Bloglanta

Whether our legislature is effective or not in dealing with transportation problems, the planning is coming.  You can help shape it.

The Transit Planning Board, which is made up of ARC, GDOT, GRTA, and MARTA representatives has a plan for transport throughout the region.  They are taking general public input!  You can make a difference by taking this survey.

As you take it, I urge you to think not in accounting terms, but in economic terms.  In other words, consider the opportunity costs of the choices you’re making.  Think about your answers as though you had to travel from one part of the metro region to another on a Friday at 4:15 P.M.

What are you unwilling to give up to have a better trip at that time.  What trade offs are you willing to make?

A tiny percentage of the Metro population will take the survey.  Ten minutes of your time will make a difference.

Apparently, the Georgia Legislature thinks that the best thing you can do for Georgia’s citizens is not to fund better transport, but let people add an arsenal to the transit system.

Both houses have passed legislation that legalizes the carrying of concealed weapons on trains.  The only caveat is that you cannot have been drinking and posses the weapon.

How should MARTA fight this silly legislation?  The MARTA police should plan sobriety check points for firearms.  After a Braves game, they could scan anyone for a weapon and check them with a breath test.  Same thing after a big concert or New Years at Underground.  MARTA will get the money from the fines, lower the number of weapons on the system, and dissuade people generally from bringing firearms onto the system.

Until next year, when upon seeing this, the National Rifle Association will bribe Republicans into legalizing the discharge of Firearms  on trains even if you have been drinking…  Then be careful about wearing a Mets jersey on the train.

Jim Martin is Job.  He sacrifices, he gives, and he does so with a faithful smile on his face knowing the pain and suffering he will endure.  After running for Lt. Governor with a Candidate whose loss was assured, he has volunteered to run for Senate.

God love him; he must see Dulcinea in every Georgia Voter.  What makes this so sad is that it isn’t Martin who is crazy, it’s everyone else.  The guy is qualified all over the place.  He’s run a state department, he’s been a legislator, and he has worked in the private sector, and yet people don’t elect him.  They hate the result.  He runs again.

He’s dealt with big time inner city problems, he knows the importance of getting the budget balanced and getting funding of essentials such as better child care, transportation, and public safety.  Yet, people don’t elect him.  They hate the result.  He runs again.

His temperament is low key, he’s highly professional, and he actually gives a care.  That’s why he keeps running against seemingly unbeatable foes.  Regrettably, that means he may well be tilting at windmills in this state.   Still, his is a dream worth chasing…. even if it might be impossible.

Is there anyone who is not tired of the homeless and others begging money downtown?  It’s impacting tourist visits, willingness to live downtown, and the ability to improve the quality of life.   Moreover, it’s illegal.

Perhaps, however, there is a solution.  We all know we should not give money directly to these folks.  Law enforcement heavily discourages it.  On the other hand, anyone with an ounce of compassion can feel for some of these folks, especially if they have holes in their shoes.

Perhaps, however, we can cure two birds with one stone.   Professional sociologists recommend that the best use of our money in helping the homeless is to give to support organizations such as The Atlanta Union Mission and the Gateway Center.  They get our support, we provide tools to help actually improve the lives of those having trouble, and we get a receipt.

Institutions such as AUM should then send a laminated receipt which we can flash whenever someone asks for money.

“Yo, can you spare any change?”   “Sorry, I gave at the office, you should visit.  Go to the Gateway Center.  The address is here… on my receipt!”

That will stop at least some of the beggars dead in their tracks.

Dear Congressman Lewis,

As Obama and Clinton move through the delegate process, it’s clear you are under tremendous pressure to switch your Super-delegate vote from Clinton to Obama.

Don’t do it. In fact, leave it completely open. Being an unaffiliated super-delegate has plenty of advantages for you, the district, and the country.

Let’s go backwards. Here is why not supporting either one is what you can do for your country: it lets the voters decide. It lets the people who participate in the process make the decision, and that is as it should be.

For the district, it lets you ask questions publicly and apply leverage. If you a not affiliated you can ask in an unbiased way about the Candidates’ positions on urban development, inner city education, transportation issues, and many more. Your district includes a potent Jewish community, large African American community, and is increasingly full of DINKS who are living in all the new Condo towers. Each have specific needs the solutions to which you can leverage from the candidates.

Finally, not deciding helps you. The voters may let you off the hook and since your vote on this will in no way affect your re-election, you would be free to vote your conscience. If, however, the super-delegates are going to decide it, then you have to look within yourself and see who you believe can actually get the most accomplished for the 5th Congressional district and for the nation as a whole. Again, if you wait, your undecided status lets you leverage support for Piedmont Park, the City, and our various transportation projects. Commit now, and no one will come courting.

Yes, people from all sides will be screaming at you, but most of your Constituents will be far more interested in how you arrived at your decision rather than what the content of the decision will be. Regardless of what you decide, making a good argument here is essential. Persuade the voters that your decision is smart and just and your voters will keep giving you the margins to which you’re accustom.

Sincerely Yours,

Bloglanta

Ever wonder why downtown isn’t teaming with clubs despite the hotel presence?  Ever wonder why no club survives very long in town?

The lack of places to play have been a big discussion among Jazz musicians in the Atlanta Jazz Forum and now a theory has been proposed.

Dan Turner is a local developer, builder, and piano man.  When presented with the scene of a woman who came downtown to hear Jazz and had a terrible experience, he began to delve into what went wrong: (These are editted excerpts from his post, which, in it’s original form is a little bit spicier)

“My time playing Atlanta started in  the very early 60’s when I was 9….playing in a few of the nightclubs that my father owned. I got into the circuit and hit his clubs as well as some of the joints that were within walking distance of each other. Sure…they were strip clubs; however for the 3 years that I played each weekend …jazzers were passed around from the Zebra, Domino, Club Peachtree and a host of others within a block or two of  each other. Going from one club to another, I saw a lot of familiar faces that were simply walking back and forth.

“In my opinion…and it extends back to those years playing with  really good players (and GREAT LOOKING EXOTIC DANCERS!!); now coupled with my role as a land planner…there are a few folks to blame for the fiasco in Atlanta:  Sam Massell, John Portman, & Tom Cousins.

“Massell picked up from his predecessor to “clean up Atlanta” by  closing down clubs by raising the dispensing fees. The Chamber of  Commerce gathered together with the powers to be and decided on John  Portman to devise a way to circumvent the sidewalks with the tunnels and tubes that deliver you away from the clubs on the street and right into the propietary clubs of the hotels. Ditto with Tom Cousins who was just the most fortunate guy to have MARTA wind up at his major complexes, and everyone else that went into the same mode of “cleaning up Atlanta” took something away from the night clubs that kept them alive …making a buck selling liquor.

“There was a lot to be said for a bar with a great band that all of a sudden had to be able to cook food. That ordinance wiped out the little hole in the wall joints….the same set up that thrives in New Orleans. There were ordinances enacted against Neon lighting. The distance between the bar stools and the stage. The decibel rating. Smoking/non-smoking designated square footage. Restrooms that had to meet a minimum square footage and then the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) that although a great thing…was not allowed to be grandfathered in for established businesses.

“It got to be too expensive to be in a business that the City wanted to see leave in order to make the place hospitable to Conventions.  The city [departments] were shaking down club owners and the Bud Turners, Chic Hendrix’s and Sam Jensen’s just closed shoppe.

“It’s still not a hospitable city… with the panhandlling and the blocks of no-mans land at night. The clubs and bars are found inside the complexes or within a $30 taxi ride from the center of the action…it’s just spread out and too thin.

“What little bit of fire that was there went away with a purpose. The jazz clubs have no competition…and sometimes human nature takes over with regards to how they would treat a customer since they were the only show in town…or walking distance to another Atlanta attraction. Or they’re not making enough to pay the help, talent, and nightly nut…so you’re getting anyone barely breathing to wait your table for minimums. Without the competition, there’s not much reason to improve…or if they’re already into the failure mode (which happens much too often), they’ve just given up.

“Atlanta had a great little complex at one time….Underground Atlanta…before Rouse. There were a half dozen player joints within sound of each other….I can remember many a tawdry Saturday AFTERNOON at the Apothecary watching Paul Mitchell and Neal Starkey, et all wailing away to a pretty full house. Tired of that? Walk across the street to Dante’s and then on over to Reds and a few other joints that the names don’t come apparent right now…and then start that circuit over again.

“Underground wasn’t a threat to Atlanta during the 60s and 70s..but they (whoever THEY were) decided to “fix it” anyway.  It’s a brave step every time someone opens a club to sponsor jazz players…but, foremost in mind, in order to keep that door open, they have to sell enough liquor. The players are almost always way down the food chain as to priorities, but it’s a huge investment to open a joint to meet all the codes and ordinances; pay the fees; get the final permit and then try to market with the leftover cash. Some places are doomed on opening night and everything that you described doesn’t make it that appealing for a return visit.

“Until a chosen few decided to “Clean Up Atlanta” and when they got rid of the clubs….they got rid of the talent and the incentives for future clubs.”
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It should be pointed out that to some degree, Massell did this same thing again a few years ago in Buckhead.  He wanted to chase the club owners out to make the area more attractive for the big condo towers that now dominate what was one of America’s best known party spots.  With the help of the City Council, he again succeeded in killing off lots of Atlanta nightlife.  Maybe, Massell likes money better than fun… Or at least he thinks if everyone has money they can afford to go have fun somewhere else.

According to a recent AJC piece, among the items in Governor Perdont’s wish list is to take the current DOT building, tear it down a replace it with a parking deck.

You reap what you sow.   Will the Governor have the political will to make this happen?  Probably not, but the very idea is hilarious.  Better yet, tear down the current parking decks for ‘road improvements’ first, & let the DOT keep it’s building.

With no parking, they’ll all be forced to take MARTA to work…. or the Lovejoy line.

The circus is back intown, and by the circus of course, we mean the Georgia General Assembly.

This year is all about the prevent defense. The focus has to be on stopping stupid ideas from getting through. As you may have heard, several of these are “Let’s completely revamp our tax system proposals!”

Basically, Glen Richardson wants to eliminate locally assessed property taxes and eliminate the sales tax exemption on food and other essentials. The state would then dole out the money to each school district according to what it thinks the local  needs, rather than letting the locals decide for themselves. Of course anyone who lives in a city should be screaming bloody murder against this because if the state legislature controls the money, Atlanta and environs will suffer in favor of South Georgia.

Further, anyone who is a true small government conservative should be screaming too as this takes power directly away from citizens and local governments and puts it directly in the hands of a larger one.

Here’s the danger with this plan however. Even though it likely will not pass, it will provide cover for lots of other crazy
legislation to get through. That’s where everyone has to be vigilant. Forget Richardson, he’ll be stopped. Look for what this is going to cover.

Will the governor continue to prevent spending on education from matching inflation? He has been quietly doing this since 2003.  Will the legislature continue to support big road bills will specific toll lanes? Will the legislature pass a bill on water
conservation which sounds good but does not have any real teeth or conservation, but simply a tax break for contractors?

In large part, it’s up to you. The more vigilant you are and the more you get in touch with your legislator, the less garbage will get through. Pay Attention and get involved or come July you could find yourself with an employee with a  right to carry a gun in your shop but no way to pay for your school.

Here’s what everyone is failing to mention in the battle between Senators Obama and Clinton.

“IT’S THE DOWN BALLOT RACES STUPID!”

Think about it. If Senator Clinton wins, people will zealously come out of the woodwork to vote against her and they’ll vote a straight Republican ticket down the ballot. Many people, even Democrats, seems to have a pathological disdain for her. So, if you believe in Darwinism, trains, keep local property taxes in the hands of local school boards, and having at least a chance of sensible sex education, Vote Obama!

Why? People generally do not hate him with the same vitriol which exists almost exclusively for Senator Clinton. Highly educated voters, African Americans, and other likely Democrats vote For Obama With Passion. The result with be that reasonably progressive candidates (mostly Democrats, but not exclusively) will do much much better.

If Senator Clinton wins, no self respecting Democratic will run against Senator Chambliss, and he needs to beaten… and kicked. While their chances of winning are still slim, they’re doubled if Obama is the candidate. It means that some Democrat of note will be less suicidal in running and if Republicans have to spend money here, so much the better. Progressive Congressional candidates also stand a much better chance of winning and the legislature might be less Republican.

Right now, it looks simple. Obama brings lots of Dems out, while Clinton brings out all the people who hate her. I’d rather Atlanta voting lines be filled with the former than the latter.

Believe it or not, we’re already at the top of another election cycle. Today is the last business day you can register to vote for the Presidential Primaries that will occur on Super Duper Tuesday, February 5th.

Iowa saw record turnout and you can be part of a record year here.

Click here for voter registration info! You can also go to any city hall, library, and many banks to register to vote.

The official drop dead registration day is January 5th, so get thee to the library!