As if to provide substance to a previous, slightly humorous comment I made re: MARTA in Gwinnett (above), the AJC did an expose yesterday entitled “Drug Wars, Kidnappings Move Into Gwinnett“.

And since a recent study (submitted by Scott) showed that it was downtown Atlanta that experiences the rise in crime when transit is extended to the suburbs (not the other way around), maybe it is time to turn the tables on those ingrates in Gwinnett that oppose MARTA and start an Fulton/DeKalb coordinated effort to keep MARTA out of Gwinnett called “Keep the Thugs in Gwinnett!”

Because I don’t know about you, but I always want the things I can’t have.

(Obviously a bit tongue-in-check…but if you’re willing to dig below the preconceived notions and stereotypes that date back to at least the 1950s, there IS some truth to this assertion.)

There are a lot of interesting votes out there today.

The Dunwoody one is probably the most well-publicized, but its the non-binding “Let MARTA into Gwinnett?” question that’s garnered the most heated response thus far over at the AJC blogs. As the AJC reports, the last time Gwinnett voted on a one-cent sales tax to allow MARTA into the county back in ’90, it only received 30% support at the polls. They were much more comfortable with letting Fulton and DeKalb foot the bill and then just driving into our counties to take the train.

Based solely on the responses to the AJC posting, it seems that opinions are a bit more mixed this time around. But we still hear well-thought out comments like this…

“We don’t need Marta out in Gwinnett County! It will just bring all the criminals, thugs and rif raf from Atlanta out here—-we have enough of that already and don’t need more. Let them go to the Perimeter Mall or 5 points! Keep marta out of Gwinnett!!!”

“NO, NO and NO. I do not want MARTA anywhere near where I live. I hate the buses, all they do is hold up traffic. I moved to Gwinnett to get away from MARTA. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!! And I certainly don’t want another penny of my hard harned money to go to this!!!!!!”

“GOD I HOPE NOT!!!!!!!!!!! Too many criminals from Atlanta will have a basically free way to ply their trades of rape, robbery and murder! Think not? Get on the train at lennox and see what gets on! Obviously these thugs are not shopping at lennox or phipps!”

Obviously these folks haven’t been reading my postings about crime moving to the suburbs (and it has nothing to do with MARTA). I love people that move to the sticks to get away from the ominous threat of “thugs”, and then scream from their fort in the middle of nowhere about all of the crime in places where they never go. Luckily there are more level-headed commenters out there that are keeping these paranoids in check.