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Now that's a NICE idea! It worked in California; just ask Ahhnold.
Seriously, though, Atlanta--the economic engine of this state--is approaching a tipping point, and a lot of action is required. We can ill afford a governor whose response to a water shortage is to pray for rain. Nor can we afford a governor whose response to a transportation crisis is to ridicule mass transporation alternatives.
Maybe a recall vote IS needed...
That recall vote wouldn't change anything...
I don't see anything wrong with praying for rain... he's already taken Alabama and Florida to the capitol to settle a compromise, in which they backed out of their agreement.
I didn't know a govenor could get a billion dollar resevoir project completed in 4 months, but I guess it would have been nice.
Just 2 years ago, Allatoona and Lanier were 13-23 feet OVER full pool damn near the entire summer. We had to take a boat from the shore just to get to the entrance of our dock for half the summer.
Do we need more resevoirs, yes considering the last ones were built in the 60's and all the population growth has come in the past 13 years. Much too quickly for roads to keep up, let alone transportation. Do we need something done about transportation....yes b/c I currently live in Acworth and work downtown. If I had a job in Acworth or close by, I'd say no.
He didn't ridicule mass transit, he just doesn't support it b/c, as I've said, the 95% of the people don't need it and would slightly benefit from i. Keep taxing people for things they don't need or want and they will vote you out.
How about a high speed rail line? The money could have at least laid some tracks.
A few years ago Atlanta put in a bid to be a North American city where a high speed rail line would have been built. A "maglev" train - those which float on magnetic waves and travel up to 300+mph. The PLAN was that the train would be connected to a multi-use transit station built downtown which would house MARTA, Amtrak, Commuter rail, and the high speed rail. The maglev system would leave the station to have at least two connections going into north Georgia, where it would have eventually connected to the Chattanooga airport. The theory being that this would give Chattanoogans easy "no car needed" access to Atlanta, as well as our airport where some flights are cheaper, and give Atlantans likewise a way to get to Chattanooga and their airport for the same reasons.
What happened? Well...
1) The state would not give their amount of funding, or support, for the project. Leaders likewise did not solicit the Feds for enough funding as well.
and
2) Chattanooga wants nothing to do with Atlanta in reality, and they sure as heck aren't going to support a direct high speed link from downtown "Thunderdome" Atlanta to their up and coming tourist-oriented city. There were let's say some rather vocal comments from their leaders making this very clear at the time. Atlanta is somewhat of an infected sore spot to the smaller cities in this region - they do whatever they can to assure our "stuff" doesn't leak over into their areas. Chattanooga being so close is especially sensitive to this.
So there it is. No high speed rail here - well, unless they link it to Savannah or North to DC.
a High speed rail to Savannah and to New Orleans on the west would be really very nice.
Oh and 95% of people don't want it and PREFER to sit in traffic. That's one of a few things that drove me out of Atlanta was the
1. I don't want Black people hopping the train and coming to MY house (this attitude is primarily from the northerners who came to Atlanta)
2. I don't want to have to look at or touch other people on the way to work
3. I like open space and sitting in my fancy leased BMW
People are generally self interested but Atlanta takes it to a higher level...and when I say Atlanta I really mean metro Atlanta, since the stupidity seems to exist outside 285 to some degree as well
Actually, this is what the last Governor (Roy Barnes) was setting into place when he created the Georgia Regional Transit Agency. They eventually were going to have the power to expand transit into ANY area, and any County, where it was needed.
But at the time, he made one fatal flaw - he approved a change in the Georgia state flat which removed the Confederate stars and bars design, because black groups said it offended them. So a new flag was adopted as the state flag (Georgia's 5th/6th flag?). Well, all hell broke loose over that. Every Confederate re-enacting sons of Confederate whatevers went nutty, put on their Civil War uniforms and started marching around the Capital building with the, "Boot Barnes!!" chant.
When the next election was held, they all voted for Sonny Perdue for that one reason only - and he played up on that during his campaign, too. He got elected, and then promptly dumped the idea of changing their flag back anyway. Joke on them. What's he done since then? Well, he legalized certain fireworks so kids can explode their hands, used state helicopters to take one of his boys to sports games, and waited until it was WAY too late do anything about the drought - including not building any additional water storage areas which he was told were needed years ago. He also stripped the Regional Transit Agency of much of their power, and funds, so that now at best all they can do is create an express bus route here and there.
He also made a very public statement during the last budget proposal saying he does not support any money for public transit projects - only new roads.
So - there you have it. Our future.
I think you got it all right except one part. It wasn't just the confederate nuts that voted in Sonny Purdue. It's the vote all republican all the time voters that have taken over the state (many of them conservative transplants from up north). If Sonny had been a democrat I don't think he would have been elected (flag promise or no flag promise).
I don't see anything wrong with praying for rain... he's already taken Alabama and Florida to the capitol to settle a compromise, in which they backed out of their agreement.
I didn't know a govenor could get a billion dollar resevoir project completed in 4 months, but I guess it would have been nice.
Just 2 years ago, Allatoona and Lanier were 13-23 feet OVER full pool damn near the entire summer. We had to take a boat from the shore just to get to the entrance of our dock for half the summer.
Do we need more resevoirs, yes considering the last ones were built in the 60's and all the population growth has come in the past 113 years. Much too quickly for roads to keep up, let alone transportation. Do we need something done about transportation....yes b/c I currently live in Acworth and work downtown. If I had a job in Acworth or close by, I'd say no.
He didn't ridicule mass transit, he just doesn't support it b/c, as I've said, the 95% of the people don't need it and would slightly benefit from i. Keep taxing people for things they don't need or want and they will vote you out.
Beg to differ, but removing an ineffective, figure-head governor from office by way of recall is a prime illustration of change.
Whether it's natural resource management or transportation management or growth managagement, it all involves and requires effective leadership--something Perdue is sorely lacking.
To be in the throws of a statewide/regionwide drought, and have a governor organize a spectacle on the statehouse steps to "pray for rain" is not only an insult to Georgians who haven't willingly turned off their brains, but it's a national embarassment.
He may be folks' favorite good ole boy, be he's a terribly incompetent chief executive.
Beg to differ, but removing an ineffective, figure-head governor from office by way of recall is a prime illustration of change.
Whether it's natural resource management or transportation management or growth managagement, it all involves and requires effective leadership--something Perdue is sorely lacking.
To be in the throws of a statewide/regionwide drought, and have a governor organize a spectacle on the statehouse steps to "pray for rain" is not only an insult to Georgians who haven't willingly turned off their brains, but it's a national embarassment.
He may be folks' favorite good ole boy, be he's a terribly incompetent chief executive.
So ....
What's your solution for the drought?
How is prayer for rain an insult and embarassment???
How is prayer for rain an insult and embarassment???
My solution for managing the affects of the drought are similar to many others: negotiate with existing water providers; find additional partners; demonstrate leadership in conservation by restricting new construction permits (including those of political buddies); innovate, innovate, innovate.
How is prayer for rain an insult? It's an insult to thinking people's intelligence; people expect the state's chief executive to lead the way in proactive and innovative ways to manage crises such as the affects of a drought or other natural disaster or failed transporation. Again, drought brings negative affects and requires planning and forethought. My governor presumed that I was too simple-minded to know this.
It's an embarassment because the rest of the country is watching this fool.
My solution for managing the affects of the drought are similar to many others: negotiate with existing water providers; find additional partners; demonstrate leadership in conservation by restricting new construction permits (including those of political buddies); innovate, innovate, innovate.
so who are these providers/partners that can pump/deliver this abundance of water that is no where to be found in the South at the moment? We have several other very large lakes/resevoirs with no means to pipe the water to Metro Atlanta.
He tried partnering with Alabama and Florida and they said 'No' even though they take water from 'OUR' rivers. They start here in Georgia!
Construction permits are granted on the city and county level, these entities need to be pro-active, not their principal handing down demerits. Cities/Counties want the taxes, that's all they see. I agree that permits should be limited. Hell, they should have been limited 8 years ago w/o the water problems.
innovate what? you can keep cutting water usage but that has nothing to do with the rain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by backfist
How is prayer for rain an insult? It's an insult to thinking people's intelligence; people expect the state's chief executive to lead the way in proactive and innovative ways to manage crises such as the affects of a drought or other natural disaster or failed transporation. Again, drought brings negative affects and requires planning and forethought. My governor presumed that I was too simple-minded to know this.
It's an embarassment because the rest of the country is watching this fool.
So whenever someone needs a helping hand in presence of a crisis it's an insult to one's self, as well as the people they represent, b/c they ask a higher power for help?
He took office in January 2003 with no drought in several years and no water crisis over a much longer time, in 2005 the lakes were 20 feet over normal pool....The corp(federal not state) releases Allatoona to its current level every year at this time.......the corp was responsible for releasing too much water last summer when this began b/c of a faulty meter (not the state!!!)...and as far as more resevoirs....it took over 7 years in just construction to build Lanier.......
Fires in South Georgia have been put out... what else can he do to prevent that or manage that?
Failed transportation???? It's not failed, they keep building/improving roads all the time. I don't hear people complaining about mass transit except on here.
I here people complain about water, construction, etc. but they don't blame the govenor. I don't agree with alot of things he does, but I don't think he's incompetent. You don't see the news bashing Sonny but they bash Bush all the time!
Oh yeah, and the people who think he's a fool are from Oregon.... give me a break!!! This made me laugh!!!!
a High speed rail to Savannah and to New Orleans on the west would be really very nice.
Oh and 95% of people don't want it and PREFER to sit in traffic. That's one of a few things that drove me out of Atlanta was the
1. I don't want Black people hopping the train and coming to MY house (this attitude is primarily from the northerners who came to Atlanta)
2. I don't want to have to look at or touch other people on the way to work
I will disagree and agree with the above.
With # 1, I disagree with your statement. I've lived here 23 years. In the past some folks just flat-out said that they did not want "those people" from inner Atlanta being able to come out to their suburban areas. And by "folks" I mean the native Southerners who had lived in those burbs for decades. Every time a vote came up to expand MARTA into the burbs it was like someone had proposed beating children or something - we're talking HARD opposition. Over the years, as more and more people from the North, West Coast, and other countries move here, there has been an increase in support to expand public transit to the burbs. So sorry - it's always been those from the South who raised hell about those intown being able to get out to suburbia. Been there, seen it first hand, heard it with my own ears.
With # 2, I agree with you. Southerners are more "touchy-feely" than Northerners. If you DO get a Southerner on a crowded train, he/she is more likely to seem to handle it than someone from certain Northern areas, where folks tend to be much less talkative and touchy.
Oh that was back in the 1980s and early 1990s, atlantagreg30127. People in suburban counties like Cobb and Gwinnett have since opened their minds a bit.
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