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I think the irony is that California is often used as the prototypical example of mismanagement and waste in state government - the mess that the state has created for itself probably eclipses any problems that any other state, including Georgia, might have. Going back to California isn't a good way to escape the problems for which Georgia is criticized.
No kidding. Imagine building a 578 M school in the face of everything that state is dealing with.
LA unveils $578M school, costliest in the nation - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100822/ap_on_re_us/us_taj_mahal_schools - broken link)
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,994,887 times
Reputation: 3990
Quote:
Originally Posted by billl
Part of MARTAs growth problems stem from the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude from both Cobb and Gwinnett counties, and to some extent North Fulton.
Local politicians didn't want MARTA there (because their constituents said "no") and the state politicians didn't have the guts to override them.
What I don't understand is this: the demographics of Cobb have changed tremendously over the past 20+ years, and yet not one vote or referendum related to MARTA has occurred in Cobb County during that time.
Did MARTA simply give up?
Is it really Cobb's fault that there is no current service in Cobb (aside from the bus that goes to Cumberland Mall) when they've seemingly had no say in the matter for multiple decades?
What I don't understand is this: the demographics of Cobb have changed tremendously over the past 20+ years, and yet not one vote or referendum related to MARTA has occurred in Cobb County during that time.
Did MARTA simply give up?
Is it really Cobb's fault that there is no current service in Cobb (aside from the bus that goes to Cumberland Mall) when they've seemingly had no say in the matter for multiple decades?
I don't think it's MARTA's responsibility to setup or hold a vote. I believe that's the pervue of the county. So all it would take is a group to propose and get the referendum on the ballot in Cobb.
I don't talk to everyone in Cobb County, but I don't sense from the people I work with who live in Cobb or from my neighbors that MARTA is high on their priority list. I just don't think there is a grassroots clamoring for MARTA. There is a vocal minority on this board who advocates for MARTA, but honestly, they don't represent the average resident of Cobb or the metro counties. Sorry...but true.
Wouldn't you assume that CCT would be expanded first, if there was a big groundswell for more transit in Cobb? In fact, there are talks of cutting service and increasing fares (which are only 50 cents now).
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,994,887 times
Reputation: 3990
Quote:
Originally Posted by neil0311
I don't think it's MARTA's responsibility to setup or hold a vote. I believe that's the pervue of the county. So all it would take is a group to propose and get the referendum on the ballot in Cobb.
Perhaps, but I also see a lot of posts in this forum from people who want to see MARTA expand, and they're constantly criticizing (more like slamming) Cobb and other metro counties because that expansion hasn't happened.
Review Billl's post again ... the one I was responding to. He said:
"Part of MARTAs growth problems stem from the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude from both Cobb and Gwinnett counties, and to some extent North Fulton."
Apparently they really don't care enough to take action from their end, either ... not in 20+ years ... and Cobb was creating their own CCT in the meantime. That makes me wonder on which side the lack of focus really lies.
Quote:
I don't talk to everyone in Cobb County, but I don't sense from the people I work with who live in Cobb or from my neighbors that MARTA is high on their priority list. I just don't think there is a grassroots clamoring for MARTA. There is a vocal minority on this board who advocates for MARTA, but honestly, they don't represent the average resident of Cobb or the metro counties. Sorry...but true.
Wouldn't you assume that CCT would be expanded first, if there was a big groundswell for more transit in Cobb? In fact, there are talks of cutting service and increasing fares (which are only 50 cents now).
I'm interested in some availability of mass transit in general, even though I may not often use it, and CCT might make the most sense from a Cobb point of view, since it is local to Cobb and since it already directly serves this county.
It just pisses me off to see people constantly harp about some 20 year old decision like it was something taken yesterday. Most of the subdivisions in my local area weren't even BUILT 20 years ago! I was a young college grad over 1000 miles away, and most of my neighbors were also in other states.
Perhaps, but I also see a lot of posts in this forum from people who want to see MARTA expand, and they're constantly criticizing (more like slamming) Cobb and other metro counties because that expansion hasn't happened.
Review Billl's post again ... the one I was responding to. He said:
"Part of MARTAs growth problems stem from the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude from both Cobb and Gwinnett counties, and to some extent North Fulton."
Apparently they really don't care enough to take action from their end, either ... not in 20+ years ... and Cobb was creating their own CCT in the meantime. That makes me wonder on which side the lack of focus really lies.
I'm interested in some availability of mass transit in general, even though I may not often use it, and CCT might make the most sense from a Cobb point of view, since it is local to Cobb and since it already directly serves this county.
It just pisses me off to see people constantly harp about some 20 year old decision like it was something taken yesterday. Most of the subdivisions in my local area weren't even BUILT 20 years ago! I was a young college grad over 1000 miles away, and most of my neighbors were also in other states.
ITP'ers need to stop whining about it already...
MARTA can't force its way into a county that doesn't want it and isn't willing to contribute funding. It has very much been the attitude of most of Cobb's powerful residents (mostly in the northeast part of the county) that they don't want MARTA in their neck of the woods. Since the more affluent parts of the county make up a disproportionate part of the county's tax base (not to mention that they're also the people who are most likely to be able to run for local office, support local candidates financially, and are the most politically active), those people tend to get what they want.
I'm a born and raised Cobb resident, and if the county wanted the system, it could certainly put it to a vote. MARTA can't go into a county without support, so blaming MARTA is kind of asinine. If you want a MARTA line in Cobb County, start rallying your neighbors. But there's a reason that it hasn't been put to a vote in so long - many residents still have the backward idea that allowing MARTA to come in would decrease their property values and screw up their "perfect" suburb. That may not be the attitude in your area, but in a lot of the county and among a lot of its residents, it still reigns. MARTA has its flaws, but this one isn't MARTA's fault.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,994,887 times
Reputation: 3990
Quote:
Originally Posted by WriterDawg85
MARTA can't force its way into a county that doesn't want it and isn't willing to contribute funding.
True.
Quote:
It has very much been the attitude of most of Cobb's powerful residents (mostly in the northeast part of the county) that they don't want MARTA in their neck of the woods.
You state this like it's an obvious fact. How you know this to be true?
Have people in Cobb County made formal statements to that effect? Can you provide any citations or sources?
FWIW, I've not seen much discussion or comment either way with regard to MARTA in Cobb since I moved down here six years ago, so I'm legitimately confused by your air of certainty.
Quote:
I'm a born and raised Cobb resident, and if the county wanted the system, it could certainly put it to a vote. MARTA can't go into a county without support, so blaming MARTA is kind of asinine.
I agree, but I think the reverse (blaming current Cobb residents) is also a rather silly action. Most resident have never been asked to my knowledge, East Cobb is no longer the majority in Cobb (if it ever was), and there's a lot more wealth in other areas of the county than there was 10 years ago. Heck, we have million dollar houses near us.
I may explore this further in my local area just to see what sort of reaction I receive.
i understand how you feel. i moved here 2 years ago, and i'm moving away again as soon as i'm able. i moved to east point and atlanta in general thinking it would have as nice as a feel as i experienced living in south georgia as a child. i was wrong. i only visited this area once before i moved here. shame on me. i'm heading to houston which i've visited plenty of times. the people there are nicer. there's parks and activities that won't cost you an arm and a leg, and it feels really positive. i can't say the same about living here.
You state this like it's an obvious fact. How you know this to be true?
Have people in Cobb County made formal statements to that effect? Can you provide any citations or sources?
FWIW, I've not seen much discussion or comment either way with regard to MARTA in Cobb since I moved down here six years ago, so I'm legitimately confused by your air of certainty.
I agree, but I think the reverse (blaming current Cobb residents) is also a rather silly action. Most resident have never been asked to my knowledge, East Cobb is no longer the majority in Cobb (if it ever was), and there's a lot more wealth in other areas of the county than there was 10 years ago. Heck, we have million dollar houses near us.
I may explore this further in my local area just to see what sort of reaction I receive.
I know it to be true because of nearly a quarter century as a resident of the county. Your location says Mableton, so like I said, attitudes may be different in your neck of the woods because you're closer to the city and have somewhat different demographics in the area - MARTA is probably more popular of an idea in your area than it is in, say, Kennesaw. I absolutely think that it's time that MARTA was put to a vote again and I think it would be a great addition to the county and help ease commutes for a lot of people.
That being said, I think that the fact that the issue hasn't been revisited is a fairly clear indicator about how those in power feel about the addition of MARTA to the county. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a comprehensive survey done recently, but the onus is on residents to agitate for change and make it happen. That's how local government works.
You're right that the county has changed a lot since the last vote was done, and it's up to the people that have changed it to continue to change the way that things are done. It's not a surprise that people in power don't necessarily want the same things as the average person just trying to get to work quickly every morning - the interests of those two groups rarely line up, and it's up to the second group to make themselves impossible to ignore. If that means voting in different leaders, then that's what needs to be done. Local election turnouts are rarely impressive, and if people want MARTA as badly as you seem to think they do, that would be a great place to start.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,994,887 times
Reputation: 3990
Quote:
Originally Posted by WriterDawg85
I know it to be true because of nearly a quarter century as a resident of the county. Your location says Mableton, so like I said, attitudes may be different in your neck of the woods because you're closer to the city and have somewhat different demographics in the area - MARTA is probably more popular of an idea in your area than it is in, say, Kennesaw. I absolutely think that it's time that MARTA was put to a vote again and I think it would be a great addition to the county and help ease commutes for a lot of people.
*nods*
That was very well stated, and I suspect the differing attitudes I think I've seen around me are at least somewhat related to geographic location. We aren't that far from the city, so we go there now and again, but MARTA isn't close. Wouldn't it be nice if...
I don't think people are up in arms for MARTA, but I think the atttitude right now is mostly take it or leave it, not so much the NIMBY attitude that seems to have been more commonplace. Of course, I'm just speculating based on a few sporadic conversations about the topic, so...
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