Among legislators who voted in favor of the TSPLOST referendum, it could be called an epidemic of “I voted for it before I voted against it.” State Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), majority leader in the Senate and a key member of the GOP political power structure, went to extra lengths to emphasize his previously stated opposition to the tax plan by holding a news conference flanked by members of the anti-TSPLOST Transportation Leadership Coalition last Monday.
“I strongly urge the people of Georgia to exercise their right to vote down what would be the largest tax increase in our state’s history,” Rogers said. That runs counter to his support in the legislature for submitting the tax to the voters and puts him in direct opposition to Gov. Nathan Deal and other Republican heavyweights who pushed the tax proposal through the General Assembly.
Likewise state Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville), one of Deal’s floor leaders and now a candidate for Congress in the newly created 14th District, is running away from the tax plan. He voted to put the tax on the ballot, a spokeswoman said, “because he thinks voters ought to decide whether they want to tax themselves.” But he plans to vote against the TSPLOST because he does not like the project list in his area. Ditto for various other GOP incumbent candidates and challengers.
In Carroll County at a candidate forum last week, all eight of the candidates for Board of Commissioner seats declared their opposition to the TSPLOST. In Cherokee County, Rogers’ base, commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens and state Rep. Sean Jerguson (R-Holly Springs) who were representatives on the TSPLOST regional roundtable that decided on the projects, reversed course recently and came out against the plan. And the list goes on.
Rogers said he opposes the TSPLOST because most of the money wouldn’t help solve traffic congestion in the metropolitan area and projects such as the Atlanta Beltline and MARTA expansion would saddle taxpayers with huge maintenance and operations costs long after the 10-year tax ends.
If the tax should pass, “we’re telling the next generation of taxpayers they will also have to fund this because you’re not going to shut down the mass transit system, you’re not going to stop the trains, you’re not going to quit construction on the projects in the middle of the projects,” Rogers said. Another key point by the Senate majority leader: The TSPLOST should be more about improving roads and less about mass transit which would consume more than half the projects.
It should be noted that Rogers’ strong vocal opposition coincides with the first Republican primary challenge for his Senate seat in 10 years. But regardless of whether his stance is a political survival tactic or true conviction, what he says is on target and reflects the widespread sentiment among Republicans, especially those running for office.
It’s not only the politicians becoming allergic to the TSPLOST package of goodies: A recent poll showed 61 percent of Republicans opposed to the tax plan. The bottom line, as Rogers pointed out, is that if the voters reject the current proposal, the General Assembly can come up with a better plan and authorize another referendum in two years.
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Now he is out on the campaign trail railing against it.
That is the textbook example of being for it before being against it.
Neither a profile in courage or good leadership in my estimation.
It was the right thing to do.
It appears to me that he is not railing against the legislation or the need for transportation solutions, he is railing against the self serving project list developed by the Roundtable.
That is showing both leadership and courage.
He had voted for it, had an opporunity to further participate in the process and did not. Now he comes out against it.
He really has no ground to stand on here.
To reiterate my point.
You are right if he didn't attend the meetings he should have.
Chip Rogers obviously trusted the Roundtable reps to come up with something that made sense.
They didn't, so he has recognized his error and is objecting.
I prefer that to his standing aside and letting this scam proceed unopposed.
You can believe the next time around that he and many others will attend and pay close attention.
About the same as not voting and then complaining about the outcomes.
To tax or not to tax - will the repubs ever make up their little minds?
The difference between us and you (and people like you) is that you will never acknowledge/admit that the man in the white house right now is moving the country even further down the road of senselessness. You all are mindlessly wed to the personality of Obama. It matters not to you what he does. You will defend him regardless(...and boldly blame a guy who has been gone for almost four years).
Does anyone have the slightest idea of how many people are employed in the road construction industry here in Georgia or how many people have lost thier jobs over the last several years because GDOT is not letting projects?
It's not just the general contractors who suffer but everyone else associated such as Manufacturers, Fabricators, Suppliers and also the countless sub-contractors like welders, pipe-fitters, electricans and Plumbers just to mention a few and lets not forget the guy who cleans the porta-johns. Quarrys will benifit, Steel Mills will benifit,Lumber mills will benifit, Truck drivers will benifit.Concrete plants will benifit.There will be an increase in the sales of heavy equiptment. So now you need mechanics to maintain and repair this equiptment.
There are literally tens of thousands of people who are associated with this industry here in Georgia alone. Many small contractors have already gone out of business and the ones that are left are cutting there workforce by as much as 75 to 80%.
Unfortunatly a contractor just cannot go out and build a road or replace a bridge. If the government has one job to do its to keep our infrastructure updated and secure. The only way to do this is by using our tax money. I dont like it any more than anyone else but i know it has to be done.
Our government spends our money at a ridiculous rate one ridiculous things but updating roads and bridges is not so ridiculous.
I will be watching to see which politicans support this and who don't. The ones who dont obviously dont care about putting Georgians back to work.
regards, L.B.Ahrens, Chairman, Cherokee County
Just like in every other arenea with this crop of Republican "leaders" at the state house they talk a good game on local control but at every turn they keep trying to get their grubby hands on the wheel.
Legislators, you had your chance, you abdicated your duty, what reason do we the citizens have to believe that this time it will be different.
Vote YES and send the politicians a message that WE THE PEOPLE can take charge of our own destiny and CAN lead when given the chance.
As soon as you learn that fact you will see right through their smoke and mirrors.
Or you can choose the path you are on and willingly drink the snake oil they are peddling. It won't cure your ills but by the time you figure that out, they will be off someplace else, selling a new product to an entirely new crop of suckers. Get wise.
Under normal circumstances I would agree with you about the politicians wanting to regain control.
It's their nature.
However, in this case (the TIA) they made the mistake of providing flawed legislation to a group (the TIA Roundtable) that has even grubbier hands than they do.
The now infamous Roundtable took the flexibility built into the TIA legislation and quickly and blatantly perverted it to thier own nefarious purposes.
Just objectively look at the project list that was formulated by the Roundtable and then, with a straight face, say that it is even the beginning of a transportation solution for Metro Atlanta.
Even our normally appalling legislators are appalled at the obvious creation of a taxpayer $8.5 billion slush fund represented by the TSPLOST.
When you manage to "out sleaze" the members of our state legislature you are really doing something.
That's why the republicans and many democrats are running from this debacle. Even THEY are shocked and embarrased by what is being perpetrated on the citizens in the Atlanta Metro area.
You used the phrase "slush fund" so I took a drink. A little game I play when I take an opporunity to look at the comments section. It would be easy to stay drunk around here. Though the lack of specifics with these charges is the sobering factor. A bunch of hyperbolic statements and nonesense. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
You are right. Some of the people who oppose this are going to oppose anything that carries a new tax with it.
But there are just as many (like me) who simply want a project list that accomplishes something significant toward resolving our transportation issues.
I do prefer a fuel tax increase as opposed to a TSPLOST (sales tax) to finance transportation improvements, but that's another issue.
And you are right again when you say there would be a group of people working against a new list.
The same people who created the current project list.
Why? Because they have already proven that they are not seeking a realistic transportation solution for our region.
There are a several projects on the list that actually make sense, but they are few and far between.
As you stated the list is far from perfect.
The truth of the matter is it is far from even being mediocre.
It is horrible.
You can ridicule my opinions as hyperbolic and nonsense, but you know that what I am saying is accurate.
Certainly far more accurate than the BS being spread by the pro TSPLOST proponents about the benefits of passing this debacle.
Talk about not letting the facts get in the way of a good story!!!!!!!
Just take another look at what this Watson fellow is claiming.
Reminds me of the fantastic claims that those weight loss pills that are peddled on TV.
We have an opporunity right now to do something that will improve traffic, congestion and mobility in our region. By voting YES, we will also send a strong message to compaines looking to move here and those here who might be considernig a move elsewhere, that the metro Atlanta region is open for business and can take care of its number one issue.
The opportunity is here, the time is now. For that and many other reasons I am voting YES.
There are just as many other's (mostly conservatives) that are saying this is a bad idea.
If you are relying on the recommendations and fanciful speculations of the pro TSPLOST groups to form your opinions and decide for you how to vote then it seems that you may simply to lazy to do the research to make up your own mind.
What I really suspect, based your comments, is that you are a actually member of one of these pro TSPLOST groups that you say we should listen to on how to cast our vote.
Regardless of your motivation (laziness or advocacy) I am looking at the REAL facts about this TSPLOST and making up my own mind about whether it makes sense for the Region or not.
My conclusion is that in its' current form it does NOT make sense and that it can be vastly improved.
That is what we should try to do.
Your statement that this is our ONE AND ONLY CHANCE to do something is a ridiculous contention.
And unfortunately
It is just one of the numerous misleading and disingenuous arguments used by TSPLOST proponents to try to scare and trick voters into doing something, even if it the wrong thing to do and the wrong time to do it.
Very Obama-like.
It is built on the successful local option sales tax system that provides voter approval, transparency and accountability."He stated this after the State passed the law creating TSPLOST. Now he is chickening out? Did he leave all of his anatomy at the state house when he came home? Brandon, if you are able to keep all of your anatomy at alll times, you have our vote!