Following are excerpts of blog comments from a Thursday video discussion of regionalism by Kyle Wingfield and Jay Bookman on AJC.com. Commenter screen names are used:
TarHeelUK:
Nice video, good points raised. Useful to be reminded by Kyle of why people are against “regionalism”— they think it is code for taking money from one region and using it for the benefit of another, as has been done for years with money moving from North Fulton to South.
Only when you figure out how to communicate how you will accomplish the benefits of regionalism without disproportionately and adversely affecting certain groups/areas will you see any movement on this issue.
barkingfrog: Jay is not looking for regional cooperation. His aspiration is regional government which none of the cities are involved in.
TBS: I don't see how the metro area would be worse off if MARTA ran into Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett.
Some of the very people who can’t stand their commute to and from the city are some of the very ones who are adamant about no MARTA in my county.
Guess they are wishing for 20 lanes on each side of all the major thoroughfares within a 40- to 50-mile radius of the city.
Trains and buses are not the only answer by any means, but they should be part of the solution.
Lot of minds would have to be changed, but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon.
Robtown: Will the MARTA buses feature racks to carry all the stolen flatscreens back from Cobb County?
Brosephus: Nice video and topic, Jay, but i feel that's all for naught. Georgia will never act regional because it's not in the Southern DNA to think regional. The overall mindset in the South is all about self-perseverance and self-preservation. Southern Hospitality doesn't include making decisions based on the effect of the overall population. The decision making devolves down to the simple question, "What does this do for me?" We see that here all the time.
From the website repealregionalism.com: We can all benefit from regional discussions on the issues that affect us the most. What we do not need is a state-imposed layer of regional government bureaucracy.
Counties and cities working together to solve problems is a good idea, but regional governance is both unaccountable and wasteful. A county choosing to work with other counties is meaningful. Home rule is an important piece of what makes Georgia special. Regional government bureaucracy destroys home rule.
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