State lacks leaders with vision of ‘the next Georgia’
Once-backward Vietnam, a land of rice paddies and thatched huts, is building a 1,000-mile high-speed rail line from Hanoi south to Ho Chi Minh City.
Meanwhile, Georgia can’t muster the will to build an ordinary, 26-mile passenger line from Atlanta to Lovejoy, even though $87 million in federal money was set aside last century to build the project.
That’s because, for most of that decade, Georgia has been drifting aimlessly, without direction or leadership. And even with a wholesale change in statewide elections scheduled for this fall, that doesn’t seem likely to change. Our political leaders seem far more intent on ganging up on some immigrant college kid than in getting this state out of its doldrums.
That’s too bad. Every Georgian is a beneficiary of dreamers and doers who have dared to seize the initiative. Many of those leaders, from Robert Woodruff through Ted Turner and Billy Payne, have been entrepreneurs and leaders from the private sector. But leaders of equal vision and daring have emerged from the public side.
In 1836, Alexander Stephens — who later became vice president of the Confederacy — helped convince legislators to fund the Western and Atlantic Railroad. They had to tax everyone from plantation owners to poor dirt farmers to raise the money, but that state-built railroad paid off handsomely by creating what became Atlanta.
Beginning in the ’20s, Atlanta Mayor William Hartsfield drove creation of an airport that is now the busiest on the planet, a public investment that gave this region its identity as a business and aviation center.
The ports in Savannah and Brunswick, also among the busiest in the nation, would not exist without public investment, nor would the jobs they bring. And the investments haven’t been limited to physical infrastructure. Govs. Ellis Arnall in the ’40s and Zell Miller in the ’90s focused the state’s resources on improving education, with measurable impacts on economic development and opportunity in the state.
In each of those examples, elected leaders understood that government is a legitimate and even necessary tool for making the lives of Georgians better. Today’s politicians, in contrast, compete on how vigorously they can reject any notion that government might possibly be of some assistance in building the next Georgia.
It’s still a little early in the process, but the absence of vision or mission among the candidates is striking.
Admittedly, these are difficult times in which to pitch a dream. But they are also the kind of times in which dreams are most necessary.
For example, real estate professionals agree that the auto-based, suburban growth mode that once drove the metro Atlanta economy is now as outdated as a Hummer.
That doesn’t mean that existing communities built along traditional suburban lines will falter, only that new growth will center on more dense, walkable neighborhoods in which rail becomes a viable transportation alternative. Around the country, that revised development model is being driven not by government dictate but by the market and demographics. There’s no serious doubt in the industry about the staying power of that change.
The next Georgia needs to take advantage of that market change or be left standing alone at the train station, so to speak.
This week, the Washington-based Brookings Institution released a study of the cost, impact and feasibility of a passenger rail line linking Atlanta with Macon. According to the study, commissioned by Georgians for Passenger Rail, building a 103-mile line with five stops between Macon and Atlanta would cost $400 million, with operating costs of $25 million.
The study also adds its voice to a chorus singing a familiar song: While we’ve drifted, other regions — Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver — have seized the initiative by making transit investments and are ready to benefit as the economy rebounds.
“Not investing in rail transit today would be akin to not investing in the highway system in the 1960s and 1970s,” the study warns.
In an era of tight budgets, $400 million can sound like a lot. Yet states and regions that once looked at Georgia with envy are producing leaders with foresight who are capable of overcoming such challenges.
Here at home, though, even politicians who understand the opportunity that we’re missing are too meek give that knowledge voice.
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187 comments Add your comment
otp to itp
May 28th, 2010
9:40 am
We’d rather deal with the trafffic.
Mind your own business.
Peadawg
May 28th, 2010
9:41 am
“who shout I hate immigrants the loudest”
who shout I hate ILLEGAL immigrants the loudest. There, fixed your typo. No thanks needed.
Finn McCool
May 28th, 2010
9:42 am
(plenty of waste in state government still left to cut)(arts council, judicial wages, school administrators,etc….)
Yep, you people need to just go to work and go to church and that’s all you need to do. And when we have a war we’ll come and pick your best men and women to go and protect all “this” that you are getting for your lab or.
You don’t need brains to be a world power do ya? Nah, the computer revolution didn’t take any brainy guys working in a garage…Let’s dumb it ALL down!
DoggoneGA
May 28th, 2010
9:45 am
“we’ll come and pick your best men and women to go and protect all “this” ”
No, no Finn…you can only take the men. Women will cause a drop in morale and readiness. AND increase is sexual activity instead of fighting!
Sid
May 28th, 2010
9:46 am
Why does everything here have to be about Democrat/Republican, or a black/white issue? When Democrats ran everything was Georgia not in the lowest tier of ranking for education? Was traffic not terrible when Democrats controlled politics? The reason we don’t move forward is that we’re too busy trying to blame the other guy. Sure, it’s more entertaining to fan the flames of discontent, but don’t pretend that this solves ANY problems we all face as Georgians.
RB from Gwinnett
May 28th, 2010
9:46 am
“RB, can you tell the difference between a “reporter” and an “editorial writer”? ”
Sure, I can. This state deserves “opinion” writers in it’s only major newspaper that are capable of having an opinion that isn’t 99.9% slanted to the far left. It deserves to be presented with balanced ideas and rational thought presenting all sides of issues and not just propoganda from either side. The AJC and Jay Bookman have failed the city/state in their duty as “journalists”. We the people deserve better.
t
May 28th, 2010
9:48 am
Jay, why don’t you be this leader and visionary you speak of? OH, I know why because then you would have to debate your thoughts and would have to come up with TRUE statements rather than the literary bombs you can throw from here. Again, there is a reason you are relegated to online blogs and that your newspaper is failing. It is thoughts like yours and Cynthia’s that have destroyed what was once a great news source. Now you are nothing but New York Times wannabes.
Truth Hurts
May 28th, 2010
9:48 am
“who shout I hate immigrants the loudest”.
Sheesh, there must be some of those “ignorant backwoods southern folks” up there. There’re even establishing a “narc” line. How progressive.
The Massachusetts Senate passed a far-reaching crackdown this afternoon on illegal immigrants and those who would hire them, going further, senators said, than any immigration bill proposed over the past five years.
The measure would also close what supporters say is a loophole that allows businesses to register cars under a company name, without identifying the owner by Social Security number and federal tax identification number. It would also crate a toll-free hot line for anonymous reporting of companies that employ illegal immigrants.
The measure comes weeks after immigration measures failed in the House, and amid heightened debate over illegal immigration fueled by the state’s election season and Arizona’s passage in April of the toughest immigration law in the nation.
The legislation also would increase penalties for driving without a license, one of the main problems facing illegal immigrants in Massachusetts. In November, a panel commissioned by Governor Deval Patrick urged him to push to grant driver’s licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, among many other recommendations. Patrick sent the recommendations to his cabinet for study and pledged to return with a proposal in 90 days, but the results have not been made public
Truth Hurts
May 28th, 2010
9:52 am
…Let’s dumb it ALL down!
Don’t worry, Obama’s got that covered.
Saul Good
May 28th, 2010
9:54 am
Sid, under which parties control did Marta get built? Under which party was the Federal funds first offered to develop the rail lines? That all came to a SCREECHING halt in 2000. Yet also look at the state’s population growth from 2000 forward as well as how many cars were added to our roads during that time as well… but not ONCE did they ever get serious about mass transit. They’re STILL not serious about it. Look at Wooten’s rant about mass transit.
Republicans: Keep your over-sized tonka trucks on the road and continue to support dealing with foreign terrorists! Mass transit saves WAY more oil compared to what can be produced by Spill Baby Spill.
Really?
May 28th, 2010
9:56 am
Comparing to Vietnam, really?
Moderate Line
May 28th, 2010
9:56 am
From Forbes:
But it’s important to note the trade-off: Sprawl increases driving times, but results in lower home prices. Places like Atlanta and the Inland Empire, along with many cities in Texas, have long commute times but very affordable housing. Homes in San Bernardino are $150,000 less that in Los Angeles, at the median level, and homes in Atlanta, Houston and Dallas are all well below the national home-price average of $206,000.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate.html
USinUK
May 28th, 2010
9:57 am
“arts council, judicial wages, school administrators”
in reverse order … we don’t need school administrators??? we should just let the teachers run the school??? oh, yeah, that’s a GREAT idea … while we’re at it, let’s let the tellers run the banks, the cashiers run Publix and the delivery guys run Coca-Cola …
we don’t need a judiciary? seriously?
lastly – the arts. you numpties do realize that the arts are a revenue GENERATOR, don’t you? that, for every dollar spent on government funding, it’s multiplied by folks going out to dinner before/after a show, by folks paying for parking and the like – not to mention, improves the quality of life …
oy.
DirtyDawg
May 28th, 2010
9:57 am
My bet is that the price riders pay to take that train from Seville to Madrid is no more – if not less – than a ticket on the Southern Crescent (assuming that’s what they still call it)…plus Europe, and I believe that still includes Spain, committed to and invested in high-speed rail generations ago and have kept up with it – plus it’s also electric (and clean and quite). We’re paying the price of ‘it’s too expensive to get it started so don’t.’ line of thinking. The line from/to Lovejoy is just a start, plus every train wouldn’t have to include five stops – just as I doubt every one from Madrid to Seville is non-stop.
As for MARTA’s announcement to stop the shuttle to Turner Field…seems to me it’s their way of saying it’s time for the Braves, Underground, Central Atlanta Progress, the City and the State to ’step-up’ if they want something that they like that’s not paying it’s way. Obviously, the cost of operating the shuttle ‘way’ offsets the extra ridership. How about Coke wrapping every bus used in the shuttle in their logo – and help pay for the shuttle with ad dollars? Or if they have to add an extra fee for the shuttle – it’ll still be better than the hassle and cost of driving and parking – then the Braves could offer it as part of their season-ticket, or other ticket promotions. Skin the damn cat, people!
Really?
May 28th, 2010
10:00 am
I’ve been on those trains through Italy and it wasn’t exactly cheap.
Truth Hurts
May 28th, 2010
10:00 am
USinUK
So there would be no arts without taxpayer money?
Good try.
Truth Hurts
May 28th, 2010
10:02 am
we don’t need a judiciary? seriously?
Never said that. Those guys are waaaaayy overpaid. Good article in the AJC today about the abuse.
Finn McCool
May 28th, 2010
10:03 am
RB, there’s a place for the type of “balance” you are looking for. It’s called Fox News, or NY Post, or TownHall.com
Sid
May 28th, 2010
10:03 am
Saul, thanks for the response, but that kinda points to what I was trying to say. The answer to the problem is not to point the finger at the other guy, but to actually do something positive to move Georgia forward. I agree that Republicans have done NOTHING to solve the transportation issue, but I don’t know that if Democrats had kept control that we’d be any further along. We need to quit looking at which party a candidate belongs to, and look more to who can provide the positive direction we need. We are so polarized that we only care about party affiliation, not who is the best candidate for the job. That’s why 99% of the posts on this blog offer no solutions, only “let’s blame it on the other guy”.
Independent
May 28th, 2010
10:04 am
USinUK…congestion pricing
Norway started in 1986, Germany in 2005, Sweden in 2007 and Italy in 2008. Most Euro cities you’ll pony up >$35 USD to park for day.
Truth Hurts
May 28th, 2010
10:04 am
DirtyDawg
I rode the train from Madrid to Seville too. Numerous times. Relatively cheap,(about 20 bucks 20 years ago. never full.
Gasoline 7 bucks a gallon.
USinUK
May 28th, 2010
10:04 am
Truth – “So there would be no arts without taxpayer money?”
hey-HEY!! nice try at a binary argument … but no. that’s not what I’m saying.
what I AM saying is that there are a lot of smaller theaters, galleries, orchestras, etc, that would be forced to give up space, reduce their offerings, cut back on their educational outreach IF NOT for government spending.
USinUK
May 28th, 2010
10:05 am
Independent – “Most Euro cities you’ll pony up >$35 USD to park for day”
criminey, try parking in NYC sometime – $35 would be CHEAP.
Finn McCool
May 28th, 2010
10:07 am
Truth Hurts is concerned with how our countries employees are paid. Who do you want in those jobs, truth? Burger flippers? Illegal immigrants?
Helping to run a country – librarians, judges, bus drivers, forest rangers, military – shouldn’t pay comparable to private jobs? How long do you think we will be an operating country – a world power – if we expect those making it all work to do it for nothing?
Get a clue.
USinUK
May 28th, 2010
10:09 am
“Those guys are waaaaayy overpaid. Good article in the AJC today about the abuse”
got a linkee? can’t find the article you’re talking about.
Cekker
May 28th, 2010
10:10 am
Question — Why haven’t our state and city ‘leaders’ shown more interest in rail, high-speed or otherwise?
Answer — Because CW Mathews is not in the rail business.
Saul Good
May 28th, 2010
10:14 am
Sid…. Agreed. I just want to see rail added here in GA SOMETIME in my lifetime REGARDLESS of which party is Running (Ruining?) the state.
USinUK
May 28th, 2010
10:18 am
fresh SQUIRREL upstairs …
Soothsayer
May 28th, 2010
10:18 am
Jay, somehow I just don’t think rail is the way to go. People just don’t like it. For better or worse, most people would rather drive than ride a train. When you ride a train you’re exposed. You know, you don’t have your privacy cocoon
Proud American
May 28th, 2010
10:20 am
Boo Hoo poor illegal immagrants
Saul Good
May 28th, 2010
10:21 am
Sooth… go to New York or many of our other major cities and tell me how people just don’t LIKE trains. It’s the nightmare of traffic that they WILL avoid when they have the opportunity to do so. Me? I’d rather read a book, send some emails, or rant on talibangelicals on a blog like this instead of sitting in my car staring at the car in front of me.
Truth Hurts
May 28th, 2010
10:28 am
USnUk- ask and you shall receive. It is a pretty commen phenomonon here in Georgia.
ATLANTA — A Whistleblower 2 Investigation has found that a DeKalb County judge spent nearly $25,000 on travel expenses in a three-year period — more than twice that of any of her colleagues.
McCool-
I would take my chances with a burger flipper or illegal alien to dispense justice ANYDAY over a corrupt Bar of Georgia member. As per Jay, to a government judge, whoever pays the most money for legal council wins.
md
May 28th, 2010
10:41 am
Talk is cheap, but when it comes to action, the masses balk.
How many here think Clayton County would have turned down Marta had it been proposed that only those making over 250k would pay for it??
Totally different story when a flat 1% tax is discussed – then nobody wants to pay.
Rival
May 28th, 2010
10:43 am
First of all, it’s the Atlanta to Griffin line. Georgian for Passenger Rail are attempting to get the first leg pushed through to Macon.
Second, this isn’t about getting cars off the road; at least, no initially. This is about economic development. Improvements to the rail line will help passenger and freight operations. The Port of Savannah is going to be a huge deal when the Panama Canal is widened. There are two ways to get freight from Savannah to Atlanta: via interstate or over rail lines through Macon to Griffin to Atlanta.
The rail line will also help put cities back on the map that were hurt by the bypasses of interstates. It will also allow higher densities around those rail stations for people who want to live in an urban setting but not inside Atlanta city limits. That’s not such a bad thing.
The transportation benefits are ancillary at this point until a statewide network of passenger rail can be completed. That isn’t likely to happen within the next 50 years, sadly.
Please use your brains when thinking about this. It has little to do initially with passenger rail, commuting, suburban fears about MARTA-like transit.
Big D
May 28th, 2010
10:45 am
Mick, kinda left out the interstate system…Eisenhower/ Republican.
Big D
May 28th, 2010
10:48 am
Ride MARTA a few days and you will know why rail won’t work in Ga.
A CONSERVATIVE
May 28th, 2010
10:49 am
- The Obama-Atlanta-Urnal NEEDS WRITERS with integrity…& honesty…& objectivity….courage…vision…Not WHITE HOUSE flinkies.
williebkind
May 28th, 2010
11:03 am
Well Jay it is hard to remember the main objective is to drain the swamp when you are up to your butt in alegators. That is the sucess the progressive liberals are enjoying. There is lways a diversion from the normal to the vile and disgusting by the liberals. When socialists attack, although in most cases very subtly, it is alwasy directed at the core of beliefs and values. Visions are set aside to protect core values. Just like Jay, he is not from Ga but a transplant who wants to change Ga to be like his former state or maybe in his image. I think only native born citizens of Ga should be qualified to run for Ga public offices. I do not appreciate Chicago style politics.
laissez faire
May 28th, 2010
11:17 am
“Around the country, that revised development model is being driven not by government dictate but by the market and demographics. There’s no serious doubt in the industry about the staying power of that change.”
Take a walk to the west end and see what happens IN THIS CITY when it’s tried..publix just said adios to the theory also. People want space and yards and privacy, not other damn people elbow to elbow. The so called modern urbanism is no different than the 1900’s urbanism that spurred the growth of suburbia.
laissez faire
May 28th, 2010
11:19 am
MARTA..our escalators mostly work now, and we hope they will be hobo urine free by 2025! Please please ride us..
newkid
May 28th, 2010
11:22 am
Rival said:
“The Port of Savannah is going to be a huge deal when the Panama Canal is widened.”
Don’t miss the significance of this.
Saul Good
May 28th, 2010
11:28 am
williebkind : “I think only native born citizens of Ga should be qualified to run for Ga public offices”
Really? Really now? I wonder just how many people we’ll be able to disqualify in the coming elections… (btw: are you sure you didn’t just mean “Yankees)?
Saul Good
May 28th, 2010
11:34 am
Willie…I guess you should break the news to Tom Graves… he was born in St. Petersburg FL. Please notify him at once to tell him of his disqualification.
np
May 28th, 2010
11:36 am
I am old enough to remember when the Nancy Hanks train ran between Atlanta and Savannah. I went to Tift college in the 60’s and whenever I wanted to ride to Atlanta, Macon or Savannah, I simply bought a ticket and was told to put out a metal flag to stop the train so I could board.. When I rode to Savannah, I could read or sleep in the cushy seat with a plump pillow or walk to the dining car to have a meal or coffee. Very rational, elegant, civilized,and non-Socialist mode of transport. At soon as they finished I-75, the train died. I believe it was because the political decision had been made to favor the auto companies, oil companies and road builders over passenger rail. Now we are sending a huge percentage of our national wealth to oil producing countries that hate our guts and would gladly destroy us just so we can drive three blocks to the grocery store or sit in traffic for hours on interstates. Our state leadership is ineffectual because all they wanted public office for is to line their pockets. This state is desperately in need of true public servants with some vision beyond their own greed.
Bombshell McGhee
May 28th, 2010
11:53 am
Your kids are fat and your fatter, put down the car keys and the cinnamon bun and go for a stroll….
Sextet
May 28th, 2010
12:02 pm
WIth the way the commies fought in ‘Nam, you’d have thought that the high speed commie rail would be a subway, underground. I know one thing: the caboose wont red, it’ll be pink, no, it could be red too, cause red is also commie, like the red states in America, which are ironically commie, in that their fascist and only grow on kinder fear, gentler hate and collateral war.. Steve Wynn of Vegas said that the Tea Party is all about fear. He said that our system of government will work until the politicians discover that they can bribe the electorate with their own money, which he sez is already happening. (He quoted someone from 1909) He thinks we’re heading to a destiny similar to Greece. “the politicians are ruining us”
He sounds grimly fatalistic. What a buy signal, eh?
Steve
May 28th, 2010
12:33 pm
I would be shocked if that project could be done for $400 million. I would guess multiples of that amount.
milehighdawg
May 28th, 2010
12:43 pm
Whats sad is we HAD rail up to the 50s. Atlanta had a viable streetcar system, and you could get pretty much anywhere via local rail service. If it worked once it can work again.
But this state’s racial climate and lack of leadership is hopeless so I don’t imagine I’ll ever enjoy some level of rail service in my lifetime. Maybe my great-grandkids but not me.
But criticize the Euros all you want but they are laughing at us.
uhoh
May 28th, 2010
12:44 pm
Maybe the MARTA mess has them thinking 2x?
Glass House Rocker
May 28th, 2010
12:51 pm
Developers buy land cheaply outside the city and its ” surburbs”. The government then widens a road to accommodate the new growth–which is supposed to bring in more money in taxation because of increased property values. Thus the ever expanding utopia of suburbia.
Unfortunately, this requires a prioritization of funds. Often, the maintenance of existing infrastructure is but on the back burner or ignored completely. I recall a study about 30 years ago which listed bridges throughout Georgia which were in real need of repair. Many were in the Metro area. A recent TV news report showed engineers in Atlanta taking rather inventive steps to shore-up some of these same bridges.
Bridges are a very expensive part of construction of a new road. A new road and bridge is under construction just south of Rome. I suppose this is a southerly route to bypass Downtown.
A road–including bridges–has just opened to by-pass downtown Cedartown. Driving though Cedartown is just as fast as taking the by-pass.
This construction is along US Route 27, a North-South corridor in the western part of the State. One can literally drive for miles without seeing another vehicle. How much do these projects cost? Why were these projects given priority over what seem to be far more urgent needs?
In the 1970’s GDOT had an overall plan for a North-South Connector between I-85 and I-20. It was deliberately initiated as a plan to improve a section of Mountain Industrial Blvd. in Tucker. It turned into Jimmy Carter Blvd. How did that turn out–a real boon for the motoring public?
The width of the lanes in the Downtown Connector cannot be reduced any more. Double decking is a possibility–but, the impact on traffic flow might be disastrous. I guess the folks back in the 1950’s who planned for two Interstate highways to meld into one through downtown Atlanta kinda miscalculated–just as the mayor did regarding water from Lake Lanier.
Atlanta had a very serviceable public transit system for years prior to MARTA. One could get on a bus in one’s neighborhood and go to one’s destination for a very inexpensive fare. Any form of public transportation must go where the public wants to go–duh.
Public transportation? trains? High-speed rail? Right-of-way costs?–GDOT has its own staff of appraisers. GDOT builds roads. How many contractors and suppliers of construction materials bid on these projects? Would these same people be able to bid on the construction of a rail line? EVERYONE knows from experience that the next road is going to cure all the traffic congestion. That’s what GDOT and Georgia’s politicians have done for years.
Two old sayings come to mind. One is follow the money. The other is what’s the definition of stupid?
The future holds no guarantee–even with competent planning. However, doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is the definition of stupid. I am talking about us. We keep electing the same people, or the same type people, and expect different results.
williebkind
May 28th, 2010
1:05 pm
Saul Good
May 28th, 2010
11:28 am
I will be glad to tell them Saul. No I mean only Ga. citizens.
williebkind
May 28th, 2010
1:09 pm
Saul since Tom Graves is in the 9th district I know very little about him. But since he is a transplant, I say he should not be qualified to run. Hey that applies to progressive liberals too.
I Report/You Decide
May 28th, 2010
1:26 pm
High speed light rail! Awesome! Brought to you by the same responsible and efficient people that gave us MARTA! I can hardly wait!
I Report/You Decide
May 28th, 2010
1:28 pm
Bookman, when you say “leaders with vision” you essentially mean the same leftist wackos who have given us places like Detroit, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, correct? I can hardly wait.
Jay
May 28th, 2010
1:35 pm
No, Decider, I explicitly list the places I meant — Salt Lake, Denver, Phoenix, plus others I did not list, such as Charlotte.
And yet you come up with this quite different list based on …. what, I wonder?
Gee, what could it be?
Shawny
May 28th, 2010
1:40 pm
Here is a federal leader with vision, President Obama:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/28/white-house-asked-clinton-urge-sestak-drop-senate-race/
Forget the part of whether this was unethical or not, remember how the prez, when running against the Washington establishment, continues to support the Washington establishment.
yada yada yada, blah blah blah. That is what you SHOULD be hearing when he talks.
The Carnivore
May 28th, 2010
2:03 pm
Yes, but Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver do not have the black problem that we have.
Why don’t you ask Lenox and Perimeter Malls how much they like rail right outside their doors?
professional skeptic
May 28th, 2010
2:10 pm
Michael Smith
May 28th, 2010
9:35 am
You’re such a hack. You and all the other backwards conservatards lose all credibility whenever you complain about public funding for mass transit — as long as the federal government steals from future generations to pay for today’s oil wars and subsidizes the HECK out of the oil and road building industries.
Try again, ya big hack.
Jay
May 28th, 2010
2:11 pm
Ahhh, ‘the black problem.’
The topic is vision and commuter rail programs, but it seems we must talk about ‘the black problem.’ And thus the mask slips….
N-GA
May 28th, 2010
2:12 pm
I can’t wait to see the retorts to The Carnivore’s 2:03. I betcha he/she wishes he/she could delete it!
N-GA
May 28th, 2010
2:13 pm
Jay – It would seem that the T-Nuts are opposed to rapid rail. They have spoken their truth!
professional skeptic
May 28th, 2010
2:17 pm
The Carnivore
May 28th, 2010
2:03 pm
Oh yeah, the Cobb county corridor surrounding I-75, South Cobb Dr., etc., with its endless array of strip malls and fast food joints is SO MUCH CLASSIER than the Buckhead business and shopping district.
Try again…
Cherokee_resident
May 28th, 2010
2:20 pm
As a person who had to make the commute from Cherokee county to midtown everyday, I would have loved to have the option of taking the train. My solution? I bought a condo in midtown and kept my house in the “burbs”. My wife and I did not want to give up our home, but the commute was just a killer. I really like living in midtown, but wow is it expensive! The property taxes on my one bedroom condo are twice what I pay for my 3br, 3 bath home in Cherokee county.
professional skeptic
May 28th, 2010
2:29 pm
np
May 28th, 2010
11:36 am
Now we are sending a huge percentage of our national wealth to oil producing countries that hate our guts and would gladly destroy us just so we can drive three blocks to the grocery store or sit in traffic for hours on interstates.
It boggles my mind that the Conservative, gasoline dependent masses out in exurbia generally claim to be patriotic — AND YET — would rather fork over trillions of dollars of American money to oil producing countries that despise us, instead of keeping it here at home to invest it in the infrastructure America so sorely needs.
Nacho Daddy
May 28th, 2010
3:33 pm
Invest in viagra stock, Rush is marrying a 33 yr old.
Big D
May 28th, 2010
4:14 pm
Jay, I agree we need people to run the state with vision and I would be the first to say Sonny did not have it. I will also say that Roy Barnes did not have it either and will never acquire it.
Have a safe holiday one and all.
Joe
May 28th, 2010
8:32 pm
I guess as long as its Republicans in charge you will see no furure Jay. Why don’t you pack your bags and move to one of those democrat controlled bankrupt states? At least our leaders are able to balance the budget unlike the dems in Washingotn who just print more money…. I cold only imagine if dems did run Georgia. The ones of us who actaully have a job would be paying enormous taxes to support more and more entitlement programs….
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
May 28th, 2010
9:03 pm
mmm, mmm, mmm….Stocks End May With Worst Showing in More Than a Year
zeke
May 28th, 2010
10:38 pm
GO AWAY JAY!!!! NO RAIL NO MORE! BAN MARTA!
Not A MARTA Fan
May 29th, 2010
9:55 am
Peadawg
May 28th, 2010
8:01 am
“Anybody here make that commute regularly?”
I live in Athens and try to avoid Atlanta at all costs. The only time I go anywhere near Atlanta is I-285 south to I-85 to Biloxi.
PeaDawg, I live in Downtown Decatur and I avoid MARTA and Atlanta at all costs. There is nothing left in downtown atlanta except the idiots who are trying their best to color it black and make it another Zimbabwe.
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
May 29th, 2010
11:35 am
How about DC need leaders with VISION and not glaucoma.
Corey
May 30th, 2010
12:16 pm
I was downtown yesterday. While waiting for the Caribbean Festival Parade to get underway I had a conversation with a woman who traveled here from Connecticut. She said everyone here is so friendly, and the place is beautiful. She said this is the friendliest city she has ever visited. She also mentioned that everywhere she went on the MARTA trains as soon as she stepped onto the platform people offered assistance in providing directions. I asked her if she read any of the comments on our local blogs.
Valese
May 30th, 2010
11:14 pm
Parents have to practice the four (4) basic ingredients that all children need to achieve academic success. Go to http://www.readtomeamerica.com to find out what the ingredients are.
Also, get your CD…Teach Me How To Read…So I Can Succeed. The CD promotes literacy and parental involvement.
http://www.readtomeamerica.com
vuduchld
May 31st, 2010
1:55 am
The “leaders” of Jawja are one big joke. Your state, for all it’s crowing about being the “engine of the New South” is slowly choking itself like a redneck choking on a chicken bone. Other ciites and regions are rapidly taking your place as you dither and propose new jungles built of asphalt. That scenario has become obsolete, you folks are just too dumb to realize that.
So please. stop blaming illegal immigrants for your souring fortunes because that excuse is way past over. You have no leaders, plain and simple, just a bunckh of “critters” who think they can lead. I lived in the state for 22 years until recently and as I read the nonsense posted here online I laugh at you stupid, silly people. Keep voting for brain dead zombies like Ox and Handel. When your state reaches Mississippi’s status I sure as hell won’t feel sorry for you!
wakeuptime
May 31st, 2010
7:40 am
my favorite argument against trains to the suburbs is –> ” but all our flatscreen TVs are still on the wall and you can travel for miles without seeing a black face.”
gimme a break you racist idiot. Do you really think that a robber is going to take MARTA to come rob your house? LMFAO…and then carry your flat screen onto the train???
A CONSERVATIVE
May 31st, 2010
8:40 am
WHY LIMIT YOUR SIGHTS JUST TO GEORGIA…ANERICA NEEDs leaders with vision……the Obama-Atlanta-Urnal could use some leaders with common sense..
A CONSERVATIVE
May 31st, 2010
8:42 am
WITH TRAIN SERVICE…black felons from ATLANTA…CAN BRANCH OUT & start robbing in the BURBs..JAY id toooooooo politically correct to mention the downside.
wakeuptime
May 31st, 2010
9:27 am
HAHAHA you dont get out much do you A CONSERVATIVE! You might be surprised to know that the “black felons” have cars where they live now. You are a racist idiot. Just because your worried about illogical things like theives 30 or 40 miles away drooling over your flatscreen tv, doesn’t mean the rest of the citizens of Atlanta want or need to burn so much gasoline to get around and do non illegal stuff like ..go to work and get groceries
.
wakeuptime
May 31st, 2010
9:37 am
and to all the people complaining that Obama and BP arent doing enough to stop and prevent oil leaks in the gulf: They aren’t to blame. It’s you and me that are to blame. For our insatiable need to drive everywhere. As long as we demand oil, they will continue to pull it out of the ground. …and as long as they pull it out of the ground, there will be accidents like the one in the gulf, regardless of the level of technology and oversight.
period. end of story.
wight
May 31st, 2010
10:35 am
This is an interesting blog. The question is why is so much of the Georgia Government in Macon? Who wants the rail to Macon? Who will use use the rail?
The need for rail is in the Metro area, but because of the low population density, it is difficult to get from say Marietta to Doraville. MARTA should be rolled into a Metro area (13 counnty) agency with a Board of directors from across the area. Marta is a hub and spoke system that makes it difficult to go east and west.
The above comments about the huge expenditures to bypass cedartown and others is much of the problem. Money from the Metro area pays a lot of these roads which are great for the area(s), but do not help the economic viability of the Georgia economy.
If all fo you “bashers” would support the changes to the way money is evenly distributed across Georgia instead of needs, then many problems can be fixed. (This is the problem Sonny has tried to fix, but the rural legislatures don’t want to give up their pot of Metro money). Beside the Atlanta Metro area, Macon, Savannah, Augusta and Valdosta needs to be evaluated for needs rather than spend the way it is now. If the tax money generated within a District were spent only in that District, the problems of Metro Atlanta could have been solved years ago
Base
May 31st, 2010
10:39 am
Great piece!
zeke
May 31st, 2010
11:59 am
GEEZE! What a load of horse hockey! Marta has delivered crime to all areas it serves! Go to Lennox or Phipps any night, especially the weekends! Hordes of young punk thugs ride the train to and from those high dollar shopping malls and the other high dollar venues and homes! THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT SHOPPING OR LOOKING TO BUY A HOME! THEY ARE CASEING THE AREA FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY! LIBERALS, DEMOCRATS AND UNIONS ARE KILLING OUR GREAT COUNTRY! RAPEING HONEST HARD WORKING TAXPAYERS, SPREADING THE WEALTH AROUND! THAT WE NEED NO MORE! AND YES, WE DO NOT WANT TO BECOME THE SCUM EURO SOCIALISTS! NO WE DO NOT WANT HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT! IF RAIL IS TO BE A SMALL PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, IT WILL ONLY BE IN COMPETITION TO THE AIRLINES: LONG DISTANCE VERY FEW STOPS, DEDICATED RAIL, NO PEDESTRIAN OR AUTOMOTIVE CROSSINGS OR FREIGHT TRAINS! SOME EXAMPLES: RICHMOND TO DALLAS OR HOUSTON WITH ONE STOP IN RALEIGH, GREENSBORO, CHARLOTTE, GREENVILLE, ATLANTA, BIRMINGHAM, SHREVEPORT, DALLAS! MYRTLE BEACH TO ATLANTA WITH ONE STOP EACH IN FLORENCE, COLUMBIA, AUGUSTA, ATHENS! IT MUST ONLY BE LONG DISTANCES, LIMITED ACCESS! INNER CITY IS RIDICULOUS, TOO EXPENSIVE, INEFFICIENT, UNSAFE, COST INEFFECTIVE, REQUIRES CONSTANT, NEVER ENDING SUBSIDIES!
wakeuptime
May 31st, 2010
12:10 pm
That’s ridiculous——> INNER CITY IS RIDICULOUS, TOO EXPENSIVE, INEFFICIENT, UNSAFE, COST INEFFECTIVE, REQUIRES CONSTANT, NEVER ENDING SUBSIDIES!
..and are you really saying MARTA only brings crime? I would NEVER go to Lenox or Phipps if it weren’t for Marta. IAnd what about all the people who visit our city via the airport…(It’s Marta that carries them around), should they not have access to Lenox? Is that mall only for people with BMW’s and Land Rovers?
wakeuptime
May 31st, 2010
12:14 pm
your a racist zeke. disgusting. foul. backward racist
wakeuptime
May 31st, 2010
12:54 pm
…and unless your business or home is within a few blocks of a marta station, then i doubt its transporting any criminals to you zeke. If criminals are going to the burbs from atlanta, its by car zeke.
shirley
May 31st, 2010
1:45 pm
Visionary leadership is part of the answer. The media has sat on its hands these last years in covering state government and state public policy. Investigative, thought provoking, analytical reporting in the daily media is part of the answer too.
Base
May 31st, 2010
5:21 pm
Sonny a leader,what a joke,he stops the outer perimeter, gives us GRTA express buses because it is cheap and builds more roads in South Georgia.