2012 Tuesday: Millions of dollars might not buy a T-SPLOST
Each month, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney — and their respective parties and PACs — report their fund-raising totals. One result is a monthly debate about the propriety of big money in politics, and many participants in that debate begin with the apparent assumption that money is everything in an election.
On the local level, however, we are watching the final days of a campaign in which a gilt Goliath appears mortally wounded by a dollar-poor David. Yes, I’m talking about the T-SPLOST.
The pro-tax campaign yesterday finally released its financial statements (on the last day of its past-due grace period), and it shows pretty much what we all expected: a campaign that has had millions of dollars to persuade voters to tax themselves $7.2 billion during the next 10 years to fund transportation. Here’s how the AJC summarized the standing of the pro- and anti-tax groups:
Citizens for Transportation Mobility — the political action committee pushing the July 31 transportation referendum in metro Atlanta — took in $6.5 million from spring 2011 through July 16, according to a campaign finance report filed Monday. Records show the group dramatically outraised opponents of the tax increase: The Transportation Leadership Coalition, which is fighting the referendum, raised $14,418.
(Full disclosure: Cox Enterprises, parent company of the AJC, donated $250,000 to the pro-tax campaign.)
That’s a 450-to-1 financial advantage for the pro-tax side, which is why virtually all the advertising you see about next week’s referendum is in support of the tax. The tax has the backing of the governor, the mayor of Atlanta and most other local and state elected officials in the 10-county region. It has the research apparatus of governmental and quasi-governmental agencies behind it. It has the area’s major businesses making not-so-subtle suggestions to their employees that they should vote for it.
And yet, according to every recent opinion poll, it’s trailing. In all but the one done for the pro-tax campaign itself, it’s trailing badly. In all that have measured support for the tax over time, that support has fallen by double-digits.
What gives?
For starters, this campaign shows once again the effectiveness of real grassroots organizations, and their ability to tap into large networks of passionate supporters at little or no cost. When the Tea Party Patriots, NAACP and Sierra Club all decide to oppose something, their members tend to be much more firmly committed to that stance than are people swayed by advertising or political endorsements.
We must also acknowledge that any effort to increase taxes amid a still-stagnant economy is something of an uphill climb, even when the purported payoff — easier commutes — affects many people’s everyday lives. That said, the most believable poll two months ago was not one that showed the tax ahead or behind by double-digits, but the one that showed it at 42 percent for and 45 percent against, with the rest of the people undecided. Given the nature of Atlanta’s transportation needs, the referendum was bound to be close despite the economy and the low level of trust in government when it comes to transportation. (And, for the record, I still think it will be fairly very close in the end: single-digits either way.)
But the most important factor — and really the only way this campaign’s financing and evolution are similar to the presidential race — is the ability of those proposing a change to make their case clearly and effectively. Barack Obama’s approval ratings may still be mediocre, but all the money in the world won’t help Mitt Romney if he can’t convince the American people he is suitable alternative. Likewise, traffic in Atlanta may be exasperating for a lot of people, but all the money in the world won’t help the folks at Untie Atlanta if they don’t have a credible pitch about how the tax revenues will help reduce traffic congestion.
And that’s where I think the referendum is in danger of failing.
The message from the pro-tax side has gone something like this:
1. Traffic is bad.
2. Look, there are a lot of projects!
3. In the end, we have to do something.
While hardly anyone disputes Nos. 1 and 3, a great deal of people doubt No. 2 is an adequate bridge between them. To be honest, the pro-tax side has hardly tried to convince the doubters otherwise. It’s simply harped even more on Nos. 1 and 3.
That means there’s no clear, coherent message about how the T-SPLOST projects will help the region today, from the urban core to the suburbs. There is no consistent narrative about how the projects work together in a specific corridor or chokepoint. To the degree the message is something other than “trust us; it’ll work,” the message is the map with 157 projects scattered across it. And that map has become a regional Rorschach test that leaves it to individuals to see future relief or wasted money.
In large part, that’s the fault of the people who put the list together, not the ones now tasked with selling it to the public. But however the blame is eventually assigned if the referendum does indeed fail, that’s the central failure of the T-SPLOST — and the crucial task for whoever has to pick up the pieces if Plan B becomes necessary.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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403 comments Add your comment
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 24th, 2012
8:26 pm
Troll, if you had actually READ the comment, you would have seen that that line was being used as an example to school HDB in what can be said vs. what cannot be said to the manager of a blind trust.
That you reacted as you did shows the defensive nature of liberals when their cherished causes are spoken about without appropriate reverence.
@@
July 24th, 2012
8:30 pm
Totally assinine.
Heirs of a wealthy New York art dealer were left a $65 million sculpture that might just be more trouble than its worth.
Illeana Sonnabend, who died in 2007, left an art collection worth an estimated $1 billion. But one item in particular, Robert Rauschenberg’s “Canyon,” is an heir’s nightmare, a lawyer’s dream and an IRS conundrum. The bequest comes with a $29 million tax bill, but since the piece includes a stuffed eagle, it can’t be
sold.
Federal law makes it a crime to possess, transport, sell or otherwise convey a bald eagle, whether it is alive or, as in this case, stuffed. Sonnabend got an informal waiver from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1981 that allowed her to keep the piece, considered a masterwork of 20th century art. (Rauschenberg got a waiver for the artwork by showing that the bird had been killed and stuffed long before the restriction was enacted.)
Give the IRS “the bird”.
schnirt
ank
July 24th, 2012
8:49 pm
MY view after reading the pros and cons over the past 6
months,in addition to discussing this with some of my non-medical, politically
inclined friends. Also, as a native Atlantan who has been here for some
time, has been involved in some political work at the state capital over
theyears, and wants this city to continue to grow and improve, I want to
share my thoughts with those of you who may have only recently moved here.
Finally, seems like many people are far past being decided. In fact, my gut feel is that the word from the word “tax”, some people on this site had already decided what they were going to do. This is not geared toward them; that would be like arguing with a table. Instead, this is for those who are still deciding.
1) We are 49th in the country in investement into roads/transportation
This is a major source of funding for the Beltline, a massive in-town
infrastructure as a state.
2) JUST TO GET TO THIS POINT WHERE A REFERENDUM WAS EVEN ALLOWED TO BE
PLACED ON THE BALLET, IT TOOK 3-4 yrs OF LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS. This is
because every year that this came up, it died in the last days of the
session (the session only meets for 40 days, once a yr). There is a real
divide between the rest of GA and Atlanta, and though people are working
on trying to bridge the gap, this has been a MAJOR issue over the past 5 yrs.
3) THE gas tax, one of the lowest in the country, will likely never be
increased by a strongly conservative state legislature.
4) If the tax fails, there is no suitable, ready to go plan B. At the
least, another vote may come up in 2 yrs (2014) but its unclear if
politicians will have the will power to get together as they did this
time. Already, some of those who sat on the roundtable are being aggressively
challenged by other more conservative, anti-tax candidates in primary
elections (see cobb county)
5) The cost of the tax per person per year will be around 130 dollars (>
18 yrs of age). Lost productivity in sitting around in traffic, gasoline,
etc is estimated to be 950 dollars per year per person.
6) Companies are choosing to relocate businesses to cities that invest
into infrastructure. Places like Charlotte, Dallas, and Houston are already
some years ahead in transportation infrastructure. Atlanta currently has the
same number of jobs as it did in 2001.
7) July voting elections are notorious for low turnout. SO TURNOUT WILL
MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. THATS WHY IM ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER VOTING!
project which is thought to be one of the most aggressive,
forward-thinking re-development plans in the country at this time.
9) The 400 toll is ending (finally; it was supposed to be ended more
recently, but extended by a lame duck Sonny Perdue) and so further
transportation funding is a big question
Is this a perfect piece of legislation? NO, absolutely not. There is 52%
transit investments, 48% road infrastructure investment. Are there some
flaws with the bill. Likely, yes. However, there will always be people
unhappy with things like this on both sides of the isles. Some think not
enough roads, some think not enough transit.
The above is just my 2 cents.
Bruno
July 24th, 2012
8:53 pm
Sure wish we were at the Doobie Bros concert tonight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEyvnwkIxfo
Bruno
July 24th, 2012
8:57 pm
In case it wasn’t noted on the blog, Sherman Hemsley passed away today. Best known for his role as George Jefferson in the 70s, he was a multi-talented performer. Crossing genre lines musically, he was a big fan of YES and one of my personal favorite prog-rock bands, Gentle Giant. Tip o’ the cap to this South Philly native.
Bruno
July 24th, 2012
9:00 pm
They won’t be playing this one tonight since Michael McDonald is not with the band, but this one goes out to my sweetie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ncO-sBaIVY
Bruno
July 24th, 2012
9:05 pm
“Real Love”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdtyEddtuF4
Bruno
July 24th, 2012
9:11 pm
One for my honey:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ra8rOILOBg
Mark
July 24th, 2012
9:23 pm
Don’t understand why the pols say increasing gas tax is off the table when Georgia’s isn’t high at all compared to other states. AJC does not explain this. A few pennies more on $3-4 gas isn’t that much and is less regressive than taxing groceries and everything else. At least, the SPLOST could have been a Special Local Option Sales Tax on Gas – SPLOST-G.
Scott
July 24th, 2012
9:24 pm
No! They still haven’t synchronized the lights on Peachtree. DO NOT give anybody 7 BILLION dollars for “projects.
Dusty
July 24th, 2012
9:58 pm
Hey Hey….THE BRAVES JUST WON THEIR GAME WITH MIAMI..Yep 4 to 3!! I knew they could do it. Go Braves!!!
Just thought you’d like to hear some good news!!
Vote NO for TSPLOST !!!!
July 24th, 2012
10:07 pm
Let’s see….they want us to trust them to “untie” the “tied up mess” that they “tied up” to begin with??? Yeah right…..VOTE NO FOR T-SPLAT !!!!!
Liz
July 24th, 2012
10:11 pm
I resent Cobb asking all of us to pay for their portion of matching funds for their air traffic control tower and airport improvements. Every other county or city manages to pay their own, and if they can’t Cobb should ask private jet owners to start paying landing fees. Geeze. I don’t want to pay for streetcars for Atlanta. Let them issue their own bonds, for tourist attractions (likely to fail). I am not thrilled about the Northern Arc, either (Thank you, Sierra Club, for staying on top of this).
Vote No. Too much pork, projects obviously will fail their mission to reduce traffic to any significant or measurable degree, and their are better ways to fund those too few worthwhile projects, and the Northern Arc should never be.
DawgDad
July 24th, 2012
10:24 pm
“there’s no clear, coherent message about how the T-SPLOST projects will help the region today, from the urban core to the suburbs”
They don’t have a clear, coherent message after all this time and money and rhetoric because there isn’t one to be had. All they have is “you pay for our boondoggles and we’ll throw a chicken bone or two into your region for you to choke on”.
Cases can be made locally for some of the individual projects, or sets of projects within a sub-region, but as a regional collective proposal the benefits do not align with citizens/voters interests, funding is ridiculously structured as a sales tax increase in a very poor economy, and the whole package has been promoted with some of the most offensive demagoguery and brow-beating rhetoric money can buy.
We ALREADY pay to build and maintain transportation infrastructure. The T-SPLOST will not cure Atlanta traffic woes, instead it will destroy a significant portion of the economic capacity to cure them. The leaders aren’t serious about curing traffic problems. Proof? HOT lanes coming my way. Marta. Beltline. Etc.
Pulling back the 400 tolls was about as crass a fourth-and-long political stunt as I’ve ever seen. They need those GA-400-commuter voters so badly they publicly attempted to buy their votes, with the rest of us picking up the slack for the lost revenues. Right. Makes me want to RUN to the polls and vote NO!!!!
Hillbilly D
July 24th, 2012
10:27 pm
If y’all think the Atlanta Region project list is bad, you ought to take a look at the lists for some of the other regions.
Dusty
July 24th, 2012
10:37 pm
ank@8:49
Your post is very sensible. But I won’t consider voting for T-SPLOST until Georgia gets its financial house in order.
I want DOT & MARTA and anybody else making infra structure plans to act like they are taking every dime out of their own pocket books, not ours. I want good thrifty plans for immediate problem spots.
When the public sees that kind of action and that attitude, they will later approve such “do dads” as trolly cars, big green spaces, bicycle paths, special lines to memorials, and maybe better ways to get in and out of Atlanta.
The so called “thinkers” cry we are doomed to dismal failure without T-SPLOST. I say, “cut the frills” and get your house in order. Until then, it’s NO!!
middle of the road
July 25th, 2012
5:43 am
But you forget one thing – the anti-tax movement had a great ally – Sonny Perdue!
tom rankin
July 25th, 2012
6:18 am
Bad tax, bad idea, Bad politicians, bad economy, unfair taxation, should I go on?
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 25th, 2012
7:21 am
Logic, please note Kyle’s new rules. You may not refer to another blogger by other than their blogging name.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 25th, 2012
7:21 am
Don’t forget your conditioning, Republicans.
1) Consumption taxes are good taxes.
2) Consumption taxes are fair taxes.
3) T-SPLOST is a good, fair tax.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 25th, 2012
7:29 am
T-SPLOST taxes food so those people that eat and use things like food stamps have to pay their fair share too. T-SPLOST is a good, Fair tax. T-SPLOST is not a bad tax. It does not tax business. It does not tax income. It only taxes consumption. The more you gorge, the more you pay. That’s the very definition of a Fair Tax.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 25th, 2012
7:43 am
Inciteful, as usual, misses the point. No surprise there.
T-SPLOST is a general tax TARGETING a specific issue, therefore, it hits everyone; even those who may never use the alleged “upgrades” to our transportation systems.
As such, it is the very definition of an unfair tax.
@@
July 25th, 2012
7:54 am
Since Kyle hasn’t offered a new topic, I dropped in <—–
next door. A huge mistake!
Looters on compooters.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 25th, 2012
7:56 am
OK, @@, I understand the reason for wanting a new topic, but why go THERE?
@@
July 25th, 2012
7:58 am
Tiberius:
Curiosity has always been my downfall.
D man
July 25th, 2012
8:00 am
Kyle,
I believe we do need road improvements but politicians have taken the easy way out by putting a new tax on the ballot. We are already giving the government trillions of dollars to use for whatever they feel is most important. If they want to improve roads then take money away from a lesser important program or project and use it for road improvements. It IS THAT SIMPLE. What is more important, paying for the “arts” or new roads? Paying for a new stadium or new roads? Paying for anything that is not as important as new roads or new roads? Stop asking me for more money. I already pay about 50cents of every dollar I make to the government in taxes. If you politicians are too lazy to do your job of better managing our money, then step aside and let someone else try.
@@
July 25th, 2012
8:00 am
I also visited Jim Galloway’s place.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 25th, 2012
8:13 am
Tiberius, as usual, misses the point. No surprise there.
T-SPLOST is a consumption tax. It is by definition a Fair Tax. It taxes all consumers and the amount of tax is directly proportional to the amount of consumption. All consumables are transported therefore T-SPLOST will be used to fund said transportation infrastructure. In stark contrast, an income tax or property tax would be an improper form of taxation for funding consumption. T-SPLOST is a good, Fair Tax.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 25th, 2012
8:24 am
Inciteful, consumption taxes are GENERALLY fair taxes, however, your use of the capitalized “Fair Tax” is a stupid attempt to tie a consumption tax designed to fund ALL of government with a proposal to fund a certain part of government.
Epic fail.
Not beneath you to try, however, since you don’t have another valid argument for the T-SPLOST.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 25th, 2012
8:29 am
iberius, consumption taxes are fair taxes, however, your use of deflection is a stupid attempt to divert from the obvious.
Epic fail.
Not beneath you to try, however, since you don’t have another valid argument against the T-SPLOST.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 25th, 2012
8:30 am
Uh Oh. The “T” in Tiberius got chopped. That was not, I repeat, NOT, an attempt to call Tiberius by any other name than his chosen name.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
July 25th, 2012
8:37 am
No deflection, Inciteful. A deflection is trying to change the subject, which you do very often. Mine was a response to your lame attempt to smear the Fair Tax with a Special Purpose Tax.
As I have written many times, I have multiple reasons for not supporting the T-SPLOST.
What I don’t do is try to call donkey a horse, which is the equivalent of your T-SPLOST / Fair Tax analogy.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
July 25th, 2012
8:49 am
From a Romney advisor:
We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special. The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have.
How racist is that? What about all the German heritage? The Italian heritage? The Russian?, the African? the Asian?
This campaign is a joke.
How Inciteful Is That!
July 25th, 2012
8:49 am
No deflection on my part since I made no attempt to change the subject away from T-SPLOST. T-SPLOST is a tax on consumption and the Fair Tax is a tax on consumption. In fact T-SPLOST is more fair than the Fair Tax since it has no provision to return a portion to the people to cover their basic consumption needs.
Perhaps you have some documentation that defines the Fair Tax as a tax on consumption that must be spent on special purpose things other than the things the T-SPLOST consumption tax would be spent on. That would be an interesting read.
As I have written here before, I will not vote for T-SPLOST but that has nothing to do with the fact that it is indeed a Fair Tax, a good tax, a tax on consumption.
What I don’t do is try to call a consumption tax something other than a Fair Tax because to do so is nothing short of a misrepresentation of a Fair consumption tax.
Bob
July 25th, 2012
9:33 am
If 7 billion is riased by the tax, at least 4 billion would be spent well, who could be against that !
Kyle Wingfield
July 25th, 2012
9:39 am
Logic: Per rule No. 2, you’re off the blog until next Wednesday, Aug. 1.
Jose
July 25th, 2012
9:47 am
the idea that 1 billion $’s to Marta from T-SPLOST will alleviate traffic is misleading…………. Fulton, Dekalb and CofATL are trying to hide the fact they cannot properly budget and operate MARTA well so they are asking the rest of the counties to PAY UP
now the rest of the counties BENEFIT from MARTA but we will NOT PAY UP
let the other counties BUDGET AND OPERATE MARTA and then we will pass T-SPLOST
sircharles
July 25th, 2012
10:02 am
The Mayor of Atlanta spoke in favor of this TSPLOST….let him and all those who favor it pay for it. Those of us know it is another scam, leave us out of it! It is more than what they are telling us; and we should not pay for anything for the rest of our lives….life GA-400 which we should not. Because some have long morning and evening commuting to and from work……..that was alway in the picture, you all just went on and took those jobs. There is already money set aside for this mass transportation, they did not tell us that, then they want to stack more for the GA Dome portion; more for downtown within the old and new dome to raise revenue on your money you pay thinking it is for the highways or to “Unite Atlanta.” This will be your taxes 10 years and beyond……..can you afford it having a family and other bills that you can’t pay already. To many lies has been told verse the truth that should have been at the forefront. My vote is no.
I have not going to do somthing that is going to affect me for the rest of my life….we are not making enough to support our families and they want us to give more for their benefits and to keep their 6 figures in tact. Why not just tell us how much you really have in stockpile!
Sheila
July 25th, 2012
10:09 am
Sure are a lot of developers and contractors on the pro SPLOST list!
Rightwing Troll
July 25th, 2012
10:14 am
“Wonder if the dems hadn’t obstructed Georgie on his F/F reform would we even be in this mess??”
Considering how everything else turned out that Shrub touched, maybe it was for the best… All the while you teatards stood by screaming HARDER… FASTER…
They BOTH suck
July 25th, 2012
10:16 am
Ring them up Kyle. Also have one blogger calling others “son” on here. Unless they are the father, might be best for them to call bloggers by their blogging name.
On topic: The poll you show seems pretty close. When reading Bookman’s or your blog as well as speaking to people I know, I do not think it will be that close on vote day. I’m going to be surprised if it doesn’t go down by at least 5% pts.
Lynnie Gal
July 25th, 2012
10:20 am
If the state had used the money it raised for projects that actually helped traffic flow instead of spending $$$ on Peach Pass lanes and traffic lights on ramps, people might actually trust them to have a reasonable plan and vote for T-Splost. Didn’t happen. Instead they lined their friends pockets in the industry and squandered our tax money on projects that actually made traffic worse. I’m voting NO.
Rightwing Troll
July 25th, 2012
10:21 am
Tib,
Thank you for the thoughtful and unoffensive reply…
My point was simply this: how can it hurt to look to “green” ways of doing things? Yeah for now it’s expensive, but the costs won’t go down until there is some real investment and effort put into it.
Yes, giving any government entity a blank check and requisite parameters is a bad idea, but as the population grows, we have to mitigate the effect we have on our surroundings. Oil is finite, smog is bad, both of these issues have to addressed. For “conservatives” to go all knee jerk and swoony on the utterance of the word “green” is just sad… It’s possible to be conservative and care for the planet and caring for the planet is not a sign of being a squishy lib…
Rightwing Troll
July 25th, 2012
10:22 am
Sorry.. this:
“Yes, giving any government entity a blank check and requisite parameters is a bad idea”
Should’ve read:
“Yes, giving any government entity a blank check without requisite parameters is a bad idea”
Rightwing Troll
July 25th, 2012
10:25 am
As for T-SPLOST… I’ve endured widening, and “fixes” for traffic along the I-75 corridor for almost three decades now, yet it never gets better. They’re clueless, they just need to Go Fish and quit asking for more money for nothing. The only upside I can see is that it might help with unemployment in the area a tiny bit..
Scott Fresno
July 25th, 2012
10:31 am
Tea Partiers are against it because it has too much mass transit? Sierra Club is against it because it has too little mass transit? WWGLD – What Would Goldilocks Do?
Loki
July 25th, 2012
10:46 am
Kyle,
You hit the nail on the head. I read over the project list the other day, and I did not see any cohesive plan, or overarching vision for the region; it was a bunch of trees without any forest. To me, many of the items on that list were vague, and I did not understand the benefit. Whoever is putting together the message should be let relieved of their duties; I cannot vote for this tax.
Hillbilly D
July 25th, 2012
10:54 am
What about all the German heritage?
Historic footnote: The Angles and Saxons were both Germanic tribes. Old English, which they spoke, was derived from Germanic dialects.
Scott Fresno
July 25th, 2012
11:09 am
Anglo-Saxon. Angled Saxophone. More than coincidence?
Bruno
July 25th, 2012
11:17 am
The message from the pro-tax side has gone something like this:
1. Traffic is bad.
2. Look, there are a lot of projects!
3. In the end, we have to do something.
Kyle–Your argument here is exactly mirrored by the folks who supported both the stimulus and ObamaCare. And in both of those other cases, the action step ( # 2 ) did NOT form a reasonable “bridge” between steps # 1 and # 3. Too many folks are fooled into thinking that doing something, anything is better than no action at all. At some point we have to pay for all of these projects.