GDOT amoungst other states Transportation officials all over the country with all the headlines about her pornographic emails & sexual relationships with people in postions of authority at companies doing business with the state agencies she has run. Then there is the matter of her current position at GDOT, Sonny’s candidate, which she was given after her now husband broke the tie as the then Chairman of the GDOT Board. I hope the Board is satisfied & happy that it will be “gutted” when this legislation is passed because this was Sonny’s plan all along & they fell for it. Idiots!
By DAVID CLARK
February 16, 2009 12:34 PM | Link to this
It sure is funny how Ga. has the best roads in the south. getting rid of D.O.T. would be a big mistake.That what Sonny WANTS ! POWER. PAD HIS POCKETS! GOING FISHING AT SONNY’S NEW LAKE.AND LETS SEE IF WE CAN BORROW MONEY LIKE HE DOES AT 21 MILLION DOLLARS, WITH ONLY 6 MILLION TO SHOW FAR IT.GREAT POLITICS. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE 13 BOARD MEMBERS? MORE GOVERMENT HIP HIP HOOORA!
By The Facts Are The Facts
February 16, 2009 1:27 PM | Link to this
Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, and Georgia State House Of Representative Speaker Glenn Richardson are some of the most corrupt, noncaring, and do-nothing politians the state of Georgia have ever had.
This is just a power grab by all three and it does nothing to help the great citizens of the state of Georgia.
Governor Perdue has been a sorry do-nothing, ineffective, and absentee governor basically throughout his seven plus years as governor.
Georgia Speaker Glenn Richardson is a mean, nasty, vile, and ruthless politican who like Governor Perdue only caters to the rich, white, rural, good-ole-boys in the state of Georgia and does things that only benefit the priviledged few and their wealthy campaign contributors.
Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle tries to take the high road, but he too is corrupt, shady, sneaky, and only caters to the rich white people in Georgia.
The Georgia Department Of Transportation has always been a haven for elected officials to reward their campaign contributors with lucrative, rich government contracts and with these three making radical changes to create the State Transportation Authority where these three can appoint the board members with the Governor appointing the Board Chairman and the Executive Director which would serve as the Secretary Of Transportation shows their extreme arrogance in knowing the the majority Republican Party which controls the state of Georgia Senate and House Of Representatives will rubber stamp and pass into law anything these corrupt, dishonest, deceitful, shady, and thieving three submit for votes.
This massive reorganization undertaking is not good for the state of Georgia and again shows that the state of Georgia is one of the most corrupt states in the United States with a gutless, do-nothing teethless Governor, mean, ruthless, and nogood Speaker of the House Of Representatives, shady, sneaky, distrustful Lieutenant Governor, and a cowardly, toothless, no-independent, sorry, ineffective, not-for-the-people State Senators and House Republicians Members who are just the lapdogs to these three who will pass anything these three do, which in this case, is not good at all for the citizens of this great state of Georgia.
The Georgia Department Of Transportation should stay the way it is and the other two state transportation agencies, The State Road And Tollway Authority and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority should stay just as they are.
By Itsmeagain
February 16, 2009 1:28 PM | Link to this
Caps lock is cruise control for cool
By Tax Payer
February 16, 2009 1:37 PM | Link to this
You’ve got to be kidding me…. I can’t believe these people are getting paid to rob the taxpayers. I honestly do not see how they sleep at night… do they think we do not realize what is going on?
By Tax Payer
February 16, 2009 1:38 PM | Link to this
You’ve got to be kidding me…. I can’t believe these people are getting paid to rob the taxpayers. I honestly do not see how they sleep at night… do they think we do not realize what is going on? Purdue is bankrupting the state.
By The Facts Are The Facts
February 16, 2009 2:15 PM | Link to this
The paragraph in this news story that reads,”Passage would concentrate a great deal of power into the hands of the governor and two legislative leaders-power that’s now dispersed among 13 members of the State Transportation Board Of Commissioners, who are by turn chosen by state lawmakers in each of Georgia’s 13 Congressional Districts” says it all: these three corrupt state leaders are only doing this to enrich and profit themselves and reward their wealthy campaign contributors who have contributed massively to their election campaigns and organizations by creating a powerful supreme transportation agency that only these three control to funnel, channel, and siphon massive amounts of money that the state of Georgia will receive from the federal government from the massive 787 Billion Dollar Stimilus Plan that was passed by both United States Senate and House of Reprensentative chambers last week to themselves through “outside other agencies” that they have set up to further enrich, profit, and reward themselves when they leave office.
Both the State Of Georgia Republicians who presently control both chambers of the State Senate and House Of Representatives and the Democrats would be complete FOOLS, MORONS, IMBECILES, IGNORANT LACKEYS AND LAPDOGS if they pass this massive plan that only benefits Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Govenor Casey Cagle, and State House Of Representative Speaker Glenn Richardson and only them and not the great citizens of this great state of Georgia.
By Just an Opinion of an Engineer
February 16, 2009 3:05 PM | Link to this
At a time when the State Budget is stretched due to many variables, it has become apparent that cost cutting measures must be taken. This is how this plan will WORK:
Removing the biggest burden to the tax payers- GDOT EMPLOYEES. There are many fine people in the department, however many do not produce anything that is not replicated by another employee. The benefits and retirement packages are a burden to the state monies. 60% of time all Managers and Engineers spend their days dealing with personnel issues or related personnel functions. The GDOT could immediately remove the following Offices that CURRENTLY have consultants on contract that provide services: PLANNING DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT PROCUREMENT DAILY HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TIER II, III, TRAFFIC DATA MAPPING GIS EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE PURCHASING
I know there are going to be GDOT Employees who will read this and be very upset, but those who have skills will benefit from experience and work those companies that will be awarded contracts to fill these voids. The burden is now on the companies to provide a low cost high yield return. And the tax payers of Georgian will see their monies spent on items they will see in the streets, roads, signs, safety and the quick turn on projects. PAYROLL or PROJECTS, I would choose PROJECTS everyday of the week. Those employable will become employed by these companies.
The U.S.ARMY CORPS OF ENGINNERS, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTION VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION all have in place a system that works like this,
STATE hires a CONSULTANT to oversee all related work for a group of projects, the consultant staffs a group of Transportation Engineers, Planners and Designers who write the plans, develop the plans and BID OUT the Projects. A CONTRACTOR is hired to build the jobs and do the work. The GDOT would manage the Consultants and Contractor. The consultants insure the contractors meet all GDOT Specifications and Guidelines. Consultants and Contractors are MANAGED by GDOT Engineers who verify and APPROVE all expenditures and cost and changes made to the Projects. In other words the GDOT Becomes the MANAGEMENT Company for all work. This system is very successful and eliminates those monies spent on repetitive task inside the department. JUST THE FACTS and Yes this is a POWER GRAB, but eliminating jobs that do not Produce anything is long OVERDUE.
By Chris Broe
February 16, 2009 3:22 PM | Link to this
I luv the guv!
By JJacket
February 16, 2009 3:41 PM | Link to this
Wow, now the good old boys can really make sure their home district is taken care of at the expense of the rest of us. Our governor just oozes corruption.
By Sonny sucks!
February 16, 2009 3:48 PM | Link to this
If you do not like the governor’s plan, I urge you all to e-mail him about it. Also, e-mail your representatives and other legislators. Let them know that this plan is not acceptable to the voter/taxpayer!
By powergrab?
February 16, 2009 3:50 PM | Link to this
This is nothing new for Georgia. The previous Governor tried (GRTA) but failed on his way out. DOT needs overhauling. Various attempts to do so have only created new organizations at the tax payers expense.
The good news should be more work for the private sector and fewer State employees drawing a salary (nothing against them, just a fact).
The other good news is that it should remove some of the power the non populated parts of the State have on statewide transportation planning (but likely not spending).
Sure, it is a power grab from some power hungry folks. Just remember, they will not always been in those positions. I only hope we don’t have to see a complete leadership wipe after every election cycle.
As far as money goes, there isn’t much left over after the payments are made to all the bonds Purdue has issued. Can’t remember the percentage of DOT money that goes to debt but it is ridiculous.
Now, Marta needs to truly become regional and Atlanta should sell the Airport
By Jessica
February 16, 2009 3:54 PM | Link to this
Well,well, well. The rest of Georgia is learning what a lot of us have known for year. Georgia is a politically corrupt, good ole boy state. Let’s hurry and get Perdue THE HELL OUT OF OFFICE and pray this sneaky move proves to the voters of Georgia that Cagle and Richardson CANNOT BE TRUSTED! Don’t vote for either of these devils that have no interest in the people of Georgia only in the REPUBLICAN PARTY BEING IN CONTROL OF THE ENTIRE STATE!!!!!
By JT
February 16, 2009 4:02 PM | Link to this
Having worked for the GADOT for a while, I can tell you that it is chock-full of the proverbial “government employees”. Projects are poorly planned and oversight is non-existent. Cost overruns are SOP.
There was no set of standards by which managers operated and each manager created his/her own little empire and acted as dictator over it. And why not? They had no cause to expect that they would ever lose their job!
If government employees were measured by the same types of standards that private companies’ employees are, you would see few, if any, of the same faces after they were assessed.
I can recall many incidents of wasteful mangement, but will recount one here:
When a project’s male manager was replaced by a female manager, though the project was well over 60% complete, rather than make adjustments to her liking, she threw out all the work that had been done, replaced the entire project team (to one that had no experience with that type of project) and implemented a new set of guidelines and practices that were in opposition to the needed goal for the project.
Management said nothing.
Instead the deliverable date for the project was simply pushed back by over two years and determined to be “over budget”. Nothing more was said.
That would never happen in private business. Money, time, effort are too precious. Only government workers can justify wasting money like that.
And why not? They just go back to the well for more.
And we, the taxpayers are either too weak minded to do anything about it OR the people in charge who are supposed to provide oversight are so out of their league they wouldn’t know a problem until it bit them in the rear end.
I say remove the layers of government but don’t replace it with other government leaders.
By Dude
February 16, 2009 4:23 PM | Link to this
PRIVATIZE- PRIVATIZE-PRIVATIZE- DUMP THE WASTE OF GDOT EMPLOYEES WE CAN NOT WAIT AND BECOME ANOTHER CALIFORNIA, WASTEFUL JOBS PROGRAMS IS ALL THE GDOT IS. YEAH A FEW PROJECTS GET BY BUT MOST OF THE MONEY IS WASTED ON EMPLOYEES.
NAME ONE JOB THE GOVERNMENT DOES BETTER THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR? OH I FORGOT ONE….WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TAKE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY AND GIVING IT TO OTHERS WHO SEND IT BACK TO MEXICO AND NEVER PAY A DIME IN TAXES.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
February 16, 2009 4:59 PM | Link to this
The United States Military.
By david clark
February 16, 2009 5:19 PM | Link to this
SONNY,SONNY,SONNY, LETS SEE? YOU GOT YOURSELF A 23 MILLION $ LAKE , A 21 MILLION $$$$$ LOAN ON 6 MILLION $ ASSSETS .A STATE THATS LOOSING JOBS LEFT & RIGHT .YOU WANT TO HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER WHO GETS THE BIDS INSTEAD OF A 13 MEMBER BOARD .LETS SEE THAT GOVERMENT MONEY POCKETS GET FATTER!!!! O BY THE WAY LETS PUT GENA INCHARGE SHE REALLY KNOWS HOW TO SPREAD THE WEALTH ! IT SURE IS FUNNY HOW YOU CAN ONLY BUILD WHAT YOU CAN WITH ONLY THE MONEY YOU HAVE. SEAMS THE G.D.O.T. CAN’T LOANS LIKE YOU! ALSO BEAN OUT OF STATE WHO’S GOT THE BEAST ROADS TO RIDE ON? ALA., TENN., S.C., FLA.,I DONT THINK SO.ALL THESE STATES ARE DONE THIS WAY!IS THIS WHAT WE WANT,THE GOVERMENT HAVEING FULL CONTROL OVER EVERYTHING!RUSSIA SAID U.S.A. WILL FALL THIS WAY. BIG BROTHER DOING AND WE SAY YES MASTER !!!!!
By BigPoppa
February 16, 2009 5:46 PM | Link to this
“A CONTRACTOR is hired to build the jobs and do the work. The GDOT would manage the Consultants and Contractor. The consultants insure the contractors meet all GDOT Specifications and Guidelines. Consultants and Contractors are MANAGED by GDOT Engineers who verify and APPROVE all expenditures and cost and changes made to the Projects. In other words the GDOT Becomes the MANAGEMENT Company for all work. This system is very successful”
Sure is! that’s how GDOT currently operates!
By Hey Dude
February 16, 2009 6:49 PM | Link to this
All you people saying like Dude, your a Moron, Ask Florida or Alabama, they did the same thing, guess what? it put them back 20 years. Yaaa get rid of the state workers and replace them with contractors for 3 times the money. Guess what LESS ROADS THAN NOW. Alabama and Florida already proved that. So please look around at other states and see what they have done before making stupid comments. This is a Power Grab plain and Simple, Gena Evan said in 2005-2006 DOT had plenty of money like a billion, then it mysteriously disapeared. Don’t you remember Sonny Purdues Fast Forward program, He drained the DOT. What Georgians DO NOT FACE is the fact, you don’t get nothing for free. We have had the same gas tax since the 70’s 3 cents on the gallon, with inflation it should be 43 cents. Oh God you would have a heart attack about that. But thats what its going to take to fix Georgias highways, rails etc… BILLIONS. So till your ready to pony up and pay some taxes and quit complaining about it, I would shut up.GDOT has been in the top 10 and No.1 of the DOTs for the last 18 years. THe Chinese, Russians, and alot of countries come not to Florida, not to California, they come to Georgia to learn how to build roads. So I guess were Good at something. People forget most of GDOT Engineers are Georgia Tech grads. You have to pay to get the roads built and the FAT MAN at the top has to approve of that, instead he would rather try to grab anything he can get his hands on before he leaves. You cannot spend money on education and health till you fix transportaion. Transportation should be No.1 people don’t move to Georgia, jobs don’t come to Georgia, etc…… So it really doesn’t matter about Health and Education till you fix Transportation where they will come here.
Also here’e a bright one the senate transportation board wants the DOT to figure how to do the Chattanooga to Atlanta Maglev train. It costs about 200 million a mile, plus DOT has to buy the land, plus you have to have power the thing all the way up. Like this will really help congestion in Atlanta, ask yourself really how many times would you take a train to Chattanooga? seriously? To Jacksonville FLA it might be a good idea, because people will go to the beach. But just like our glorious leaders, connecting the state that spends 49th in the nation on transportation with the state thats spends 50th with the most expensive train in the world that will go 260 MPH. Talk about stupidity?
*Think Road Island spends more money on their roads than Georgia I blame that on Sonny Purdue, Casey Cagle and Glenn Richardson the Three Amigos. *
By Cost overuns
February 16, 2009 7:01 PM | Link to this
One person on here, I think it was Engineer said, we have cost overuns all the time? Your a Engineer? right? You design things, you don’t build things like the actual construction of the thing. There are almost ALWAYS cost overuns, ask any buisness if they said they didn’t have any they would be LYING in your face. We bid a job at a cost, get the land build, get what, something goes up in price, cost overuns, so we QUIT the project? NOOOO we finish it, thats part of construction. To somebody to say something that stupid, get out of the office and get on the jobsite and see how it goes together and what the workers actually go thru and what happens, like unexplained things they ran into building it.
And like Big Poppa said, all the roads we build ARE consultants, the scratch and sniff brigrade are the contractors it is not DOT. We check to see if their following the plans up to code.
By DannyX
February 16, 2009 7:01 PM | Link to this
This stupid idea is right up there with Sonny’s stupid natural gas deregulation plan. Why did we elect this idiot twice?
The corruption and politics this would add to the already useless DOT would be a catastrophic.
Clayton County schools and government officials would be an improvement over the clowns in our state government.
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
February 16, 2009 7:06 PM | Link to this
I love the smell of stupid in the morning.
I just wish I’d been able to get out of this pox of a state before the Republicans were done ruining it.
By DannyX-guess what
February 16, 2009 7:13 PM | Link to this
Clayton leader would do better. Gena Evans the head of DOT Sonny Purdues Buddy, he hired Ericka Davis as her head of communications. She was the president of the Clayton County school board that utterly failed. But Gena’s MO has always been like at GBA, fire 40% of the staff and leave the place wrecked more than it was before she came. They are glad she’s gone. She hired somebody that should be on the top of the DO NOT HIRE list but she did anyway. Your tax dollars at work.
By Genas Buddies
February 16, 2009 7:22 PM | Link to this
Besides Ericka Davis, she hired a total of 21 people at 100K jobs, thats about 2.1 million extra, and we scratch our heads what they do? Her buddies that know all her secrets?
Als since we know so much about Gena her sex life and all, I bet she will eventually run for Governor. She is a politician thru and thru and hardcore republican.
By Sonny for Dictator
February 16, 2009 7:33 PM | Link to this
This is crazy. All Sonny wants is to be able to get his greedy little hands on the stimulus money meant for road and bridge construction. Destroying the GDOT is a VERY bad idea. Oh, and btw, the reason the DOT’s budget is out of wack is because of ole sonny’s fast forward program. That’s right. He’s the one that wanted to build roads without the funds. Just imagine how bad things will be if he gets his way. I bet the private road contractors or should we say the politicians kin folk can’t wait. You want to know how good private companys work, just go down I75. Years and years of contracts and nothing to show. The only reason anything gets done is because of the GDOT forcing these contractors to get on the ball. I have all of you naysayers know that the GDOT is one of the best organizations in the country and the only downfall is because of ole sonny’s ignorant decisions (Fastforward Program, Gena Evans, Private Contractors). If you want to create jobs and have outstanding roads, then all of Ga’s transportation projects should be done by the DOT. Take a look at the private sector’s laborers. Can you say ILLEGAL ALIENS. Give me a break. Why does FL get the good governer?
By billy j
February 16, 2009 7:38 PM | Link to this
Great to read the comments of some very level headed Georgians. the comment I will make is very simple, it should be used each time something is said about GDOT, simply place this comment in front of or behind each comment made.
GEORGIA HAS THE BEST ROADS AND THE LEAST FUEL TAX.
GDOT must be doing something right, as a matter of fact GDOT does not get all of the fuel tax, it goes into the GENERAL FUNDS and a PORTION is handed out to GDOT.
These are the facts, think about it…………
By BigPoppa
February 16, 2009 7:39 PM | Link to this
Consultants, privatization, free enterprise is going to fix it all. By hiring back the DOT workers that know how to get the job done and pay them MORE money!! How’s that going to save the taxpayers money? Oh, yeah, this scheme isn’t about saving the taxpayers money!
By Aaron Burr V. Mexico
February 16, 2009 7:43 PM | Link to this
Can you really call them Carpet Baggers if they’re home grown?
Ah well.
You get what you vote for. Well….what the majority votes for and the rest of us just have to drive around the pot holes.
By BigPoppa
February 16, 2009 7:48 PM | Link to this
Consultants, privatization, free enterprise is going to fix it all. By hiring back the DOT workers that know how to get the job done and pay them MORE money!! How’s that going to save the taxpayers money? Oh, yeah, this scheme isn’t about saving the taxpayers money!
By cgb
February 16, 2009 11:05 PM | Link to this
I’m not surprised. At this point, I really don’t see how those three are going to improve the lives of us in metro Atlanta. One can cut their disdain for metro Atlanta with a knife. I’ve abandoned all hope for an easy commute. I lowered my expectations and my commute improved. I doubt I’ll ever live long enough to see transit improvements in metro Atlanta.
By Dude
February 16, 2009 11:21 PM | Link to this
Hey Biggie Small Thinker,
You must never leave the state. Alabama has never privatized a thing, nothing, zero. Florida has gone 75% privitization and 10% prison labor to replace signs, guardrails, and ditch cleaning.- Get your facts right you DOT EMPLOYEE CLOWN. Right now in the state GDOT if you added the cost and the expense for the DOT Person, vehicle and Comp time to a “job letting” for a 1 million dollar job you would add almost 350,000 more dollars to the project. Those are the facts. Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and the FHWA are 75% private and their tax burden is almost 30% lower than in Georgia. Hey Biggie Clown- how many people in your office actually produce something? As for the “Engineers” comments, he is right, flat out right, and the GDOT employees each year do less and less and since 1995 has become a JOBS PROGRAM. I know that hurts, but how many GDOT employees who do not hold a degree could get a job with an engineering firm to do basic inspector work? about 30% percent. That says alot.
By BigPoppa
February 17, 2009 6:40 AM | Link to this
Dude, Dude
Very nice post Dude. Lots of good info there. Glad I was able to drag it out of you with my couple of posts! I’ll ignore the personal shots you took and very incorrect assumptions as to my employment. People in my office heal the wounded and treat the sick. Glad you mentioned Alabama as an example of a totally public system. You are obviously an authority on all things transportation.
By tldoran
February 17, 2009 11:15 AM | Link to this
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You should drive the roads in those states. Florida has been tying to rebuild the turnpike around Orlando for a dozen years and can’t seem to finish. Louisiana has been rebuilding I-20 for 20 years with no apparent progress. Drive I-75 and I-24 around Chattanooga. You’ll need a mouthguard to keep from rattling your teeth out.
By PAY ATTENTION
February 17, 2009 11:56 AM | Link to this
Good comments all…I think if we were to all get together and discuss every ones idea’s we could develop a plan to reorganize our state’s transportation agencies into one effective unit that would produce a valuable product for the citizens of GA, roads, bridges and rail…wait…shouldn’t our * representatives* be doing that! Instead, what you all have pointed out is how they, democrats and republicans alike, are developing a money sucking monster that will be controlled by an elite group of three politicians and run by questionable characters at best. Yet some of you think that any change would be better that what we have now. I propose that you wouldn’t use that logic in your personal life, so, why would you try to make the case for its use in public affairs? Simple, we feel that the problem is just too overwhelming and we are too small to tackle it. WRONG! We elect our * representatives* to represent us…Andrew Jackson said, It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes. , and Thomas Jefferson said, When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
So let’s take a history lesson from our Founders and make the government to fear us and allow their fear of us to dictate their proposal on reforming of government and not their own selfish interests.
A government by the people, for the people, and of the people.
By Dude what a joke
February 17, 2009 6:53 PM | Link to this
Hey Dude, have you ever called ADOT or FDOT? You seem to be such a guru on those states which you are wrong. Alabama did provatize then they had to go back, because they were losing federal money. The Feds want things done a certain way and if their not they lose federal monies. Also they had disassembled the agencies with the private ones, they had to hire people out of retirement to show them how to do their job. Please Call ADOT before making stupid comments. Also I talked to a major FDOT leader that wishes they had some of the infrastructure back. WHY? Because they are paying 3 times the amount to get the same job done. Makes financial sense NOT, unless your a private company wanting to screw the state just like republicans do. That Sonny and Casey and Glen all want to happen. You need to call these agencies and learn before being micro-managing dimwit shooting his mouth off.
By Hammer of Thor
February 17, 2009 7:36 PM | Link to this
How many of the consultant inspectors (not designers) for these vaunted “private firms” have related degrees? Since we are into statistics here it would be nice to know what percentage of them have related degrees vs what percentage are retired DOT vs what percentage are “buddies” of the folks they work for. Try to figure that one out…..DUDE! Everyone knows that when you resorts to statistics to prove a point you are getting desperate. Statistics are easily skewed and are used to prove a point when the reality says otherwise!
By BigPoppa
February 17, 2009 8:17 PM | Link to this
Well said PAY ATTENTION!
That may be the most logical post so far!
By BigPoppa
February 17, 2009 9:33 PM | Link to this
9:27 and no comment form the wise an all knowing guru of transportation. The right wing, privately educated, free enterprise, anti government, statistically driven transportation talking point email must be running late tonight!