**tongue firmly in cheek, eyes set to “roll”**

If they can’t pass a bill to let MARTA have all of its funds, then they surely won’t agree to dissolve MARTA.

THOMAS OLIVER
Legislators leave voters in traffic jam

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

That about describes why many Atlanta businessmen and women are so angry about the debacle that just ended under the Gold Dome.

For the second year in a row, the Legislature failed to pass a transportation sales tax amendment — one that would allow a regional sales tax to fund local projects.

This, despite pledges, promises, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, drinks, cigars and campaign contributions.

“There is so much outrage,” says Bill Linginfelter, one of the metro chamber’s point people on transportation and lead executive of Regions Bank’s North Georgia operations.

He said he’s not taking some calls from angry business executives, as he needs time to calm down himself.

This is deja vu.

Last year, the business community was spitting mad after the constitutional amendment lost on the last day by three votes in the Senate. This session, the Senate passed it, but the House threw a statewide sales tax in as the way to go.

This despite all the research that shows a statewide sales tax for transportation failing at the ballot box.

“No state in 15 years has passed a statewide transportation sales tax,” says Sam Williams, president of the metro chamber.

Williams remembers 25 years ago when another failure of state leadership led to our banking center moving to Charlotte.

As the rest of the states allowed their banks to grow by becoming statewide banks, Georgia lawmakers wouldn’t allow banks to branch beyond their own county. They were protecting their home county banks. By the time they allowed statewide banking, it was too late.

Much bigger, stronger North Carolina banks gobbled up all of our banks but the present-day SunTrust.

Charlotte is the banking capital of the South.

All because our provincial legislators and state leaders couldn’t do what needed doing.

Williams worries, rightfully, that this generation of legislators and leaders are going to fiddle away our economy.

You don’t need a survey to believe businesses are thinking twice about relocating to an area known for our kind of traffic congestion.

Just ask yourself: If you had a choice, would you drive in this mess?

Linginfelter said eventually the business community will have to decide how to continue pushing the issue, as the alternative is unthinkable.

Williams said the chamber would advise its members not to support any candidate for any legislative or statewide office that can’t support the regional sales tax plan.

“If we can’t deal with this, you might as well close down the borders,” Linginfelter said.

Georgia’s days of economic growth will be over.

Perdue wants to avoid special session on MARTA

12:39 pm April 7, 2009, by James Salzer

Gov. Sonny Perdue told reporters that his staff met with MARTA officials Tuesday morning in hopes of coming up with a solution to the transit system’s funding problems.

However, it doesn’t sound like he will go along with MARTA’s call for a special session to pass legislation to help the system.

“Certainly the governor can call a special session, but this is not the first time somebody’s bill has not passed and they’ve run to the governor’s office to ask for a special session,” Perdue said. “We will have to look at a lot of things. Special sessions are something we shy away from. We will do our best not to call a special session.”

The governor mentioned several times that MARTA made no effort to get him involved in passing legislation that would have freed up funding for the system. The bill failed.

“It’s always unfortunate when people who depend on MARTA have their service cut, and I hope they (MARTA) can find a way …. to make it through the end of the year,” the governor said.

Perdue said his transportation staffers and chief financial officer met with MARTA officials this morning “to see if there are other ways to resolve this. We want to make sure they are able to continue their operations.”