GA Transportation Tax for Cronies

I find it amusing that supporters of the House Republican Transportation Tax are attempting to trick tea party activists into supporting a massive tax increase on gas by pointing to the Georgia Constitution and saying gas taxes should go to fund transportation only. Considering the track record of House Republican Leadership introducing legislation that denied activists their Constitutional in an ethics bill they introduced a few years ago, picking winners and losers in business by granting massive tax credits and other subsidies to preferred corporations and other legislation - since when have they cared about abiding by the Georgia Constitution ?

Their bill would fund the Transportation Infrastructure Bank that uses tax dollars to pick winners and losers. How is it Constitutional to allow CIDs, development authorities and other entities to disperse tax dollars and allow non bid contracts? This bank allows contracts and money to be hidden and would allow political cronies access to tax dollars. No wonder Gov. Deal supports this plan. It would create a giant slush fund for him..

I would suggest changes to this Infrastructure Bank:

Here is one suggestion about the bill regard Part V Section 5-1 regarding the Infrastructure Bank.

Change the Bank Board make-up so it consists of county commission chairmen in each Regional Commission region. Have the county commission chairman in the regions elect a person to represent them on them board.

Only local elected governments should be eligible to receive funding from the bank. No CIDs, development authorities or other entities should be entitled to receive funding.

Require bid contracts only with openness and transparency. The request for bid should be open to the public easily found online. The companies that bid on the contract should be publicly listed as the winner of the bid. Each bidder shall be required to publicly list any political contributions they have made within the past two years to the Governor or legislators or local elected officials when they submit their bid.

Source: Debbie Dooley, Tea Party Patriots Leader posting on New Republican Leadership for Principles above Politicians