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Georgia Referendum Outcome Predictable
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Deja vu all over again.
To the surprise of virtually no one, Georgia voters yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a 1% state sales tax to fund $7.2 billion in Atlanta area and $19 billion in statewide improvements over 10 years.
Georgia businesses spent $8 million to attempt to do what elected officials refused to do - i.e. invest in better transportation to prevent economic decline...proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished.
However, published reports indicate the contest was a typical food fight - no tax/tea party, Sierra Club, NAACP, transit people saying not enough transit funding, motorists saying too much transit spending, no one trusts government, etc. etc.
A decade ago Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia residents played the same game and opponents promised there were "better," "smarter" ways to fund transportation. A decade letter funding levels are lower and congestion worse. In the absence of elected officials exercising their responsibility to adequately fund surface transportation, chaos and congestion reign.
If there's a golden lining, hopefully this squelches the notion that the odds of securing new transportation funding in Virginia would be improved by transferring decision-making responsibility to the public. |
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Why Not Let Public Decide If It Wants to Pay
Higher Property Taxes? Or Kids If They Want to Do More Homework? It's Time for Elected Adult Leadership on Transportation Funding. |