Kasim Reed speaks up for TSPLOST: ‘Just surviving means just surviving’
In an unexpectedly passionate speech that took aim at doubters and the news media, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed this morning declared the campaign for the transportation sales tax to be far from dead, and said passage of the July 31 referendum was needed to pull the region out of the doldrums that threaten its economic standing in the South.
“Just surviving is just surviving,” Reed told a group of TSPLOST supporters at City Hall, casting the referendum as a generational test that will determine whether the region can operate in a biracial and bipartisan manner that can attract new businesses and jobs.
Said Reed:
”The city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia, we’ve lost 200,000 jobs since the year 2007. We’ve lost 50,000 construction jobs since the year 2007. That hurt doesn’t have a color on it. And you all know as well as anybody that when the unemployment rate spikes for everybody else, it does even more damage to black people, Latino people, and rural people.”
The occasion at City Hall was an endorsement of the 10-county sales tax by the Atlanta Business League and other groups essential to city political efforts. But Reed used the event to make clear that, while Republicans are either hedging their support or opposing the measure, and even many Democrats have lined up against it, he intended to serve as a full-throated advocate during the final stage of the campaign.
The mayor first addressed concerns that the one-cent sales tax wouldn’t do enough for African-Americans in DeKalb and Fulton counties to warrant the support of black voters. Reed stared straight at state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, who was in the audience and has urged opposition. “Some of our friends are saying that it won’t help minority businesses enough. Y’all, that’s just flat-out not true,” Reed said, his eyes still glued on Fort.
Reed then threw cold water on automated polls commissioned by news organizations that show the referendum to be losing support by double digits– by reluctantly offering up a poll commissioned by Untie Atlanta, showing the initiative only three percentage points down.
“We didn’t want to show our poll, because the poll we took before that was better. All I’m asking you to do is call balls and strikes,” the mayor said, addressing the reporters in front of him. “The public deserves to have the facts, and the fact is that this is going to be a close election.”
Here’s a rough transcript of most of Reed’s remarks, with more to follow:
”Y’all, we did what everyone in America has been telling us they wanted to do. We had 18 Republicans and Democrats from rural and urban look at the future of the region and vote unanimously to pare down a list of more than $20 billion down to less than $6.14 billion, and pass it unanimously. And then take it out and put it up for a vote.
“So we’re not placing a burden on you. You have an opportunity to vote on something for yourself. But I need y’all to understand and remember and go text, call, phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, all of your friends and tell them that just surviving leads to just surviving.
“The city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia, we’ve lost 200,000 jobs since the year 2007. We’ve lost 50,000 construction jobs since the year 2007. That hurt doesn’t have a color on it. And you all know as well as anybody that when the unemployment rate spikes for everybody else, it does even more damage to black people, Latino people, and rural people. …
“Now we have a solution that your leaders have stood behind, and [Fulton County Commission Chairman] John Eaves is standing behind, and I’m standing behind, and the City Council is standing behind, and it’s going to help create transportation mobility like we’ve never seen, but it’s also going to help us build an infrastructure for the future. And it’s going to put $600 million a year into this local economy.
“Now, some of our friends are saying that it won’t help minority businesses enough. Y’all, that’s just flat-out not true. Let me tell you why. Show me another city in the United States of America that has a longer, more distinguished history – since Maynard Jackson, as mayor of this city – for doing business with women and minority business. Show me one. You’ve got $600 million that’s going to be spent with MARTA, which has robust women and minority and small business inclusion.
“You’ve got another $600 million that’s going to be spent, when we spend this measure, that’s going to be spent on the Atlanta Beltline to give you last-mile connectivity. You’ve got $850 million that’s going to be spent in DeKalb County, which has a robust women and minority business program. I don’t know about your math, but that adds up to $2 billion – about a third of the $6.14 billion. So folks that are saying that minorities and women and small business are not going to have a seat at the table are telling you not to believe your own experience and your own eyes….
“Now, another thing. I’ve been reading a whole lot about polls, about whether or not this is going to win. Take it from somebody who knows how to win when I’m behind. I spent two years behind. So you’ll have to excuse me for not getting nervous when we’ve got two weeks to go…..
“I’ve seen one poll that says we were down by 10 points. I’ve seen another poll that says we were down by 10. This is my challenge. Any news organization that has a poll – we have a poll that says the [race] is 38-41. It’s an 800 [voter] sample, which is in the 3 percent margin of error, which means it’s basically neck-and-neck, dead even. Now, I’ll be honest. We didn’t want to show our poll, because the poll we took before that was better.
“All I’m asking you to do is call balls and strikes….the public deserves to have the facts, and the fact is that this is going to be a close election.
“This election – if you gave every single person in the 10-county region a day off, put the election on Saturday, and emailed everybody a hundred times, and God gave us flawless weather, it was never going to pass by more than 54 percent. You understand me? So don’t get nervous about it being a close election, don’t get nervous about the ups and downs of campaigning. But I need you all to fight for this thing.
“I was with Bill Clinton a couple weeks ago. We were in Chicago. And he was talking about how important it is that we pass this in Atlanta, because people all over the world are watching to see what we’re doing. Look at the New York Times. Look at the Chicago [Sun]-Times, look at the Los Angeles Times. Look at Baron’s. Look at The Economist. They are looking to see whether Atlanta is going to step up and start operating in a bipartisan way that nobody in the Southeast has been able to take on….
“This is what we do in Atlanta…. Folks need to stop rooting against this region. I want y’all to hear that. Y’all remember six years ago – when you lost a job, there were two or three or four other jobs that you could go out and get. Right now you go to work on pins and needles, praying that you don’t lose your job, because there’s nothing else out there. I want you all to have opportunities again. I want you to have a robust economy that allows you to go and do other things.
“And folks who are on the other side of this debate haven’t put up one single solution. I know there’s a lot of talking in the street. But anyone who wants to have a serious debate about this, you tell me where to meet them, anywhere, anyplace, and we’ll have it. And we’ll see if they know what they’re talking about. ‘Cause I’m here to tell you, I’m going all out for this. And I believe in the Winston Churchill model. I smile when I fight. I love to fight.
“We did what you asked us to do. Y’all said you were sick of partisanship, and we did this in a bipartisan way. Y’all say y’all were sick about black folks being against white folks, we did it in a biracial way. Y’all said y’all were sick of rural against urban, we did it with rural and urban.
“We can have a debate. But, my goodness, let’s call balls and strikes. And let’s make sure you decide this election around real information. Because what I’m here to tell you is, that if you spend $600 million every single year, your future in this town is going to be better. That you’re going to get home to your family and your children faster. And that you’re going to be part of the most dynamic economy in the Southeast. That’s what I’m here to tell you.
After the speech, I followed the mayor into his office for a post-game interview. He again sounded the generational note:
“Our elected leadership has done what everybody says they want out of elected leaders. If there’s any frustration, that’s what you were hearing in me. Everything that people say that they want, happened in this process. The meetings were videotaped. They were open to the public. There was black people and white people. It was rural and urban. It was Republican-Democrat.
“What should have happened when we passed the project list the first time, it should have been heralded as what it was – which was the most significant political event in modern Georgia. That didn’t happen. But what’s happened recently is that the other side’s voice has been amplified…
I’ve been making the argument, but I’m going to make it a lot louder. …You’re going to continue to see elected officials do what elected officials do – move away from something that is about to fail. But this matter is too important. This is our generation’s moment to really move this region and this state ahead.
Reed began talking dollars and sense. “If we pull off the four significant things that we’ve been working on right now, our competitors can forget about it,” he said. The quartet? The water wars, the dredging of the Port of Savannah, the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson, and the TSPLOST.
“All of this stuff has been ugly. We have not won it with beautiful passes. You can put the warts and all on it,” the mayor said. “But nobody has given up any of their core values. None of these issues require me to be less of a Democrat, or Governor Deal to be less of a Republican.”
Reed’s bottom line: A biracial, bipartisan metro Atlanta has a future. A fractured one doesn’t.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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134 comments Add your comment
Pledge
July 17th, 2012
3:21 pm
That’s leadership!
Johnny P
July 17th, 2012
3:24 pm
If Atlanta doesn’t act on it’s transportation and economic development issues, it’s going to be in very bad shape. The opponents of the T-SPLOST have no plan and are living in La La Land. I’m glad the Atlanta Business League stepped up.
marsh
July 17th, 2012
3:24 pm
buckhead blows, bring back the bars.
Centrist
July 17th, 2012
3:32 pm
More AJC shilling by highlighting Reed’s already known endorsement.
In real local political news – Georgia election officials seek access to immigration database
State officials on Thursday welcomed the news that the federal government is finally granting states access to an immigration database they could use to confirm the U.S. citizenship of those seeking to vote.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the federal government is expanding access to the SAVE program so Florida and other states can use it to cleanse their voter rolls of noncitizens. Election leaders in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah have also requested access to the program, the AP reported. Each of the election chiefs in those states is a Republican. [Evidently, Democrat Governors don't have a problem with illegal votes]
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
3:34 pm
This is supposed to be a program to reduced congestion.. Now Reed (who makes Bill Cambell look honest) claims it’s a job bill. He is finally telling the truth the $600,000,000.00 spent on the waste/belt line is all about the job of lining his corrupt cronies pockets not reducing congestion. If you think this is not true look at how Reed’s Corrupt Cronies got all the money at the airport.
VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT , & CORRUPTION…
Marlboro Man
July 17th, 2012
3:34 pm
Make it a .02 tax and it will be 2 times as good.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
3:41 pm
“No MARTA, no city of Atlanta”we need to get the waste out of MARTA… cut the bloated overhead, mismanagement, empty busses & $100,000.00 per year bus drivers
VOTE NO ON WASTE, GRAFT, CORRUPTION, & GROSS MISMANAGEMENT..
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
3:45 pm
Two weeks ahead of the primary election, an exclusive 11Alive News poll shows a majority of voters oppose a tax increase for regional transportation projects. The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) would equal one cent for every dollar spent in a given region.
Among likely voters surveyed for the exclusive poll conducted by SurveyUSA across the state, 48% said they would vote against T-SPLOST, 36% said they would vote for it, and 16% were still undecided. The margin of error was 3.4%.
Broken down by region, in the state’s most populous region, Metro Atlanta (region 3), 49% of likely voters said they would vote against T-SPLOST while 36% would vote for it. In Northwest Georgia (region 1), 66% would vote against it and 22% would vote for it. In Georgia’s Mountains (region 2), 61% would vote against it and 24% would vote for it. Northeast Georgia (region #5) was split on the vote with 40% in favor and 41% opposed. The margin of error was 3.4% among likely voters.
Asked how familiar respondents were with the proposed projects in their areas, 26% of all respondents said they were very familiar, 36% said they were somewhat familiar, 21% were not very familiar, 14% said they were not at all familiar with the projects and 2% said they were not sure. The margin of error was 2.8%.
Whether the measure passes or not, most people across the state said they didn’t think T-SPLOST would make a difference to traffic in their area in the long run.
If it passed, 56% of all respondents said traffic would stay about the same, 22% thought it would get better, 11% thought it would get worse, and 12% were not sure. The margin of error was 2.8%.
If it didn’t pass, 67% of all respondents said traffic would stay about the same, 7% thought it would get better, 18% thought it would get worse, and 9% were not sure. The margin of error was 2.6%.
About half of all respondents across Georgia, 49%, said T-SPLOST advertising has made no difference on how they will vote. However, 19% said ads made them more likely to vote for the measure, 23% said ads made them more likely to vote against it, 3% haven’t seen any ads, and 6% were not sure. The margin of error was 2.8%.
Half of all respondents thought the government would mishandle any money raised from the penny sales tax. Specifically, 27% thought is was not very likely and 23% thought it was not at all likely that the funds would be properly handled. In contrast, 11% thought it was very likely and 31% thought it was somewhat likely that the money would be properly handled. The remaining 7% said they were not sure, and the margin of error was 2.8%.
Opponents of the transportation tax have argued that the wording of the preamble to the ballot measure is unfair. It states “Provides for local transportation projects to create jobs and reduce traffic congestion with citizen oversight.” Of people surveyed, 44% thought the wording was fair, 36% thought it was unfair, and 20% were not sure. The margin of error was 2.8%
Centrist
July 17th, 2012
3:49 pm
jgalloway somehow missed this from Bob Barr, former U.S. Attorney and Georgia U.S. Congressman who is voting NO to TSPLOST:
“Citizens already pay enough taxes, especially for transportation/highways; we do not need another massive tax increase, especially in the middle of a stubborn recession. Government needs to re-prioritize spending and cut back non-essential services before coming to the citizens and asking for more. The list of projects is being driven not by needs and desires of voters, but by bureaucrats and the liberal agenda in Washington and Atlanta – heavily weighted toward mass transit and light rail, which does not and never will be used sufficiently to justify massive start up and continued, never-ending up keep costs. The process – binding all even if a county votes no – is deceptive and unfair, if not unconstitutional.”
dd
July 17th, 2012
3:50 pm
just think how many vendors he can pay off, once they make massive contributions to his re-election campaign. Wow, the gift (in this case our money) that just keeps giving (to him and other politicians).
Now, let each county come up with and fund their own solutions, while the state takes on the few required major arteries. That would be a much more effective way to resolve this issue.
of course, would provide much less oppty for public waste, graft, and political payoffs. (seriously?? $4.5 million for art in the airport? Seriously??)
drsoul
July 17th, 2012
4:04 pm
Reed is just another in a long line of ’self-serving’ mayors of Atlanta….This SPLOST plan is a complete scam and will be a massive failure for Atlanta… before we get into any new directions, we need to clean house of the lamebrains who have kept Atlanta in the position they are when it comes to infrastructure….there has been poor maintenance of infrastructure in the growth of Atlanta and this will not solve it….it will not create anything like they are BS’n out there….these TV ads should cause someone a criminal charge in fraud…!!! will it invent some jobs??? sure, but the entire focus of something like this should not be a temporary band-aid that not resolve issues, but only cost you more before it is spent… WAKE UP, ATLANTA…sounds like another ‘AIRPORT SCAM’…. VOTE ‘NO’ on this issue…!!!!
Centrist
July 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
From the blog above: Reed then threw cold water on automated polls commissioned by news organizations that show the referendum to be losing support by double digits– by reluctantly offering up a poll commissioned by Untie Atlanta, showing the initiative only three percentage points down.
“We didn’t want to show our poll, because the poll we took before that was better. All I’m asking you to do is call balls and strikes,” the mayor said, addressing the reporters in front of him. “The public deserves to have the facts, and the fact is that this is going to be a close election.”
Well then, TSPLOST should be easily in the bag with all of the remaining massive spending by the pro side and free media support via the AJC. (Unless this is bogus B.S.)
ECobber
July 17th, 2012
4:17 pm
Dear Mr. Reed,
I will vote “NO” on this just as almost ALL my neighbors plan to do. Would you like to know why?
We have just as much trust in you and your cronies as we do in your buddy in DC, Pres. Obama. If you had anything in your record of cleaning up the dirty politics of this city, maybe we would feel differently.
My advice to you: you’ve hitched your wagon to your man in DC and blasted Mitt Romney last week at the NAACP convention, so pray, pray, pray that Obama wins again and maybe he’ll throw some money your way. You’ve made your bed, so now you get to lay in it.
MARTA Rida
July 17th, 2012
4:17 pm
All you Transportation Referendum haters are the first to complain about traffic. Lets stop complaining about it ado something.
Reed is the only politician in the entire metro area to stand up and say what he thinks is right because he knows that he will get re-elected. He has done great things in Atlanta during his first term, the other cities wish they had someone with Reed’s leadership!
Good for Reed to stand up in front of everyone and pick an ally out of the crowd, Fort, that has turned his back on this referendum because of political pressure.
I’ve seen the TIA debate pick up on the streets and in the offices. People are finally getting educated on the projects, instead of listening to tea party activists and talk radio. I truly believe the Transportation Referendum will pass. People are tried of the status quo and none of the TIA opposition has presented a path towards Plan B.
Death to the T-SPLOST
July 17th, 2012
4:21 pm
I hope Senator Fort gave Mayor Reed a one finger salute. The proposed T-SPLOST would tax Grandma’s groceries another penny and exempt motor fuel from the tax. This would transfer billions from the poor and middle class to C. W. Matthews and the rest of the paving contractors who own the Georgia Legislature. This is the worst ripoff ever passed by the GA Legislature and that takes some doing.
DannyX
July 17th, 2012
4:26 pm
“Would you like to know why?”
I would like to know why.
Why did the Republican dominated state government come up with such a lame tax increase proposal?
Why is Republican Gov Deal promoting a yes vote?
Why did the Republican dominated selection committee give “corrupt” Mayor Reed everything he wanted?
Why did Republican controlled state government back out of the Ga 400 toll agreement?
Republicans wet their beds and are now lying in it.
Byte me
July 17th, 2012
4:28 pm
DannyX Like Democrats are different?
joe
July 17th, 2012
4:29 pm
Not only NO, but he!! no. Remember how the tolls at GA 400 were supposed to be done away with? More of the same…
Old Glory
July 17th, 2012
4:32 pm
Forget beleving whether Reed is honest or not……just look at the GA 400 promise made to only institute the toll to pay for the road…..well that road has been paid for many years ago and yet the toll lives on. Once politicans (of both parties) get you to agree to tax yourself you will never see the end of it. VOTE NO to another wasteful, dishonest tax!!
First Thing on the List
July 17th, 2012
4:32 pm
We need to address the crime of Atlanta.
HST
July 17th, 2012
4:33 pm
Another BS tax on taxpayers – Gwinnett Co. residents already paid for our HOV lane by SPLOST – only to have it be taken away by the government, and reassigned as a pay lane. Some of that congestion is from northern commuters into the city whom don’t use carpooling anymore.
Remember the proposal for the 400 toll? The toll was supposed to end after the road was paid for…how’s that working out?
Personally, I will never use mass transit, no matter what the system. I’ll just choose better times to commute, leave, travel, or drive – y’all can have your mass transit, but I will never vote to pay for it.
NO TO TSPLOST!
Simple
July 17th, 2012
4:35 pm
Call me a Transportation Referrendum HATER!! I ride my bike to work and don’t need any stinking increase in my grocery bill, electric bill, gas bill and every other bill I pay. Increase the gas taxes and let the people who actually use the roads pay for it.
Road Scholar
July 17th, 2012
4:36 pm
I’m fixated on the comments about not trusting our legislators, local governments and GDOT. Since this is a predominate conservative state, the people who were elected are not trusted, i.e.Republicans. Those same legislators vote in each congressional districts for their rep on the GDOT Board, i.e. Republicans. The Board selects the GDOT Commissioner as well as the remainder of the upper echelon of management at GDOT i.e. Deputy Commissioner, Treasurer, Chief Engineer, etc. The Governor, a repub, selects the Planning Director at GDOT, who is responsible for project selection in not only the yearly program but also the TSPLOST programs around the state. It is safe to say the Planning Director is a repub.
The TSPLOST has a citizen review board which is to ensure the money is spent correctly, the projects on the list are delivered in a timely manner, and to be accountable to all the citizens. Since our decision makers are all repub, isn’t it safe to assume the CRB will be mostly, if not all repub.This is how this state works.
So if all decision makers, administrators, and program reviewers are repub, and they can not be trusted, then shouldn’t the anti’s leave their party, and begin another party that is self righteous, Christian only, and experts on everything. Their motto could be ( esp for the future TSPLOST) ” My Way or the Highway!”
How could the conservatives be so wrong as to elect these thieves and liars to office…repeatedly…?
wumpy fish
July 17th, 2012
4:36 pm
ditto on 400 tolls plus the left lane of interstate 85 being hijacked. and you want to be trusted again, get real…
Buckhead Boy
July 17th, 2012
4:37 pm
Centrist opines, “Evidently, Democrat Governors don’t have a problem with illegal votes.”
Or, maybe they view the effort as being out of proportion to the problem, as would any sensible person. Last year New Mexico spent several hundred thousand dollars on an investigation that revealed that two foreign nationals had illegally registered to vote and but one of those two had actually voted.
Or, maybe from the preponderance of evidence, the reasonable conclusion to be drawn is that the Republicans interest lies in making it easier to buy an election than to vote in one.
Road Scholar
July 17th, 2012
4:39 pm
HST: The HOV lane on I 85 was paid for with state and Federal funds….not Gwinnett splost monies! It was OUR tax money that paid for an HOV lane though…not a managed lane.
Road Scholar
July 17th, 2012
4:40 pm
Buckhead: Bingo!
Simple
July 17th, 2012
4:40 pm
Road Scholar:
May be hard for you to believe but there are also people who do not care for Democrat or Republican. Now go back to your passive aggressive attacks of anything not Democrat.
Ted Rice
July 17th, 2012
4:42 pm
We pay a tax on every gallon of gasoline to maintain and sustain our highways. Where has it all gone? I’ll not vote for Tsplost since we have been taxed and taxed for yes to do what htey are trying to BS us into doing now!
Centrist
July 17th, 2012
4:45 pm
Road Scholar posted: “Since this is a predominate conservative state, the people who were elected are not trusted, i.e.Republicans.”
Maybe the real answer is that most voters (like me) do not trust politicians of either party, but the Democrats who ran this state for decades are considered worse.
Tech '10
July 17th, 2012
4:46 pm
This Mayor continues to inspire me with his leadership style. I was very skeptical about Kasim Reed before 2009, because I just didn’t know him and his opponents were well known quantities. But this tenacity that this man has shown over the past 3 years proves him to be a transformational leader that will propel Atlanta into the future. I am supporting the TSplost because it does much to push us in the right direction to regain our standing as a regional force to be reckoned with.
DannyX
July 17th, 2012
4:46 pm
“Where has it all gone?”
35% of metro-Atlanta gas tax revenue is spent outside the metro Atlanta area. Maybe our Republican dominated state government should work on changing the funding formula.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
4:52 pm
Road Scholar
July 17th, 2012
4:36 pm
If you don’t think Reed’s Corrupt Cronies aren’t going to steal us blind you are in the “trusting” 11%.. Look at the airport, all Reed’s Cronies got the contracts.. Reed is strictly a pay to play type guy.
“Half of all respondents thought the government would mishandle any money raised from the penny sales tax. Specifically, 27% thought is was not very likely and 23% thought it was not at all likely that the funds would be properly handled. In contrast, 11% thought it was very likely and 31% thought it was somewhat likely that the money would be properly handled. The remaining 7% said they were not sure, and the margin of error was 2.8%. “
HST
July 17th, 2012
4:53 pm
Road Scholar, yeah, that was an over-sighted statement from me…I forgot the reality behind who was in control.
DannyX
July 17th, 2012
4:55 pm
“Maybe the real answer is that most voters (like me) do not trust politicians of either party, but the Democrats who ran this state for decades are considered worse.”
LMAO! By who? Georgia, led by the Atlanta area was one of the fastest growing states in the country when it was being led by Democrats. Now Georgia is one of the 10 slowest growing states. Georgia has one of the highest unemployment rates. Most failed banks. Stagnant to still going lower property values. Corrupt Republican politicians, like Deal, Balfour, Ralston, Chip Rogers, Sonny, Schrenko, Oxendine, Richardson……on and on….
What exactly are the Republican accomplishments since they gained all the power????
Here’s a hint….NOTHING
Mississippi Proud
July 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
Wow!!
Just 10 years ago, Georgia (with the strongest magnet being the Metro-Atlanta area) used to be the favorite southern state in attracting new businesses. However, transportation problems and poor public education have scared-off a lot of businesses that otherwise would have come to the state.
The Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area and the Charlotte, NC-Mecklenburg County area are now getting most of the business that used to come to Georgia. Both of these states and areas invested heavily in state of the art transportation plans (which include mass transit) prior to overtaking Georgia in economic progress.
TSPLOST is the first major step ever in our state and in this region to truly improve transportation so that we can return to competitiveness.
If we fail to approve this tax, we will take yet another step closer (and may even catch Mississippi) to being the poorest, dumbest state in the nation.
MARTA Rida
July 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
The GA 400 tolls were reinstated by a lame duck governor called Purdue. It was his last act before leaving office. GA 400 is not complete, the 400/85 interchange is not done. Mad about it then blame your republican controlled legislature not the mayor of Atlanta or the TIA projects.
So you all believe that Reed is dirty because of some people that are bitter about losing airport concessions? Sounds more like sore losers to me.
ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:02 pm
Hey DannyX – nice comeback. Now, go run along… I think Kasim is calling you to discuss how to convince all these educated, white collar folks that they should vote YES.
You see, there is a reason alot of people who work hard and make a good living move “out” of Atlanta and Fulton County. I grew up in Atlanta so I’ve seen the long list of dirty politicians and Kasim hasn’t done anything to show he deserves different treatment.
So we will keep our money out here in the suburbs and keep our fantastic public schools and public programs. And you keep trying to come up with sneaky ways to get our money!
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
5:03 pm
MARTA Rida
July 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
So you think Reed’s multimillionaire corrupt cronies are disadvantaged?
TrueBlue
July 17th, 2012
5:04 pm
This referendum is so important to our region!!! It provides the “shot in the arm” that we’re in dire need of. It stands to create 200,000 jobs, a better future for our kids, shorter commutes, new business and economic development opportunities, a greater investment Metro Atlanta’s future, brings much needed infrastructure improvements to the region and best of all, all around better quality of life for millions of Metro Atlanta families!
This measure stands to bring about real change to this region. There were folks that fought the ‘96 Olympics, the expansion of the Atlanta Airport in the 1970’s and any other major project that thrust Atlanta into the future but I truly hope we can agree on the Tsplost because we have to do something about the horrible traffic and transportation in our city.
TrueBlue
@EastCobber
July 17th, 2012
5:05 pm
Atlantans have more money and education than you folks in East Cobb, no your numbers buddy! LOL
DannyX
July 17th, 2012
5:08 pm
“And you keep trying to come up with sneaky ways to get our money!”
Sneaky way to get your money???? Republicans are the ones that came up with TSPLOST, and suburban Republicans dominated the selection committee. Your Republican politicians must be fools!
No wonder the state is in such horrible shape, its being run by easily manipulated Republican fools!
@Danny X
July 17th, 2012
5:08 pm
You’re spot on with your comments sir! The Republicans haven’t really done anything over the past 10 years of their controlling the state governement, but in all fairness the Deal Administration seems surprisingly level-headed.
ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:10 pm
@EastCobber – thanks for the tip. Learn to spell “know” and then talk smack you idiot!
And I’m not so sure you want to compare SAT scores with E Cobb parents versus downtown Atlanta residents. Do you?
PencilPenMarker
July 17th, 2012
5:12 pm
@ECobber
You’re a clown of the worst ilk! Republicans created the Tsplost down to the choosing of the date of the election. Each jurisdiction was simply charged with coming up with project lists to go into the regional lists and allow voters to decide to tax themselves. Please get your facts correct sir, your mullets starting peek from under your hat. LOL
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
5:16 pm
Disadvantaged businesses wrongly certified for airport contracting
il
.
By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four airport concessionaires awarded contracts as disadvantaged businesses in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s restaurant contracting this year should not have qualified under federal criteria or did not have adequate documentation, according to the federal government.
The federal government found four airport concessionaires were improperly awarded contracts as disadvantaged businesses.
More business news
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Coke sales strong, despite global woes
EU opens antitrust investigation of Microsoft
Reed vows T-SPLOST support
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Biz Beat blog
Top workplaces: Is your company on this list?
Check your stocks
.
The two firms that should not have qualified because they exceeded the $750,000 cap on personal net worth are Atlanta Restaurant Partners LLC and Mack II Inc., the Federal Aviation Administration said. In addition, Vida Concessions and Hojeij Branded Foods had inadequate documentation, the agency said in memos released Thursday.
The city of Atlanta noted there are different disadvantaged business certifications with different criteria, and the issue in question is focused just on the federal Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification.
Together, the four firms named won a significant share of the concessions contracts worth an estimated $3 billion over 10 years. They were chosen to operate dozens of new restaurants at the airport, and are in eight of the nine airport restaurant contracts approved by City Council and signed by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
5:18 pm
Disadvantaged businesses wrongly certified for airport contracting
il
.
By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four airport concessionaires awarded contracts as disadvantaged businesses in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s restaurant contracting this year should not have qualified under federal criteria or did not have adequate documentation, according to the federal government.
The federal government found four airport concessionaires were improperly awarded contracts as disadvantaged businesses.
.
The two firms that should not have qualified because they exceeded the $750,000 cap on personal net worth are Atlanta Restaurant Partners LLC and Mack II Inc., the Federal Aviation Administration said. In addition, Vida Concessions and Hojeij Branded Foods had inadequate documentation, the agency said in memos released Thursday.
The city of Atlanta noted there are different disadvantaged business certifications with different criteria, and the issue in question is focused just on the federal Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification.
Together, the four firms named won a significant share of the concessions contracts worth an estimated $3 billion over 10 years. They were chosen to operate dozens of new restaurants at the airport, and are in eight of the nine airport restaurant contracts approved by City Council and signed by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
@ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:19 pm
Its called writing on an iPad. Typos happen, the fact still remains that Atlanta has a more diverse, educated and monied class of citizens than East Cobb. Did my correct spelling and perfect grammar spell it out any better for you?!?!
Second fact that remains is; your community doesn’t exist without the economic prowess that is Atlanta! It was the Republican dominated legislature and Executive Branches that came up with the regional Tsplost. Atlanta doesn’t need your fraction of pennies, but we’ve been lumped in a 10 county region with your county and even if you don’t support and it still passes, Cobb gets the money.
Atlanta has proven through our numerous splost and most issues that we can do big things for growth, now let’s see if our little friends next door to the west can do the same!
Church of the painful Truth
July 17th, 2012
5:19 pm
Vote No!!!! If passed,10 years from now only half the projects will be completed and a new Tsplost with a fancy name will be asked to be voted on again.Also, the Beltline if completed will be a center for holdups and other crimes.Look at Georgia Tech and Georgia State.Students can not walk around on or off campus without looking over their shoulders.
BRIGHT
July 17th, 2012
5:20 pm
Mayor Reed is not afraid to tackle tough issues. His support on this issue has been clear, for those who choose to see and acknowledge it.
Hope is Near
July 17th, 2012
5:21 pm
I want to first congratulate Mayor Reed for seeing the potential in Atlanta and continually showing his support. Atlanta has the biggest opportunity to be seen in a positive light by the entire world right now and I for one plan to Vote YES on July 31st. If Atlanta doesn’t pass this referendum it could put the entire city and all the companies in a worse position. If you had a company, would you want your employees coming to work complaining about the horrible traffic they just sat in just to get to work? If you have a family would you like to know that you can make it on time to your children’s events because you didn’t have to sit in the traffic an extra 60 minutes? I think we could all agree that Atlanta has a problem and a solution to fix it. So why complain? Do you have an alternative? No you don’t because there isn’t one. Admit it, this is a working start to better things to come. Will there be flaws? Of course! Nothing is a solid perfect plan, but it’s better to have an idea out there than no idea at all. For all those complaining about 400 please show me where it says anything about the toll ending. There isn’t one. 400 will always and forever have a toll, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop moving forward. Let’s not be selfish and looking at what has happened in the past. We have to move forward and think forward. Let’s be progressive instead of falling behind. If Atlanta doesn’t Vote Yes then we can prepare to stay in a city with horrible traffic, loss of jobs, no upward mobility, and no plan to make this city the best city it can be!
VOTE YES JULY 31st!
ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:23 pm
For the record, I’m not a Republican. I know it is difficult for some of you simpletons to realize, but many people do not blindly follow a party.
I also learned to read and write and form a complete sentence (though I admit I break more than a few grammar rules that would cause my college English profs to cringe). So I don’t have a mullet and I have never written a sentence like “mullets starting peek…” sir. And that is so cute that you learned to write LOL. I’m still smiling sir.
DannyX
July 17th, 2012
5:25 pm
“The Republicans haven’t really done anything over the past 10 years of their controlling the state governement,…”
No they haven’t. They haven’t done a whole lot for the suburbs they have been in control of for even longer. Look at the shape their transportation system is in. The car lovers in Cobb and Gwinnett have been led by politicians that allowed both counties to be over developed. Every square inch of land the developers could get their hands on has been built on. No thought at all was given to transportation. They can’t build more freeways for the cars they love because they didn’t plan for it, there is no place to put them.
They are stuck with band aids. Toll lanes and interchange expansions are not going to improve their traffic one bit.
freemefromtraffic
July 17th, 2012
5:33 pm
I think the Mayor is a leader. He has made a hard decision and stuck with it. We all know something has to be done. Already this week I have heard about 4 fatal car accidents. We have got to do something to create jobs, lighten traffic and invest in our own infrastructure and transportation or how can we expect people and businesses, of the federal gov’t, to invest in our city? All of these people who are complaining about this have no real solutions. They would rather be petty and personal and disparage the Mayor. I believe he wants more for the citizens and businesses of this city and sees that we have a long road ahead to become the world class city we want to be. I personally thank him and others for taking bold moves instead of whining.
AMitchell
July 17th, 2012
5:36 pm
Is there something wrong with wanting…to begin dealing with the regional traffic issues?
Is there something wrong with wanting…to put Georgia on a growth trajectory?
Is there something wrong with wanting…Georgia to excel commercially?
Is there something wrong with wanting…to be proactive?
Is there something wrong with wanting…to prepare?
Georgia founded the Girl Scouts of America
Georgia should —-”BE PREPARED”!!!
…Pass the Transportation Initiative!!!
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
5:40 pm
AMitchell
July 17th, 2012
5:36 pm
How will the $600,000,000.00 or nearly 10% of tspLOST wasted on the beltline cut congestion?? We need projects that reduce congestion not line the pockets of Reed’s Corrupt Cronies.
@ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:43 pm
Again, you missed the point. I haven’t, and I don’t think any other commentors, on here have referred to you as Republican. I simply responded to your comment about Atlantans stealing your tax dollars. WE DONT NEED IT!!!!
@ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:48 pm
Atlanta has proven that we can utilize our special options taxes to benefit our city for greater growth! We have a stellar record with the feds re: the sewer overall and we have been paying for MARTA for years. Atlanta serves East Cobb in the same way that D.C. serves Virginia and Maryland, in that we supply an econmic catalyst for growth for suburban areas. The major differennce is the D.C. Metro Transit system is welcomed and championed in the suburbs and people move faster and more efficiently as a result!
ps
I still believe you have a mullet! LOL
@ECobber
July 17th, 2012
5:51 pm
I left an “o” out of economic, must be my APS education
yuzeyurbrane
July 17th, 2012
6:01 pm
Reed is competitive and does not like to lose. Nothing wrong with that. Simply part of the job description of any successful politician. But part of growing up, including politicians, is that you realize that you don’t always get what you want. So, calm down and forego the histrionics. Whether right or wrong, T-Splost is going down. Now be a grown-up about it.
Attack Dog
July 17th, 2012
6:08 pm
1. Kasim, let Dixiecrats “choke on their Smoke.”. 2. Dixiecrat Logic: Spend millions of taxpayers’ money on Voter ID laws just in case one day in the distant future that an illegal immigrant might vote for a Democrat, who has no chance of winning, as we are often reminded, in a bassackward so-called Dixiecrat rigged election. Whew!
Centrist
July 17th, 2012
6:13 pm
@ECobber – Referring to the Washington DC Metro system was a gross mistake. The construction required billions of federal dollars, originally provided by Congress under the authority of the National Capital Transportation Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-143). The cost was paid with 90% federal money (taxpayers/debt of non-citizens) and 10% local money. Operations are also subsidized by the 50 state taxpayers.
Big cities (Atlanta is not one of them) with much greater population density don’t lose quite as much taxpayer dollars (debt) as smaller ones. Mass transit is totally uneconomical in smaller markets like Atlanta. The suburban voters understand this, and will never voluntarily support such a system, even if it wasn’t rife with graft and cronyism.
Double Zero Eight
July 17th, 2012
6:23 pm
Anyone that thinks this tax will go away
in 10 years is delusional.
Attack Dog
July 17th, 2012
6:27 pm
We know how many cronies in Cobb, Gwinnett and other Dixiecrat areas. Name two Reed cronies thay have been convicted. Just naming some of “those” people will get it. Where is Joe Friday when you need him.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
6:34 pm
Attack Dog
July 17th, 2012
6:27 pm
As soon as Obama isn’t president, Reed & his Cronies will be taking a Bill Cambell vacation.. Read my post on the 1st page fquoting the AJC on illegal disadvantage bidders at the airport.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
6:35 pm
6:34 pm
Attack Dog
July 17th, 2012
6:27 pm
As soon as Obama isn’t president, Reed & his Cronies will be taking a Bill Cambell vacation.. Read my post on the 1st page quoting the AJC on illegal disadvantage bidders at the airport
WOODSTOCK
July 17th, 2012
6:36 pm
There are, obviously, citizens involved here without anything better to do. Thus far, I have read things from overly informed windbags, whose minds are so congested with numbers and percentages that personal opinions have somehow transformed into facts (inside of their own mind), as well as commentators who have turned this tiny comment forum into a personal arena. If we cannot respect each other, how exactly can we understand that Mayor Reed very much wants us all to band together towards ANY common goal? If productivity in this broken economy is any kind of goal, why are there people working against it? I, for one, think it is incredibly admirable for Mayor Reed to put on his umpire uniform and play by the game book—the economic game book that is the future of the city, these counties, this state and the country, not the book of the corrupt and borderline tyrannical as some have claimed. Mayor Reed is working void party affiliation and sans racial biases, why on earth is that a problem? Who could even think that was a problem?
If someone stood out on the corner and offered a job that paid nearly a thousand dollars a week—without any strings or catches—I bet all of the doubters and naysayers would be on board with that… as long as it wasn’t Mayor Reed.
Something else to think about, Mayor Reed spoke up—but the voice did not belong to only him. Who else knows that there are other officials and politicians involved in all of this. Mayor Reed is quite brave and always is. He deserves respect for that, if for anything else. His courage and passion should be testament to how wonderful a leader he is. His ability to properly choose his battles is also that of a leader. He could have sat back and said absolutely nothing, but something needed to be said and, in my opinion, that was what needed to be heard.
Bravo, Mayor Reed. Bravo.
Double Zero Eight
July 17th, 2012
6:37 pm
Our politicians obviously believe that
“you can fool (most) of the people all of the
time”. They have the audacity to place T-SPLOST
on a ballot for the voters to decide, after the broken
promise concerning GA 400.
Attack Dog
July 17th, 2012
6:56 pm
1. If you realized yoir spelling error, you may have been educated. At APS. You may not be able to spell at all if you’re from White County. 2. Public transportation is good for any community to get people to low wage jobs. In White County, you can walk from the company owned trailer park to work.
JR
July 17th, 2012
7:05 pm
Mayor Reed showed great leadership and vision today! Atlanta leads the southeast because Atlanta has always been two steps ahead of other southern cities when it comes to vision – the Airport, the 1st Braves Stadium, etc. Mayor Reed stands on the shoulders of a long list of visionary Atlanta Mayors whose bold ideas and passion for Atlanta has made her the envy of other southern cities. Atlantans today enjoy gifts from visionary ideas made a generation ago. Thank you Mayor Reed – Forward Into the Future!!!
Red
July 17th, 2012
7:09 pm
How’s that competitive bidding process to allow Delta to select a company to shuttle it’s employees from the airport to the hotels going again?
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 17th, 2012
7:10 pm
JR
July 17th, 2012
7:05 pm
Looks like Reed has a bunch of his interns posting his praises here.. waste of time & energy.
ECobber
July 17th, 2012
7:23 pm
AMEN Ga Values! The Reed mob can argue all they want, this proposal is going DOWN! I will be surprised if it even gets over 35% support.
The sad part of this entire discussion is that I truly believe that Atlanta needs massive growth programs (and I know many others feel the same way). However, this vote is going down due to a total lack of confidence in local governments around the Metro area.
So Reed interns, please stop trying to argue the validity of the program. Its fate was sealed long ago and there is no reason to believe in your boss changing the culture.
Auntie Christ
July 17th, 2012
7:27 pm
ga values “Looks like Reed has a bunch of his interns posting his praises here.. waste of time & energy.”
And it looks like a lot of people use the anonymity of the internet to slander/libel Atlanta’s public officials without offering the least shred of evidence or proof. Meanwhile the overt corruption of chip rogers,graves and America’s most corrupt congressman, now Governor, deal is defended and dismissed, and given contributions for reelection. Republican lies and hypocrisy would be shameful, but these people know no shame. You need to change your moniker to “republican values,” altho ga values is acceptable, given the acceptance of overt corruption by this state’s benign electorate.
Auntie Christ
July 17th, 2012
7:40 pm
And if you want to know the main problem with MARTA, it is the fact it is overseen by a bunch of redneck south Georgian farmers posing as law makers, who have no stake in it, contribute nothing to it except their meddling, and who would love nothing more than to see it fail so as to get their dirty hands on the money that people in Fulton/Dekalb have contributed the last 40 years. But hey, it’s run by the ITP crowd, it MUST be corrupt, else all my illusions and prejudices would be wrong.
bf110c4
July 17th, 2012
7:56 pm
The Wall Strret Journal reported yesterday that the majority of the nations Republican governors now support taxing online sales.They want the $24 Billion in new tax revenue . It never seems to stop. I don’t trust these guys to spend any of this money wisely. Vote no to the TSPLOST.
RGB
July 17th, 2012
8:02 pm
It’s hilarious that Reed’s endorsement of the tax increase is considered a “boost”. How funny.
jonqpublik
July 17th, 2012
8:04 pm
if only all taxes were subject to acceptance by vote…..only taxes that benefit the common needs of all would be approved. VOTE NO on this nonsense!!!
RGB
July 17th, 2012
8:09 pm
WOODSTOCK strikes me as an under-informed windbag.
The premise behind the tax increase is that it will reduce commute time.
There is no credible evidence to support the premise.
Even the TSPLOST chief analyst admitted this.
Question: If Mayor Reed said a tax increase would make the earth reverse its rotation, would you support it as the rube you are and term his support “heroic, admirable, and glorious”.
In times like these, people can’t afford another tax increase absent the proof of any discernible benefit.
Do you work for one of the contractors who would benefit from the passage of TSPLOST?
zeke
July 17th, 2012
8:11 pm
Is this a surprise? He is a left wing racist democrat! What would you expect?!!
Norm!
July 17th, 2012
8:15 pm
Just what government needs…more money to blow. No new taxes!! I’m voting NO.
td
July 17th, 2012
8:28 pm
Auntie Christ
July 17th, 2012
7:27 pm
“And it looks like a lot of people use the anonymity of the internet to slander/libel Atlanta’s public officials ”
No such action can be taken against public officials.
Trueman Kapoti
July 17th, 2012
8:29 pm
Ga Values is John Sugg, formerly of Creative Loafing and the new voice of all things against black leadership!
There you’ve been outed sir. Now use your real name going forward.
Trueman Kapoti
July 17th, 2012
8:32 pm
For the record, im not a Reed intern. My name is Benjamin Simmons, resident of Kirkwood and supporter of TSplost.
Cherokee citizen
July 17th, 2012
8:46 pm
Reading the posts regarding this topic has made for an enjoyable and enlightening after-dinner read. What stands out is that the arguments are a microcosm of the class warfare being fought all over the country.
The people on here that are defending the TSplost are quick to call all opponents names like farmers, rednecks, mullet-heads and (oh how terrible) Republicans.
Well, can you take it when it’s reversed? What if the opponents of the tax call all of you supporters names like “welfare recipients” and “liberal leeches”? After all, if you live downtown, why do you care about our commute and our transportation needs OTP? And if Atlantans are so very smart, wealthy and self-sufficient, then you should easily be able to find way to fund whatever projects you truly need.
Mayor Reed is obviously the hardest working, most ethical mayor EVER. He will undoubtedly find alternatives to grow the city without taxing all the redneck, mullet wearing, Republican farmers OTP.
Good luck with that!
Fairness
July 17th, 2012
8:48 pm
Reed need to stick with mismanaging the city of Atlanta and sit down and shut the h up. Why don’t he have the citizens of Atlanta to vote on their own transportation bill. I live in Dekalb County and will be voting NO as many times as I could. This is a giveaway for the good ole boys and a few so called AA that have been invited to the spending spree with pay-offs in tow. Please VOTE NO!
Byte me
July 17th, 2012
9:11 pm
Attack Dog so tell me about Bill Campbell and his reign of corruption. Reed is on the same track
hiram
July 17th, 2012
9:13 pm
Nothing in the proposal addresses the three intersecting interstates that add tens of thousands of out of town semi trucks, buses and passenger cars to Atlanta’s traffic daily, and produce total gridlock during multiple holidays. Any meaningful plan to address Atlanta’s traffic should be predicated on a realistic plan to route through interstate traffic around Atlanta. Anything else is just a waste of time and money.
Proud Voter
July 17th, 2012
9:20 pm
Road Scholar, so you ride your bike and don’t need no stinking roads? That’s probably a good thing. You should be very healthy. I just hope the EMTs and other emergency peronnel you may need one day are healthy enough to ride their bikes really fast to get to you in case of an emergency.
b
July 17th, 2012
9:32 pm
Too many holes in the plan and too much shilling. Too many politicians in this plan for it to come anywhere close to working.
RGB
July 17th, 2012
9:36 pm
If Reed can get just a small piece of $8,000,000,000, that’s waaaay better than doling out concessions contracts at the airport. He’d graduate to the big leagues then….national stage…..even more TV appearances…..cabinet appointment…..return to Georgia and run for Senate…..and lose.
Lunchman
July 17th, 2012
9:39 pm
Do what you can to eliminate the single occupancy cars. Maybe then the traffic problem will be solved. When I see the “improvements” of the roads mentioned in the TSPLOST, I travel one of them two, maybe three times a year. The others I travel once in my lifetime or never. Can’t wait to pay for something else I will never use.
Ed
July 17th, 2012
9:44 pm
I hope voters understand the TSPLOST amounts to a ruse….this tax will probably never go away. Ask yourself how often you have seen a splost tax really expire. Once the political class gets their hands on the revenue, they will make every effort to keep the tax revenue flowing. GA 400 is a perfect example how politicans fail in their initial commitments and then find excuses to continue the tax in perpetuity. Our governor even pledged to cancel the GA400 toll tax, but so far it has not been accomplished.
Kevin
July 17th, 2012
9:45 pm
I live in Midtown and work in Alpharetta. Trust me when I say that I know the pain and frustration associated with traffic in this region.
But I’m voting “No” on TSPLOST. Wrong projects, wrong mix, wrong to give local governments non-specified slush funds. Kasim lost my confidence when he threw his support behind the trolley between downtown and the King Center. He’s wasting very precious transportation resources on a project that will do NOTHING to resolve gridlock.
You so-called progressives need to dig your head out of your collective butts. Simply throwing money at a problem doesn’t solve it. Choose to support something based on the facts– not on your fear of how Atlanta will be perceived or because “doing nothing isn’t an option.”
Intown
July 17th, 2012
9:51 pm
I could not agree with Kasim Reed more and Galloway’s paring Reed’s words down to their essence: A biracial, bipartisan metro Atlanta has a future. A fractured one doesn’t.
Kris (already voted No)
July 17th, 2012
9:55 pm
@ Ga Values VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT , & CORRUPTION…I agree!
Strike One….no kick backs for Reed
Strike Two…no kickback Dirty deal and his cronies.
Strike Three…Still Ain’t gonna fix traffic. Ain’t help the braves
Recall Reed
Impeach Deal and arrest his cronies.
Vote NO ts-LOST
Hillarious
July 17th, 2012
9:59 pm
Reed could not be more wrong. I know of no one inside Atlanta or in the outer counties that is going to vote for this. Think of a worse time to ask the voters for a tax increase!
Larry
July 17th, 2012
10:06 pm
No! Neve3r!
Giving poorly run, dysfunctional governments more of our money to waste or pay themselves more salaries and benefits and no different than giving an alcoholic more alcohol and hoping he stops drinking.
They arleady get more than enough of our money so force them to spend it more wisely!
Larry
July 17th, 2012
10:09 pm
Does anyone remember the constant delays of al the road construction in and aournd Atlanta in the 80’s and 90’s?
Not again in my lifetime!
Mark G
July 17th, 2012
10:12 pm
Dear Mr. Mayor, you can not be trusted. MARTA can not be trusted. GDOT can not be trusted. Together you and your agencies have wasted millions of our hard earned dollars. You invest yourself in projects that don’t serve the community and when they are built, they have to be re-built. Sorry, NO, NO, NO, NO WAY you are getting this tax passed. We’re fed up with you creating messes and we the people paying for it.
By the way, Mr. Governor, tear down the GA400 toll booths.
TrueBlue
July 17th, 2012
10:19 pm
Tslpost will pass and there will be a lot of mad people!
JR
July 17th, 2012
10:21 pm
@Ga Values ……………… VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION – I am NO intern. I own my own business and before moving to Atlanta had lived in New York and Paris where public transportation in these two cities will take you all over the region without the need for a car.
Send Obama Packing
July 17th, 2012
10:31 pm
I will vote a big fat “NO” !
G Mare
July 17th, 2012
10:47 pm
Mailed my absentee ballot today: NO ON TSPLOST!
Re last topic: if Senator Isaacson is against it, it is probably a good thing for us.
Auntie Christ
July 17th, 2012
10:57 pm
td @ 828: No such action can be taken against public officials.
What ‘action are you referring to?’ I see you’re as well versed in the law as you are about any other issue you comment on, i.e. you have no idea at all what you’re talking about.
Kevin @ 945: “You so-called progressives need to dig your head out of your collective butts. Simply throwing money at a problem doesn’t solve it. ”
It’s apparent whose head is up their @$$. If you had ever read these comments written on the subject today and the 10 other times its been discussed here, you would know that this issue is neither progressive nor conservative, there are as many libs against it as for it, likewise cons for and against it. You do realize that deal has spoken FOR it as well as Reed, to cite just one example. Is deal a ‘progressive with his head up his butt?’ But someone like you can’t comprehend that, can you. If you can’t easily categorize someone into a nice little niche, your pointy little head gets a migraine. Sorry your bubble burst.
Self_Made
July 17th, 2012
11:04 pm
I’ve got to stop reading about this BS. It’s like listening to pre-schoolers argue over the merits of eating boogers. So many uninformed and culturally biased opinions. Perhaps in 10 years I will have done enough for myself that “permanent gridlock” or “billions wasted in corrupt cronyism” will have minimal effect on my well being.
Active Voter
July 17th, 2012
11:45 pm
I must say that I am still catching up on all the reading from the websites and AJC as well as the viewing/listening via the radio and news reports. I still haven’t made up my mind. This is again a double-edged sword for me just like the tax to make our sewage system better BUT I pay one of the highest water bills in the state and would’ve been higher. Shirely Franklin’s too quick action put us in this fix. Now, we have another SPLOST can be good, can be bad. I don’t trust the politicians to handle this money correctly or fairly. I have read and looked @ the projects on the untie sight and saw more review/research/planning then actual building. Also, I like the fact of repairing MARTA rails and extending rail lines, but I don’t like the fact that MARTA has to come up with the other money which will probably mean higher fares. Even though I don’t ride MARTA like I use to when I worked downtown, but I appreciate the mobility it critically provides for residents and the access I have to it. No, we can’t trust them so we have to make them even more accountable for this money and stick to the schedule and have OPEN BIDS if this pass. Again, I am back and forth with this issue and I don’t like being squeezed in the middle. Lastly, I may not agree with Mayor Reed sometimes but I do like that he speaks up, he speaks his mind, & he nevers back down from a fight.
Kris
July 18th, 2012
12:04 am
After watching the 11 O’clock news, looks like reed and his cronies are running scared..They should run.
Vote!
Vote no
Shine
July 18th, 2012
12:16 am
If Atlanta needs money then let the Atlanta City Council raise taxes. Same for the state. The state is loaded apparently with all the corporate welfare and tax cuts/breaks for deadbeat corps they just passed and signed into law.
Dont poor mouth the public about needing money when you handing money out by the briefcase full to development nuts and deadbeat corps.
See Through The Smoke Screen
July 18th, 2012
2:01 am
If the Mayor of Atlanta is for it, it is obviously bad for the City and surrounding suburbs-
There should be no speculation on what the incompetent GDOT would do with this 10 year ATM Tax machine, look what they have done so far with HOT MESS LANES and the CHAOS they’ve created on 400 and the talk of expanding TOLL LANES to further screw up the other highways that don’t have them!!!!
Still paying a toll on 400 years after that stretch of road had been paid for several times over?
NO to TSPLOST
Mayor Reed, make a firey speech against Park Atlanta, your rookie cops handing out frivilous citations and the incompetent City of Atlanta traffic court personnel !!!!
So glad I live in Cobb where there is free parking for restaurants, entertainment venues, no vagrants and hoodlums, and police harrassment…….,,,,.etc.
BlahBlahBlah
July 18th, 2012
5:38 am
Has anyone ever thought that maybe, just possibly, Atlanta is big enough already? Why is massive growth the answer to our problems? Build more roads and they fill up. It’s not about congestion, it’s about slush funds for politicians. Taxes like this never go away. NO is the way to go.
Michael
July 18th, 2012
5:48 am
It never ceases to amaze me that, in a part of the world that is so clearly dependent upon the success of a region like Atlanta, so many people spend so much energy denying that their welfare and their future depends on a city with which they profess to have no connection. If Atlanta weren’t what it is, Georgia would be a lot more like Mississippi than it is. Given how single-minded is the campaign to block progress in the Atlanta region, a victory for the opponents of projects like T-SPLOST is a condemnation of most of the state of Georgia if not, in fact, the whole state. For those who oppose T-SPLOST, I suggest you move to Mississippi so you can get the immediate benefits of the future you appear to be committed to building. For the rest of us, I hope reason and optimism will win the day, and I hope we’ll recognize we have to invest in our future in concrete ways like building and repairing our infrastructure. This is not a job we’ll ever have to do just once. It is like mowing the lawn, more or less, only just a wee bit more important.
BigAintheBigA
July 18th, 2012
6:00 am
Glad that Kasim Reed is enjoying being Mayor about like Obama is enjoying being President. Nice to see that he’s trying to do something but endorsing this stinkbomb called TSPLOST is nothing more than promotional rhetoric. It promotes the program, Reed’s cronies and his personal image as a progressive. That’s really all it does. It’s a badly formed plan that will saddle the state with an ineffective and inefficient program for a generation. They say 10 years. Think about that. That’s 10 years UP FRONT. We’ll be stuck with an ever growing monster for the rest of our lives. This is bad business and worse politics. Glad Kasim is doing something. Just too bad he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Dumb and Dumber
July 18th, 2012
7:57 am
Kasim is just a lapdog for the GOP controlled legislature and Governor. The bill is a loser and won’t decrease congestion but will toss loads of money to the GOP cronies outside the perimeter and Kasim’s cronies within.
Vote no on this suburban road tax. If the Tea Partiers in Cobb and Gwinnett don’t want to pay for their roads, I see no reason for people inside 285 to pay for them either. As for suburban transit — who cares? Once you are out in the burbs there is no way to get around without a car and no effective local transit. GRTA under the GOP has been a joke and this bill would give GRTA control over transit in the beltline and Linbergh/Emory — and GRTA is simply not able to handle it.
Vote no (and I ride MARTA every day!)
TBone
July 18th, 2012
8:01 am
This country is drowning in debt and no amount of tax revenue will satisfy the ever expanding appetite of our “leadership” be they (R) or (D). My advice is establish community priorities, cut the excess, cut more excess and then cut it again. Re-elect nobody in this election cycle and give a voice to the candidate that you believe represents your values. Where the hell is the $0.25/ gal or so tax going now?
Mark
July 18th, 2012
8:12 am
Auntie Christ
July 17th, 2012
10:57 pm
AMEN!
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 18th, 2012
8:12 am
JR
July 17th, 2012
10:21 pm
You have not been here long enough to realize how corrupt the City of Atlanta is. Reed had the chance to change that by having honest bids at the air port but he decided on business as usual, taking care of his corrupt cronies. He had another chance to make things right with TSPLOST by really addressing congestion but he chose to pick a $600,000,000.00 belt line give away to his corrupt cronies. Reed had so much potential but regrettable he turned out to be another Bill Cambell.
Please take 15 minutes & read this, you will then understand why mass transportation won’t work in Atlanta.http://www.gppf.org/pub/Transportation/120523IATSPLOSTFINAL.pdf
I would really like to vote for a bill that really addresses out transportation needs but this turkey is not the one
William
July 18th, 2012
8:15 am
I am a Republican, and I think Mayor Reed is one of the strongest leaders we have in Georgia right now. Reed has guts and he’s willing to fight, to speak up and to lead. He’s risking political capital for what he thinks is right and he’s not running from the TV-camera-chasing Vincent Forts of the world.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 18th, 2012
8:17 am
JR
July 17th, 2012
10:21 pm
You have not been here long enough to realize how corrupt the City of Atlanta is. Reed had the chance to change that by having honest bids at the air port but he decided on business as usual, taking care of his corrupt cronies. He had another chance to make things right with TSPLOST by really addressing congestion but he chose to pick a $600,000,000.00 belt line give away to his corrupt cronies. Reed had so much potential but regrettable he turned out to be another Bill Cambell.
Please take 15 minutes & read this, you will then understand why mass transportation won’t work in Atlanta
.http://www.gppf.org/pub/Transportation/120523IATSPLOSTFINAL.pdf
I would really like to vote for a bill that really addresses out transportation needs but this turkey is not the one
A Conservative Voice
July 18th, 2012
8:19 am
Anyone who would listen to the ravings of this idiot doesn’t have his head on straight. Atlanta’s economy doesn’t have anything to do with TSPLOST passage. You have to look further North, to the land of the Number One IDIOT. Do you think I’m gonna vote for TSPLOST when the Master Idiot has already added taxes and, if re-elected will take even more of your money to fund even more government. Folks, we’re TEA. TSPLOST, if passed will be the worst bondoggle of a mess in the history of messes that our wonderful Georgia politicians have created. JUST SAY NO.
Bob
July 18th, 2012
8:28 am
Vote NO!
This additional tax will NEVER go away, it dos not fully fund complete projects, and will have NO impact on 98% of the regional daily trips.
Sideline Dude
July 18th, 2012
8:30 am
TSPLOST: BOONDOGGLE. A tax whose time has not come. Vote NO.
Bob
July 18th, 2012
8:37 am
Hey Cobb and Gwinnett citizens you better wake up and VOTE NO.
Otherwise you be paying big bucks for Mayor Reed’s pet projects like the Waste Line with the construction jobs going to the city’s disadvantaged [which is code for Reed's crony companies to get rich]
Morning Reads for Wednesday, July 18 — Peach Pundit
July 18th, 2012
8:48 am
[...] Mayor Kasim Reed speaks up for TSPLOST: “Just surviving means just surviving.” [...]
Marlboro Man
July 18th, 2012
9:39 am
Tied up again ?
Auntie Christ
July 18th, 2012
9:58 am
ga values wrote:
“JR
July 17th, 2012
10:21 pm
You have not been here long enough to realize how corrupt the City of Atlanta is. Reed had the chance to change that by having honest bids at the air port but he decided on business as usual, taking care of his corrupt cronies. ”
Again, his values seem to include making unfounded, uncorroborated statements having no basis other than his own bias and, we guess, the voices in his head. He supplies a link that is supposed to support his contention, but the link goes to a state study of the tsplost projects. Somehow I guess by reading between the lines, reading between the pages, reading between the words, he magically concluded, that Mayor Reed is corrupt, but we just have to take his word and the word of the voices in his head, and trust that someday his sleuthing will actually turn up evidence of the charges he constantly brings up.
The airport bidding ’scandal’ he harps on are based on charges of cronyism brought by a very ‘reliable’ source, i.e. a contractor who lost his bid for a concession contract. In other words, its like a baseball game where the losers cry “the umpires cheated.” The company SSP Intl, has done this in LA and Phoenix, and their pattern of losing, suing, and smearing the process when it suits its needs continues in Atlanta.
As I stated yesterday, the internet gives great cover if you want to slime someone with baseless, meaningless, uncorroborated lies and slanders, because you can just throw it out, and lots like-minded, narrow minded people will repeat it. It’s how the right wing operates.
Johns creek
July 18th, 2012
9:58 am
Waging money is wasting money.
Dirty Dawg
July 18th, 2012
10:07 am
I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that a ‘NO-Vote’ on this will signal to the rest of the South and the business community everywhere that Georgia has ‘dumbed down’ to the point that we are incapable of any kind of progressive thought or action. We will, in effect, be saying that we have become so insular, so reactionary, so fearful of optimism and drive that you might as well go ahead and throw dirt on us cause we’re already dead.
Ga Values .................. VOTE NO FOR WASTE, GRAFT & CORRUPTION
July 18th, 2012
10:18 am
Auntie Christ
July 18th, 2012
9:58 am
Atlanta Restaurant Partners LLC is the Maynard Jackson Family & Mack II Inc is owned by 1 of Reed’s bigest suporters. The big house Obama has private fund raisers in is also the residence of the owner of Mack.
Disadvantaged businesses wrongly certified for airport contracting
il
.
By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four airport concessionaires awarded contracts as disadvantaged businesses in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s restaurant contracting this year should not have qualified under federal criteria or did not have adequate documentation, according to the federal government.
The federal government found four airport concessionaires were improperly awarded contracts as disadvantaged businesses.
.
The two firms that should not have qualified because they exceeded the $750,000 cap on personal net worth are Atlanta Restaurant Partners LLC and Mack II Inc., the Federal Aviation Administration said. In addition, Vida Concessions and Hojeij Branded Foods had inadequate documentation, the agency said in memos released Thursday.
The city of Atlanta noted there are different disadvantaged business certifications with different criteria, and the issue in question is focused just on the federal Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification.
Together, the four firms named won a significant share of the concessions contracts worth an estimated $3 billion over 10 years. They were chosen to operate dozens of new restaurants at the airport, and are in eight of the nine airport restaurant contracts approved by City Council and signed by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
B. Simmons, Kirkwood
July 18th, 2012
2:47 pm
Ga Values is John Sugg, pleas drop the handle and use your real name.
VOTE YES!
July 18th, 2012
3:28 pm
If you vote no because of the 400 toll “promise” you are a complete idiot. This referendum is a LAW. It can NOT last longer than 10 years. BY LAW. Please understand the facts before voting.
Question Man
July 18th, 2012
4:20 pm
Isn’t the most significant accomplishment of the T-SPLOST supporters that they managed to get Republican and Democratic politicos in Georgia to support huge tax increases for pork-barrel projects?
Lynnbo
July 18th, 2012
6:18 pm
If its such a great idea tax the Chamber of Commerce memebers instead of the poor widows, elderly and working poor who are barely making it.
This is a regressive tax and is immorally being pushed by heartless people who are full of untruths.
Metro Atlanta's TSPLOST campaign finds its voice | Political Insider
July 18th, 2012
7:09 pm
[...] the bulk of the mayor’s address was an attempt to lift the language of the sales tax debate. So far, tea party opponents have held the upper hand in this department. Their arguments have [...]