ATLANTA TRANSIT (Marta, Beltline, Peachtree Streetcar, LovJoy Commuter, etc...)

[Pompuss]

^^^^^
Europe is much denser and ther roads in many places aren't built to handle cars of American "girth."

[Fiorenza]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-05...o-toyota-prius-vestas-wind-turbines.html

[Fiorenza]

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/558879/201101052036/Obamas-Oil-War.htm

[echinatl]

Really quite unbelievable, do you suggest those links somehow prove your point? They don't, and it's apparent you're not interested in unbiased research into this matter, and want to believe liberals and Obama are the direct reason why gas prices are high. Like I said before, whatever helps you sleep at night.

I mean really did you completely not pay attention to what happened between 2000 and 2008?
Crude prices: Yearly Average
2001 $23.00
2002 $22.81
2003 $27.69
2004 $37.66
2005 $50.04
2006 $58.30
2007 $64.20
2008 $91.48

I'm a registered republican by the way.... but I guess I can smell out articles that are blatantly biased right or left? It's not cool to seek news that skews data so it fits a preconceived thought or bias.. I think that's what has happened to the country lately.

Moving on though, gas prices will continue to go up in the long run, even if we destroy the Rocky Mountains to force oil shale production (it’s cool though we don’t need them, screw those pesky environmentalist!). With the nano being released in India we should be seeing hundreds of millions of people entering the car market. Same can be said for the growing middle class in china. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for transit projects in Atlanta.

[Fiorenza]

"Transit projects for Atlanta." You guys will never stop with that. There's no money. No matter how expensive gas is, nothing is going to happen. The national decline has set in and inflation will prevent further infrastructure improvements. The smart money is gone away.

[Matthew]

I read somewhere the mayor of Suwanee joined the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as Vice President and will help promote a sales tax referendum for transportation projects. I'm "guessing" this sales tax could pay for the proposed LRT line? It's interesting to use a popular elected official from Gwinnett to build support.

At some point, when solar cells can capture more than 50% of the energy, I'm guessing all cars will have solar cells on the roof, hood and trunk. Wake Forest University has thin cells (like paint) that can capture around 6-9%.

[shivtim]

Some good news for Atlanta transit funding.

Mayor Reed likely to serve on roundtable transportation executive committee

It appears that Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed will be on the powerful five-member executive committee of the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable...
The executive committee of the Roundtable is critically important because it will be responsible for the project list of transportation projects that will be presented to voters in 2012 to vote on the one-cent regional transportation sales tax referendum....
When the Roundtable selected its executive committee in mid-December, the only member in the three MARTA jurisdictions (Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb) was Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd. The other four members came from the suburbs. All five also were white...
Norcross Mayor Bucky Johnson, who with Douglas Commission Chair Tom Wortham, had received the highest number of votes to serve on the Roundtable executive committee (16), volunteered to step down...

[WSUSOM]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Some good news for Atlanta transit funding.

Mayor Reed likely to serve on roundtable transportation executive committee

Glad to see the Mayor of Atlanta was added to the executive committee. I remember when the initial executive committee was announced my friend's and I thought here we go again.... Not sure who the journalist made the comment about the board initially being all white. I must admit I am really impressed with Mayor Reed. I thought he would not be effective but he is proving me wrong, which is a good thing

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Some good news for Atlanta transit funding.

Mayor Reed likely to serve on roundtable transportation executive committee

Good to hear!

I just hate that we lost representation from Gwinnett... and the only one from the closer-in suburbs right outside the perimeter. ALOT of people live there and in Gwinnett Co. unlike places as far out as Henry and Douglas.
Gwinnett Co. has 800,000 out of 4million in the 10 county region. That is 1/5... we weren't over represented ... or under represented before.

[Pompuss]

^^^^
I'm sorry but Gwinnett has never paid a — dime for MARTA and I've probably wasted $1000 in gas circling the parking garages at Doraville over my 4 years at Tech trying to find a space that wasn't taken up by some Gwinnetian commuting downtown. So I don't give a — if they have a damn thing to do with anything transportation-wise in the Atlanta area. Just my opinion. God I wish we had some development to talk about.

[Fiorenza]

Despite the chamber of commerce types and bureaucrats who want this tax vote to go their way in 2012, I very much doubt it will pass. I expect a lot of poor minorities will come out to the polls to vote for Obama again, and most of them will realize that a sales tax is a regressive tax, especially as the legislature is now seriously considering re-instituting sales tax on food as an offset to lower state income taxes. Most poor minorities are not affected by "transportation improvements" but they would foot the bill. I can assure you that we who oppose higher taxes are going to mount a very intensive informational campaign to inform the minority community so as to defeat this measure.

[echinatl]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

Despite the chamber of commerce types and bureaucrats who want this tax vote to go their way in 2012, I very much doubt it will pass. I expect a lot of poor minorities will come out to the polls to vote for Obama again, and most of them will realize that a sales tax is a regressive tax, especially as the legislature is now seriously considering re-instituting sales tax on food as an offset to lower state income taxes. Most poor minorities are not affected by "transportation improvements" but they would foot the bill. I can assure you that we who oppose higher taxes are going to mount a very intensive informational campaign to inform the minority community so as to defeat this measure.

I think a consumption based tax is a great idea.

The US standard railroad gauge is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number:
http://aviationhumor.net/the-us-standard-railroad-gauge-is-4-feet-8-5-inches/

[Fiorenza]

It's not a great idea if you're poor. Poor people pay no income tax, but they pay consumption (sales) tax every day.

[Rail Claimore]

Well Atlanta either does this or builds more roads... like possibly a Northern Arc somewhere. If not, then Atlanta will stagnate, and I see that happening with the "recovery" as well as water issues. My guess is that Georgia will reach a deal with its neighbors to cap its share at what it consumes at present and no more, in exchange for some compensation. The Atlanta growth machine will come to a halt over the next few years, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But most of the new growth will go to the metros in NC as well as Tennessee and even Alabama.

I hope I'm wrong, but that's just what I see. 2012 is make or break for Atlanta.

[Fiorenza]

What's wrong with capping growth? I see that as a positive. We don't have the water anyway. Tennessee and NC may benefit, but I don't believe Alabama would. Alabama has a bad image with vast majority in this country, and not without reason. Not too many people would move there unless they are offered a really good job.

I just don't like the idea of sticking citizens with a regressive sales tax for 30 years in order to pay off some bond issues that will be spent through a political process in a not very effective manner.

[mike1986]

Originally Posted by Fiorenza

What's wrong with capping growth? I see that as a positive. We don't have the water anyway. Tennessee and NC may benefit, but I don't believe Alabama would. Alabama has a bad image with vast majority in this country, and not without reason. Not too many people would move there unless they are offered a really good job.

I just don't like the idea of sticking citizens with a regressive sales tax for 30 years in order to pay off some bond issues that will be spent through a political process in a not very effective manner.

Because once you cap growth then you have nowhere else to go but down. Things aren't just going to stop and stay the same forever - change is inevitable. Either you grow or you decline. Why would you want that? I think the amount of growth in the last couple of years was unhealthy, but I don't see anything wrong with a steady growth rate. To make sure Atlanta stays healthy, we need to invest in our infrastructure.

We need to get the water issue figured out and we need to build more transit lines. We can't pave our way out of congestion (no metro area in the world has been able to do that) so if we can't offer people alternatives to driving/sitting in traffic then we are screwed. Quality of life declines and businesses start to look at other cheap, smaller cities in NC and TN.

A ONE CENT sales tax in our region is a very small price to pay for improved infrastructure and will generate $7-8 billion dollars we desperately need to do something.

[Pessimistic Observer]

My new campaign slogan cap taxes and growth
i wonder how many people will only read the first part
also its possible to not grow and not decline its called stagnation
and if all your neighbors are growing its just as effective as declining

[Fiorenza]

There is a point where spending on non-quality growth becomes unsustainable. There are limits to growth.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Pompuss

^^^^
I'm sorry but Gwinnett has never paid a — dime for MARTA and I've probably wasted $1000 in gas circling the parking garages at Doraville over my 4 years at Tech trying to find a space that wasn't taken up by some Gwinnetian commuting downtown. So I don't give a — if they have a damn thing to do with anything transportation-wise in the Atlanta area. Just my opinion. God I wish we had some development to talk about.

Oh Forgive me... screw Gwinnett...Right?... Afterall all 800,000 of us pack into that little Doraville MARTA parking deck every day.

Seriously do you ever take a minute to step back and listen to yourself?

I mean this is coming from someone who wants to see Gwinnett be apart of MARTA (and pay for it), but with all do respect only a small percentage of us use it on a regular basis. We get no economic benefits in increase of land values (... property taxes from the use of it)... MARTA is not present in our county.

Now Gwinnett represents 1/5th the population of the ARC region and at least that much in sales tax dollars... if not more.

We deserve representation and strategies that benefit all in the region and not just people who live in a few areas.

I'm sorry, but your attitude is what is wrong with our region as a whole... no one else seems to car what anyone else thinks... they only look out for their own little corner of the region.

[Fiorenza]

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha-ahaaa
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world