The article in Sunday’s MDJ by columnist Laura Armstrong was precise surrounding the upcoming TSPLOST vote next year. Her article pointed out just how unfair, foolish and contemptuous most Cobb taxpayers feel about the TSPLOST concept and its potential 10-year, 1 percent sales tax increase. The one issue that she didn’t discuss was the root cause of the problem.
The fundamental cause of this problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible is the flawed structure and design of the state HB 277, the Transportation Investment Act. It authorized the creation of the regional T-SPLOST concept. HB 277 was very quietly passed and signed into law by Gov. Perdue.
A key defect in the act was allowing the creation of a metro county region without the good comprehensive foresight of considering every potential conflict of interest between each county and the resulting complex challenge of fair tax burdens and allocations for each one of them. The Transportation Act, as it now reads, has no acceptable answers, clarification or clear direction to these crucial concerns for the counties.
I believe the future TSPLOST vote is a debacle heading in the wrong direction on the wrong side of the road. If possible and if we have enough time, I’d like to suggest that we try to repeal and invalidate HB 277 before voting on the TSPLOST next year. Later on our state legislature can then create a new Transportation Act, and on the second try will hopefully apply some decidedly improved foresight and input.
Meanwhile, it is very nauseating how all the regional counties, the chambers of commerce and the CIDs constantly talk about how much money they will snatch and grab from the taxpayers. And, at the same time, they use our sales tax revenue dollars against us by using them to promote educate and try to persuade Cobb citizens that they’re not going to foolishly blow the TSPLOST sales tax revenues away on any concept that is not self sustainable. We’ve all heard that fairy tale many times before and you’d think that we would have learned our lesson by now. Hang on to your purses and wallets very tightly.
Joe O’Connor
Marietta
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If Americans--not just Georgians , were not so into driving their own car because of the feeling of freedom it gives them, they could car pool and significantly reduce traffic. If counties, for example were to increase the places to park and travel to the city with others, that would help. Also, in this supposed great age of technology, why doesn't some one set up and online carpool site that one can match work location with home locations and carpool groups?
These things may exist, but since I do not travel to the city and I am retired, I am unaware of them.
Just like with Meth, our elected representatives will become immediately "addicted" to these TSPLOST revenues and will have no compelling reason to be fiscally responsible. It has already happened in Cobb!!
Before you know it we will have all of this very expensive transportation infrastructure that is even more expensive to maintain and operate with no revenue stream dedicated to that purpose. Except, of course, more tax increases or TSPLOST's.
The cost of construction of these projects is only the tip of the iceberg!!!
Let's think this through before we get on this "taxing treadmill".
This line does nothing to enhance or help the citizens of Cobb County. It will not be finished in 10 years and it will not pay for itself with ridership. So it will be a never ending drain on citizens. But they do NOT care. Pat your back & line my pockets. That is the saying.
Vote NO!
This Government lust for taxes and spending has reached its limit. At a time when states AND the Federal Government are needing to CUT spending, we're actually considering a 10 year tax to fund a project that very few Cobb Countians will use and anticipates significant state and Federal funding.
I'd say the Tea Partiers have it right and those still feeding at the SPLOST trough are headed for a rude awakening.
So paved roads are the most important thing in your life?? Pastoral settings, knowing your neighbors, horse farms, country settings, the smell of flowers in the air are repulsive to you???
I think if Laura Armstrong and her Tea Party friend would control rabid, rapid growth, maintain the quality of life that much of has disappeared in the past 10 years and continued to hold the beauty of our county.
I came here by choice sixteen years ago because of the beauty that has greatly been diminished by impermeable surfaces, widened roads that only lead to more congestion and the disappearance of more than half of the horse farms.
If you want hard roads, move to Atlanta.