Quiet plan to extend Ga. 400 tolls sends loud message (Updated)
Update on Friday: The toll plan passed, as expected. The AJC’s news story is available here. And here are a few comments of my own about what went down today:
1. From the news story: “In order to satisfy the original promise that the tolls would come down in 2011, [Gov. Sonny] Perdue said, SRTA will see if it can suspend the tolls briefly in 2011. When they went back online, he said, they would be a ‘new’ toll. That was suggested by one former Atlanta city councilman, he said, Robb Pitts.”
My comment: That’s just insulting. It may make even more of a mockery of the original promise to take down the toll, and it seems legally questionable since that’s not what the SRTA board voted on. But it also makes a mockery of SRTA’s alleged concern, voiced by a lawyer for the authority at this morning’s DOT board meeting, that it would be unsafe to have “cars trying to speed through there at full speed” if the toll-plaza structure were still in place but the toll was not being collected. So, that’s considered dangerous — but it would be safe enough to only do it for a brief period of time, if that counted as throwing a bone to barking citizens? Please.
2. The Political Insider, Jim Galloway, quoted the governor as saying today that “it’s easy to be a political populist and say ‘broken promises, no trust.’ ”
My comment: If demanding that government stick to its promises and respect the public’s trust now count as “political populism,” the pitchforks may be here sooner than we thought. If the governor truly thinks his plan is what’s best for Georgians, he ought to have the confidence to make his case to the people who pay the tolls — and not join other officials in hiding behind a time crunch that they created themselves in waiting until now to bring the issue up for a vote.
There was nothing stopping them from bringing this issue before the DOT, and then SRTA, a month or two ago. It’s not as if the end of the tolling period has sneaked up on anyone; we’ve known that the date was June 2011 since Perdue was still a Democrat.
3. I attended the DOT board meeting this morning. Now, I have covered any number of governmental meetings and hearings in my career, but this was by far the most embarrassing display I’ve ever seen.
The chairman of the DOT board was so obviously intent on arriving at the predetermined outcome (passage of the resolution to extend the lease of Ga. 400 to SRTA) that he was in constant danger of skipping procedural votes altogether, and didn’t even allow debate on the final motion to extend the lease. It was a spectacle to hear board members participating by teleconference, because they’d received such short notice of the special called meeting, complaining that they couldn’t even hear what was going on. Then, some of them tried to deny the board a quorum by hanging up their phones en masse (it didn’t work).
It was like watching the Keystone Cops conduct a Kabuki enactment of a kangaroo court. It was pathetic, even from a confirmed skeptic’s perspective.
In any case, here’s what I originally wrote Wednesday:
Politicians aren’t renowned for long-term thinking. In the quiet plan to extend the Georgia 400 toll, we’re witnessing a short-term mistake that may have lasting consequences.
As toll booths went up on Ga. 400 between I-285 and Lenox Road in Buckhead, they came with a promise that the levy would end in 20 years, when the bonds to pay for the highway’s southward extension were paid off. Next June marks the blessed anniversary.
Yet Friday, the boards of the Department of Transportation and the State Roads and Tollway Authority will review a plan to keep charging the toll for perhaps eight more years. Actually, it’s worse than that: For motorists without a prepaid “Cruise Card,” the standard toll could be doubled to $1.
If the AJC had not reported the arrangement last Friday, you may not have heard about it until after the votes were counted.
The plan apparently was to keep citizens in the dark about the toll extension. Details have been hard to come by. Before citizens can vet the proposals, the DOT board may vote to prolong its lease of Ga. 400 to SRTA, which in turn may vote to approve new bonds for construction on the highway and an extended period of tolling to pay for it.
It’s suspicious, not least because there’s a good chance that the public might actually favor some of the dozen projects on the list.
Here’s guessing that, for instance, those who pay the toll would favor a ramp to connect Ga. 400 with the northbound lanes of I-85. Improvements to other exits along the highway would also be welcome.
Commuters might even consider such projects worth a few more years of paying tolls. Eight years? Probably not, given that the toll booths collect some $20 million a year, and the projects are expected to cost far less than $160 million. Not to mention that toll revenues through June 2011 already were projected to exceed what is needed to pay off the bonds by tens of millions of dollars.
But state officials didn’t want to ask us. Why?
Maybe they think they know what’s best for us. Maybe they didn’t think they could win the argument. Maybe they think that, as long as they have the votes on the two agencies’ boards of directors, they don’t need the public’s input. Maybe there’s something within the plan that they wanted to keep out of sight as long as possible.
None of these are charitable explanations. But it’s hard to give state officials the benefit of the doubt here, given their reticence.
In any case, it’s a curious situation in which to find Gov. Sonny Perdue, who chairs the SRTA board.
One of the biggest knocks on Perdue’s tenure has been his failure, until his last legislative session, to produce a comprehensive plan to alleviate traffic gridlock in Atlanta and beyond. Now he’s leading a bum rush to fix up Ga. 400?
Even now, the next governor’s first term will be halfway over before we see any fruits from Perdue’s plan, a series of regional referendums in 2012 on a one-cent sales tax to fund transportation. And that’s assuming voters in at least one region approve the tax.
Speaking of the tax:
Every supporter of the sales tax for transportation with whom I’ve spoken emphasizes that the key issue is public trust: Which projects will be done? How can we be sure that the information we’re given about costs, benefits and so on is accurate? Do we trust our elected officials to keep the promises they make?
Atlantans might like the projects that end up in the sales-tax proposal, just as they might like the ones slated for an extended 400 toll. But the case for simply trusting our transportation planners may die in two board meetings Friday.
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177 comments Add your comment
BW
September 23rd, 2010
1:51 pm
Boots….maybe nationally the Democratic argument flies but in Georgia Republicans control all the levers…at a certain point you are going to wake up and realize that there’s no such thing as an honest politician….regardless of their “conservative” bonafides.
BW
September 23rd, 2010
1:55 pm
@ left wing
Bad example about the Chinese….they don’t have to deal with the me-first crowd indicative of the crowd on this blog…they do what they want when they want. If we had the type of government, GA 400 would be connected to I-675 right now.
Hillbilly Deluxe
September 23rd, 2010
1:59 pm
Having lived in Georgia all my life, and until the last 8 years that was all Democrats, at the state level, the only difference I can see is that it’s a different group of buddies making money. Other than that, there’s really been no difference.
Road Scholar
September 23rd, 2010
2:01 pm
Mike: You are right on with your taxes/services question. Not one person has stated their prefernce. The only response was one of labeling and off subject. Do you think the conservatives actually have answers?
MG: you also have something there!
David C: The politics and budget at the time of the SR 400 extesion did not permit the northern tie to I 85. The ramps were laid out though, as to not preclude their construction in the future.
Bob: the SB SR 400 t0 SB I 85 is a tough nut to crack. This was analyzed at the time of the design, but the solution (additional lanes down to Brookwood) is not feasible w/o huge costs.
Kyle: You never did answer my earlier post.
Finally, SRTA , GDOT etc. are stratagizing on whether to ask the users of SR 400 what solutions they may want in the SR 400 corridor if the toll remains. The discussion has to start somewhere, esp since other people and groups have asked for additional SR400 improvements. It is bad business sense to stop the toll only to possibly begin collecting it again. Whiners, this is called planning.
Kyle Wingfield
September 23rd, 2010
2:19 pm
Road Scholar: I was of course talking about the sales tax referendum, as is quite clear from the very next paragraph in the post. You’re not quite right that it’s only a (potential) revenue source, because each referendum has to include a prioritized project list — i.e., a plan. But it’s true that those project lists haven’t been drafted yet.
As for the 400 “discussion” you referred to: There may be a comment period about how to prioritize the projects, but the list has already been written (that is, don’t ask for any projects not on the list). And there will be no chance to “discuss” whether to keep the toll, or for how long, after Friday’s meetings…the only question left will be which company sells the bonds.
Kyle Wingfield
September 23rd, 2010
2:24 pm
In other words, doesn’t sound much like the start of a discussion to me.
Tea Party Meber
September 23rd, 2010
2:24 pm
TAX US 2 DEATH! YOU DAM OBOMABITES R MAKING ME N MY FAMBLY BROKE
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
2:33 pm
Georgia is on it’s way to becoming a democrat state like Illinois which is going bankrupt. They also have lots and lots of tolls.
Thanks a lot left wingers.
Kyle Wingfield
September 23rd, 2010
2:33 pm
left wing management: You mean this kind of modern metropolis? http://bit.ly/bO71Jm
Obviously, that’s not all there is to China’s boom. But it does undermine the idea that unaccountable autocrats know best.
BW: Fixed this for you:
“Bad example about the Chinese….they don’t have to deal with the public accountability of a democratic society…they do what they want when they want.”
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
2:34 pm
“.they don’t have to deal with the me-first crowd indicative of the crowd on this blog”
No, they just enslave and kill their own people.
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
2:35 pm
“Gotta love Republican’s……let the education go to heck in a hand basket…..so the dumb folks will keep voting them in no matter what they say or lie about !”
The majority of Democrat voters are ex-felons and high school drop outs.
Michael D
September 23rd, 2010
2:43 pm
I would love to see a public official ,St. Reps or Senators, get on this comment section and tell us what they think about this broken promise made 20 years ago. There is no hope for smaller government if the Republican Majority has a clear case of tax and spend before it like the tolls and will not do anything. The road is paid for and its 20 years later. Case closed. Where do Deal and Barnes stand on this?? Call these candidate and ask them.
PEOPLE IN GA = DUMB
September 23rd, 2010
2:58 pm
“Georgia is on it’s way to becoming a democrat state like Illinois which is going bankrupt. They also have lots and lots of tolls.
Thanks a lot left wingers.”
Ummm, Georgia is a super Republican state, so you can blame your own party for that.
Road Scholar
September 23rd, 2010
2:58 pm
Thank you Kyle. In your first paragraph, you have admitted that there was/is no program. You are correct to state that the project list for the regional sales tax is being drafted (much like the initial project list from SRTA for SR 400.) Do you see the parallel?
In your second paragraph you note that an “initial” project list has been drawn up and imply that it is final. Where do you think that came from? Bereaucrats (sp) in a dark room? Rev Eddie Longs’ living room? Divine intervention? Do you think that local governments (municipal and county) never get comments from the public or business as to transportation needs as apart of every day business? Do you think that these governments and their reps never ask about the feasibility of including these/any new projects within a regional plan? That a regional plan floats onto paper from outer space?
Kyle it is called planning. The projects listed have been requested before based on analysis, complaints, and public input. North Fulton has recently completed research WITH CITIZEN INPUT as to transportation needs and desires. Meetings were held in Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek to gather info. I guess conservatives were too busy to attend these meetings?
It should be noted that most projects are well outside of the toll area. Should the monies, if tolls are extended ,be kept more local? Should I 285/SR 400 interchange be included even if toll funding is only a portion of the monies needed to make meanigful improvements? Do you think that th SR400 corridor like I85 could be turned into a managed lane/toll corridor? if not, get ready!
Halftrack
September 23rd, 2010
3:05 pm
The Toll road has been paid for; let the toll tax expire. New revenues are needed for new projects that come by acceptance and needs of the people, not more of the back room deals.
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
3:08 pm
“Ummm, Georgia is a super Republican state, so you can blame your own party for that.”
You must not have lived in GA for a long time. Up until Purdue, GA was a Democrat state.
BW
September 23rd, 2010
3:09 pm
@ Kyle…LOL…thanks for clarifying that for me….in all seriousness though…any national policy on energy or local policy on transportation will almost certainly ensure that people are aggrieved due to the process…..NIMBY is prevalent.
BW
September 23rd, 2010
3:10 pm
@ CAIR Bears…you’re right it was a Democratic state….and 80% of the new Republicans were once Dems when the state’s politics dictated it.
Michael D
September 23rd, 2010
3:23 pm
We just called both the Deal and Barnes offices about this issue and the responses from Deal’s office was that he wanted the toll booths to come down while Barnes office said he wanted to keep them up to pay for improvements. Those are the candidates positions.
Linda
September 23rd, 2010
3:40 pm
Michael D @ 3:23, I knew it! True to their parties’ ideologies! That settles it! Cars with Deal stickers pay zero & cars with Barnes stickers pay $1.00. Everyone will be happy. Reps hate higher taxes & Dems love them.
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
3:58 pm
“and 80% of the new Republicans were once Dems when the state’s politics dictated it.”
And you have no proof of that claim.
JJ
September 23rd, 2010
4:03 pm
Wow! Passions are running high about a 50 cent toll. Go figure. Even if it went to 1 dollar, that’s still a cheap toll. Where I come from it costs 4 dollars and 50 cents to just go 1 way over a darn bridge! Yep politicians lie and guess they did here too. Regardless I’d rather pay the toll and use the money for infrastructure so everyone pays the same amount including out of towners. The key is a rock solid 5-10 year plan for the money that can’t be monkeyed with by each new governor.
BW
September 23rd, 2010
4:05 pm
Are you honestly going to tell me most of the current Republicans didn’t start their political careers as Dems? One is sitting in the Gold Dome….ideologically today’s Republicans are yesterday’s Dixiecrats
Road Scholar
September 23rd, 2010
4:12 pm
Who cares whether the current Ga repubs were Demos. THEY ARE REPUBS NOW! GET OVER IT! They control SRTA, GDOT, and GRTA. The management of each was hand picked by Perdue, a repub. Stop your whining and denial, just because they aren’t your idea what a Repub/conservative should be.
BW
September 23rd, 2010
4:18 pm
I am “over” it…LOL…my original point/thought is that both parties are intellectually bankrupt but Repubs control GA so the current argument that at least the R’s are better than the D’s is one that will get no change in the status quo
Toll should end as promised
September 23rd, 2010
4:52 pm
To extend the GA 400 toll beyond the original promised end-date is wrong. It should not automatically be rolled over for revenue for some other use. At the end of the currently agreed to plan, the toll should be shut down and let new petitions, etc., come forth if someone wants to open it for another purpose. And I bet it’d be voted down. (Didn’t some politician borrow some money from our toll money years ago? What ever happened to that money?)
Left wing management
September 23rd, 2010
5:01 pm
Kyle: Obviously, that’s not all there is to China’s boom. But it does undermine the idea that unaccountable autocrats know best.
Point taken. They’re throwing a lot at the wall over there and starting with a lot of pasta. So what sticks will be epic in size just like what does not. In any case, we’re not exactly sitting pretty in the ideological horse race. Let me just cite 3 names in the American urban pantheon: Minneapolis (public works), Detroit (plight of the old Ford model), and New Orleans (hydraulic engineering).
CORR
September 23rd, 2010
5:09 pm
Why not just build a shorter, cheaper route for the US 411 Connector in Bartow County. The current route, Route D-VE, is projected to cost $280 million. Alternate Route G, would save the state $182 million, is 2.5 miles shorter and doesn’t have significant environmental impacts (like destroying a mountain, watersheds, historic mine, conservation easement, etc.) Get the extra ramp money there. Oh wait, that would actually make sense. Nevermind. More here – http://www.coalitionfortherightroad.org
Hold Roy Barnes Accountable
September 23rd, 2010
5:09 pm
Toll should end as promised – The politician was RoyBarnes, then King Roy, who did not borrow the money from Ga 400, he just took it and spent it to improve roads around Atlantic Station for his developer cronies building that pos development. His attorney general said “nothing to see here folks, no crime, just a mistake.” What a pack of crooked cronies is the Dummycrat party. FatBoy will not carry his home county of cobb in November, we hate dummycrats up here in rich cobb. You cannot imagine how disappointed I was that Sonny did not pursue an investigation of KingRoy and all his crimes and cronies imho. Well, one can always hope for a heart attack, or better yet a nasty stroke. Strike Stroke Strike, just like lightening.
TIRED OF REDNECKS
September 23rd, 2010
5:36 pm
“You must not have lived in GA for a long time. Up until Purdue, GA was a Democrat state.”
Are you kidding me? GA has NEVER been a liberal state and GA Democrats are nothing more than Moderate Republicans. You are out of your mind like everyone else in this state.
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
5:51 pm
Road Scholar
Sucks to be you.
CAIR Bears
September 23rd, 2010
5:52 pm
“re you kidding me? GA has NEVER been a liberal state”
Not my fault if you can’t comprehend a simple statement. If you had a higher IQ then you’d have noticed that I never wrote anything about GA being a liberal state.
“You are out of your mind like everyone else in this state.”
Ma’am, trust me, my mind is just fine. If you hate GA so much, please move to another state.
Not So Casual Observer
September 23rd, 2010
6:11 pm
“In America there are so many ways of making a living that a man doesn’t usually enter politics until he has failed at everything else.” – Alexis de Tocqueville
Not So Casual Observer
September 23rd, 2010
6:21 pm
Seems to me the GA 400 toll, now and in the future, fits the generally accepted nature of both the D’s and R’s.
The R’s claim to favor a tax paid by those receiving the benefit, so the current toll paid for the road and a future toll would pay for the improvements. If the toll receipts are planned for any road other than 400 then the R’s should oppose the extension.
The D’s simply enjoy taxing anyone and everyone so the current and future toll fits their game plan. The state was under the control of Democrats 20 years ago so if the D’s actually wanted a sunset provision the act could have been made binding.
Roy Barnes should pledge to repay the pilfered 400 funds should he win the election, but we all know Roy would not do anything honorable – unless he thought there was a political advantage.
Nathan Deal should pledge to pursue Barnes for a return of the pilfered 400 funds (Barnes has plenty of money according to this supporters) and then apply for 10% commission as a government whistleblower and then Deal’s financial issues would be solved.
Left wing management
September 23rd, 2010
6:34 pm
CAIR Bears: ““You are out of your mind like everyone else in this state.”
Ma’am, trust me, my mind is just fine. If you hate GA so much, please move to another state.”"
I’m not so sure, CAIR.
Left wing management
September 23rd, 2010
6:36 pm
I had to laugh. Erick Erickson has this to say about the ‘Gobsmack with America’ statement:
This document proves the GOP is more focused on the acquisition of power than the advocacy of long term sound public policy. All the good stuff in it is stuff we expect them to do. What is not in it is more than a little telling that the House GOP has not learned much of anything from 2006.
Good god is that ever the truth.
Why don’t you try listening to the man, boys. It might just save you some heartache. Tee hee. Good night.
artyc99
September 23rd, 2010
6:52 pm
Sam Massell , you are a joke I guess you what you said years ago just join gov. sonny perdue and forget the people and raise taxes.
Independent
September 23rd, 2010
8:19 pm
Every one of you remember 400 every time they ask you to approve a SPLOST tax increase. Say NO to every thing a politician wants because they will LIE THROUGH THEIR TEETH to get what they want, then do whatever they want. If they do not get rid of the toll on 400, they prove themselves unworthy of any trust. Maybe some courageous politician will come along and campaign on the platform of removing the 400 toll. Maybe he/she will get elected. In the 80’s at UGA a student ran under the name of “The Unknown Candidate” for Student Government President and promised that, if elected, would abolish the Student Government. He won and he abolished the Student Government! That is a true revolution!
Politicians R Scum
September 23rd, 2010
8:56 pm
Let’s tar, feather and hang all politicians!
Politicians R Scum
September 23rd, 2010
8:57 pm
I wish the last line on all ballots read “Mark here to hang all the above.”
Bass Boy
September 24th, 2010
7:36 am
Take the tolls down. You promised and the tax paying citizens of the great state of Georgia expect you to uphold this promise. We don’t want to hear about closed door meetings about this situation. For once in your life, stand up for the people and do the ethical thing by standing by your promise!
Just sayin...
September 24th, 2010
7:46 am
So you want to complain about the ONE toll road in Georgia? Fine… just remember, in Florida…
Toll roads
Road Name S/W Terminus N/E Terminus Length[5] Cash tolls (automobile)[6][7][8][9] Notes
Airport Expressway Miami International Airport, Miami I-95, Miami 4.132 mi. $1.25 with cash, $1.00 with SunPass Becomes I-195 just west of I-95
Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway I-4, near Lake Buena Vista I-95, near Cocoa 53.5 mi. $3.25 with cash, $3.00 with SunPass
Apopka Bypass / John Land Apopka Expressway U.S. 441, near Lockhart U.S. 17, U.S. 92, Maitland 6.53 mi. $1.00
Central Florida GreeneWay/Seminole Expressway/Southern Connector I-4, near Celebration I-4, Sanford 54.06 mi. $6.75 with cash, $6.00 with SunPass
Daniel Webster Western Beltway I-4, near Disney World U.S. 441, Apopka 31.853 mi. $3.50
Don Shula Expressway Homestead Extension, Richmond Heights SR 826, Glenvar Heights 7 mi. $1.00 with SunPass, $1.45 via “Toll-By-Plate” Open road tolling; cash collection ended on July 17, 2010
Dolphin Expressway NW 137th Avenue, Tamiami I-95, Miami 16 mi. $2.25 cash, $2.00 with SunPass (includes SunPass only section)
Everglades Parkway (Alligator Alley) CR 951, East Naples I-75, I-595, Sawgrass Expressway, Sunrise 84.28 mi. $2.50 with cash, $2.00 with SunPass
Florida’s Turnpike Golden Glades Interchange, Miami Gardens I-75, near Wildwood 264.96 mi. $18.20 with cash, $14.40 with SunPass
Florida’s Turnpike Homestead Extension U.S. 1, Florida City Florida’s Turnpike, Miramar 47.856 mi. $4.00 with cash, $3.00 with SunPass
Goldenrod Road Extension Orlando International Airport, Orlando SR 551, Orlando $0.50 To revert to City of Orlando when the costs are paid off
Gratigny Parkway I-75, SR 826, Hialeah SR 953, Opa-Locka 5.378 mi. $1.00 with SunPass, $1.30 via “Toll-By-Plate” Open road tolling; cash collection ended June 7, 2010
Holland East-West Expressway Florida’s Turnpike, near Ocoee SR 50, near Bithlo 22.13 mi. $3.50
Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway U.S. 92, Tampa I-75, Brandon 14.168 mi. $3.00 with cash, $2.50 with SunPass
Osceola Parkway I-4, near Celebration Florida’s Turnpike, Kissimmee 12.4 mi. $1.75
Polk Parkway I-4, near Plant City I-4, near Polk City 24.380 mi. $3.00
Sawgrass Expressway I-75, I-595, Sunrise Florida’s Turnpike, Deerfield Beach 21.835 mi. $2.00 with cash, $1.50 with SunPass
Snapper Creek Expressway Don Shula Expressway, Kendall U.S. 1, South Miami 2.658 mi. $0.50 with SunPass, $0.80 via “Toll-By-Plate” Open road tolling; does not collect cash
Suncoast Parkway Veterans Expressway Spur, Cheval U.S. 98, near Chassahowitzka 41.512 mi. $3.00
Veterans Expressway I-275, SR 60, Tampa SR 597, Cheval 15.172 mi. $1.75 with cash, $1.25 with SunPass
[edit] Future Toll Roads
First Coast Outer Beltway: Construction Starts: 2012 – Planned Opening: 2020
Interstate 4/Crosstown Expressway Connector: Planned to open 2013
[edit] Toll Bridges and Causeways
Road Name S/W Terminus N/E Terminus Length Cash tolls (automobile)[10] Notes
Broad Causeway North Miami Surfside $1.00
Cape Coral Bridge Cape Coral Fort Myers 0.64 mi $2.00 westbound
Card Sound Road Monroe County Miami-Dade County $1.00
Choctawhatchee Mid-Bay Bridge Destin Niceville 3.6 mi. $2.50 with cash, $1.50 with SunPass
Clearwater Pass Bridge
Garcon Point Bridge Gulf Breeze Milton $3.50
Gasparilla Bridge Signed as County Road 771
Midpoint Memorial Bridge Cape Coral Fort Myers 1.25 mi. $2.00 westbound
Pensacola Beach Causeway Signed as U.S. Route 98 and State Road 30
Pinellas Bayway $0.85
Rickenbacker Causeway Miami Key Biscayne $1.50 eastbound
Sanibel Causeway Sanibel Island South Fort Myers 3 mi. $6.00 westbound
Sanibel-Captiva Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge St. Petersburg Terra Ceia 5.5 mi. $1.00 with cash, $0.75 with SunPass
Venetian Causeway Miami Miami Beach 2.5 mi. $1.50
Jefferson
September 24th, 2010
9:50 am
In ref to FL, “If everyone jumps in the fire, are you going to also?”
retiredds
September 24th, 2010
9:51 am
Kyle, I post a bit of an AP article I read this morning. Many on this blog, and I think you to a certain extent, have complained about both the Republicans and Democrats and their handling of issues of importance to us all. It seems that if the poll below captures the national mood we might want to think of electing persons who are willing to work together fort the betterment of our country versus the splitting (a very primative psychodynamic defense mechanism) and contentiosness we have now. I, for one, don’t see those types of candidates this time around.
Associated Press-GfK Poll
WASHINGTON — If anyone is scorned as much as Democrats these days, it’s Republicans — the party that may recapture the House and perhaps the Senate in November’s elections.
Yet Democrats trying to exploit the GOP’s unpopularity in hopes of hanging onto control of Congress face a problem: People who dislike Democrats seem ready to vote in greater numbers than those with little use for Republicans.
In an Associated Press-GfK Poll this month, 60 percent disapprove of the job congressional Democrats are doing — yet 68 percent frown on how Republicans are performing. While 59 percent are unhappy with how Democrats are handling the economy, 64 percent are upset by the GOP’s work on the country’s top issue. Just over half have unfavorable views of each party.
Most say President Barack Obama isn’t cooperating enough on the economy; yet even more accuse Republicans of the same thing. Former President George W. Bush and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — the only two Republicans the AP-GfK Poll tested — are both viewed negatively by more than half in the survey, worse than Obama’s marks. And people overwhelmingly fault Bush more than Obama for the recession.
Politicians R Scum
September 24th, 2010
9:55 am
Here is another crooked scum bag Dummycrat, imho: “The controversy over Rep. Sanford Bishop’s decision to award charity scholarships to his relatives has expanded as four more students tied to the south Georgia Democrat and his wife have acknowledged receiving them, as well.” Moral of the story: Never donate money to Africans of any kind, American or otherwise.
jm
September 24th, 2010
10:33 am
Here’s my take on the problem with the 400 tolls. 400 now extends up into the boondocks up North. The funds generated from one small section, where every lane pays tolls, covers the cost of the whole thing.
If the new proposal was to put in a toll lane (similar to the I-85 plan), and remove the rest of the told booths, then this would seem rational. And revenue would be made available to make the necessary improvements.
The 400 toll booth on one small section is outdated with everyone inside the perimeter using 400 now subsidizing everyone using 400 outside the perimeter (if they don’t come inside 285).
I’m not trying to highlight the ITP versus OTP problem (although it works out that way), more to the point, no business person, economist, or anyone else would think the 400 toll system is a rational way to to do things.
jm
September 24th, 2010
10:34 am
my 10:33 – my suggestion would also provide a needed congestion free lane on 400, something desperately needed from 285 past Alpharetta.
CAIR Bears
September 24th, 2010
11:49 am
Since I am banned on Tucker’s and Bookman’s blog, could one of you friendly conservative bloggers please share this with those two?
MEDIA BLOODBLATH: NBC, CNN CHIEFS OUT
http://drudgereport.com/
Ken Thompson
September 24th, 2010
12:01 pm
How do you know a politician is lying. His lips move
CAIR Bears
September 24th, 2010
12:02 pm
Prediction: Obama is either impeached or he resigns in the next year.
Another Obama commie bites the dust.
Axelrod leaving White House next year to work on campaign
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/09/axelrod-leaving-white-house-next-year-to-work-on-campaign.html