Dear Editor: With the request for additional revenue for the GDOT from the upcoming election to add another penny to the state sales tax, many citizens throughout the State are realizing the GDOT is out of control.
Since the GDOT already has a budget of $1.6 billion dollars annually, do you really feel comfortable giving GDOT another potential $18 billion dollars if the proposed new tax passes statewide?
I would strongly recommend no new funds for the GDOT unless it all goes to rapid rail. That is the only way to solve the problems. We should have awakened and done it that way 20 years ago.
If you say, "Well I have congestion in my area but the rail won't come by my house," what you are missing is that a lot of that traffic is commuters who would be riding the rail instead of driving their automobiles in your area and that frees up the existing roads to be able to get around easier and much quicker. The existing roads just may become more than sufficient and at that point no funds would be needed to widen or add more highways.
GDOT is paranoid about rail. It doesn't need rerouting, major repairs, or even major expenditures day after day like highways do. How on earth would they justify their jobs if they weren't constantly rebuilding our roads they rebuilt five times already?
It seems to be general knowledge that a rail to serve all of North Georgia almost to Macon and over to Griffin can be built for the total amount of just one year's present GDOT budget.
If the Georgia Legislature lets this highway program proceed without building the outer perimeter with rail, they will have committed the biggest financial blunder in the history of the state of Georgia. Poor stewards of our tax dollars should be voted out - every one of them.
Oh, and will anyone notice if we don't do the rail? Yes, all of us who have to move about will notice but more importantly industries who favor our work force and our climate and other amenities will get right on out of Dodge when they come here to visit and see this shameful mess we call ‘our transportation system.' That is a huge reason to do this right, finally, once and for all.
Sincerely,
Sam Hay
