Defeating T-SPLOST

Many Georgia Tea Party Leaders read HB 277, The Transportation Investment Act of 2010 and we didn’t like what we saw. We recognized the appointment of regional commissions as part of U.N. Agenda 21 implementation and a violation of “home rule” in the Georgia Constitution. 

We knew Obama was offering threats, along with bribes to states to persuade politicians to cooperate.  We had already seen the infiltration of Agenda 21 implementation in city councils and county commissions over the past 3 years.

About 150 Tea Parties Leaders across Georgia met in Canton in September 2011. Some of these groups had different names; some were 9/12 groups, but they were all Constitutional Conservative groups.  We all began to study T-SPLOST in October 2011. 

We formed the Transportation Leadership Coalition in March 2012 to study the T-SPLOST and create a team.  This boondoggle looked like a real stinker.  We decided to oppose it based on the facts.  

We created Traffic Truth.net in June 2012 to post our findings.  We participated in all the T-SPLOST forums we were allowed to attend.  We saw assisted other Regions.  We were joined by many other groups. 

We defeated the T-SPLOST in 9 of the 12 regions.  We are grateful to all who helped.  We are continuing to monitor problems as we move forward.

As we studied the projects, it didn’t take long to see that they would not reduce traffic congestion.   We didn’t trust the predictions made for population increases, personal income projections or long-term economic growth.  It looked like another wasteful Obama stimulus plan, but this time, we were going to pay for it out of our pockets.  

Early on, we recognized two separate issues; the lack of congestion relief in the road projects and the disproportionate 52% going to transit when only 5% used transit.  We confirmed MARTA’s desperate financial condition. It was also obvious that the exurbs were being asked to replace the federal government and sign up to being MARTA’s “sugar daddy” and bail them out.

As we participated in the forums it became clearer that transit-oriented Economic Development was the third issue and was the main issue driving the $8 billion ad campaign urging a YES vote.

At the end, there were clearly three separate issues stuffed into the 2012 T-SPLOST.  They watered down the list to the point that none of them could be finished within the 10 year time limit.

1.     Road traffic congestion

2.     Public transit bail-out and

3.     Economic development a tax subsidized economic development plan with the Beltline and the Community Improvement Districts.

The Road Projects didn’t remove congestion. 

The only project had an impact on the I-285 Interstate tangle was the ramp to GA 400, but it was not to be scheduled for completion until 2020.  Only a few projects included the addition of roads, but these were in areas where there were currently no severe congestion problems.  The project costs looked “padded” so we looked up generic road construction and maintenance costs to confirm the overcharges to counties.  They were 50% to 90% depending on the county   It was clear, counties would be better off doing these projects themselves if they are ever needed.

The Public Transit Projects didn’t remove congestion

The promise of converting car commuters into train and bus riders had no merit.  We discovered data relating train feasibility to population density.  We looked at ridership data in Portland and other cities who voted to expand their train systems 10 years ago.  There was no increase in ridership and the debts they incurred are unsustainable.  Most of the T-SPLOST transit projects were starter projects with big costs coming after the 10 year period.  We estimated the total cost of public transit expansion at $80 billion. Expanding public transit would only double the tax subsidies required to keep it operating.
The Economic Development Projects didn’t remove congestion

The Beltline would actually increase congestion within the Beltline area.  The same applies to the MARTA station-based shopping malls as they develop more high-rise apartments.

Priorities Surfaced

I-285 is the biggest problem.
We need a grid of highways and state roads in DeKalb and Fulton that allow commuters to use alternate routes to I-285. Fixing congestion on I-285 should be an on-going priority.

We have highly traveled interstates running through Atlanta and we all need alternate routes to allow interstate traffic to totally bypass Atlanta.

MARTA is insolvent

We found that MARTA spends $750 million a year to operate, has $120 million a year in revenue and requires $650 million a year in tax subsidies. We also learned that federal tax dollars would no longer be available after 2012.

UN Agenda 21 Implementation in Georgia is a problem

In 1992, George (Hapless)W Bush signed on to U.N. Agenda 21 to prevent “global warming”.  We think this is a hoax, but Obama is requiring its implementation using federal grant bribes and threats.  The establishment of appointed regional governance is outlined in Agenda 21 and it is costly.  Georgia needs to ban Agenda 21 implementation like Alabama did.

Conclusions:

HR 277 should be repealed to remove regional transportation governance. All other laws creating regional community development programs should be repealed.

U,N, Agenda 21 should be banned in Georgia.  These U.N. programs are designed to bankrupt us, using the global warming hoax as an excuse. We expect our government to recognize junk science when it sees it, not set up costly programs to solve non-problems

Government stimulus is counterproductive.  We won’t restart our economy until all asset prices bottom out.  We need deep cuts in government spending to avoid government bankruptcy.  Government must pull back its footprint.

Government’s responsibility for Transportation should be limited to building and maintaining roads and bridges.  Government is not responsible for providing public transportation. Government should not presume to be our Nanny. Our communities take care of their own without tax subsidies or busy-body bureaucrats in regions.

We don’t like HOV lanes and want these lanes returned to general use.  We don’t like Toll lanes on Interstates.  We can keep the toll on GA 400 until all ramp and expansion work is completed.

Economic development should be left to private investment. There are a lot of costly building programs the government has assumed responsibility for, that would be better off without any government subsidies or involvement. 

Tax dollars should not be used to build stadiums, Team owners should pay for their own facilities like they do in England.  Our sports facilities are horribly underutilized, because they are tax subsidized.  England’s sports facilities are utilized 100%, because they are privately owned and operated.

All bus service should be private.  Government is not responsible for providing bus service.  When they do, it becomes more expensive to operate.  Private companies should replace all public bus service.  We have private bus services operating in the state and they are doing a good job. 

GRTA should be closed.  This transfer of responsibility should take place as seamlessly as possible.

MARTA should close its bus service, abandon its expansion plans and downsize to attempt to cover its costs and save the trains. 

We estimate the cost of Atlanta public transit over the past 30 years to be about $15 billion.  That would have been better spent on rebuilding our crumbling sewer and water systems and maintaining and expanding our roads and highways. 

Government solutions are too expensive. Government at all levels needs to take a look at what they are spending money on and off-load all unnecessary and intrusive functions. Government needs to continue to automate and streamline its operations, but we can’t afford the Nanny-State.  We need to stop spending money on the global warming hoax and EPA overreach.

We are in for another round of layoffs and asset crashes plus inflation.  We all need to hunker down and ride it out.  We need to increase our production of oil, natural gas, coal, minerals, timber, water and food to avoid a deeper depression. Overreaching regulations need to be rolled back.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader, Transportation Leadership Coalition member