Guest Column: T-SPLOST and the Parable of the Broken Ipod

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Augusta, GA

By Taylor Bryant

The economy is strictly driven on the prosper or downfall of individuals. People may talk about large corporations, government, or non profit organizations driving the economy through hire, spending, failure, or stimulus, but it all boils down to each of us being able to pay our bills, satisfy our material desires, and provide for our families or even ourselves. When we are facing a reduction of income, we cut back. We watch our cell phone minutes, take less trips across town, order the cheaper combo meal, or we skip that vacation. The economy always comes down to a personal impact, which is the way it should be. 

Months ago I was at work and while helping a co-worker, my iPod slipped out of my pocket. It crashed to the ground, breaking the screen, rendering it useless. I had just purchased this about a month prior, costing a little over $200. It was one frivolity I had, saving up a few weeks of expendable income to purchase. It made my stomach turn that I had spent that money on this device, and in one swoop, I had ruined it. It was destroyed, and the only thing to fix my situation was to plunk down another $200 to buy another one. At this point in my life, I feel that $200 is more important to me than an iPod, so I decided not to buy another one until my finances were intact enough to do so. 

Fast forward to August. My birthday is August 31st, so I am due for a birthday present from Mrs. Bryant. I have thought for a while what I could possibly want, and it comes down to a few things. I would like to replace the radio in my car, which doesn’t work, or possibly a new iPod to replace the destroyed one. Decisions, decisions....

Destruction and maintenance is a drain on our individual economy, the only one that matters. When a natural disaster strikes, the roofers, disaster clean up crews, and the contractors tend to do well in fixing the problems that accompany the fallout. Just like potholes, the crews filling them make money filling them, which “stimulates” the economy through a trickle down process. Does destruction and ongoing maintenance really create jobs and keep our economy on an even keel? The supporters of TSPLOST seem to think so, enough that the idea was included on the ballot language for Georgia voters to ponder.

Back to the personal side of things. If I decide to ask for an iPod, I am no more richer personally than seconds before I dropped the one I had. We are back to square one, except my family is now poorer by $200. If I had not dropped the iPod, creating a $200 stimulus to the Apple Corporation, I would have had a perfectly funtioning iPod and a nice radio for my car. So destruction has robbed me of my chance of both, which is a negative economic impact to my family. Same for maintenance. If I had decided that my car had needed $200 of brake pads and rotors, I have, at the end, a functioning vehicle, as I had before. What I don’t have is $200. $200 at this home is a big deal. 

Fast forward several years from now when many of these projects the TSPLOST folks have managed to get done actually happen. These projects will need ongoing maintenance that is not covered by the initial package funds. Taxes will have to be raised to keep up with new infrastructure. Now, we have to fix roads that didn’t exist with money we don’t have. This will trickle down to the individual, now strapped with 1% less buying power at the gate and increased property and income taxes for maintenance and destruction costs. This will directly affect your family’s buying power at the car lot, the grocery store, and everywhere products are sold. People, this is not what we needed at exactly the time we didn’t need it. The same goes with ESPLOST, because those new schools we build will need new low bid air conditioning units and all those new buses will need maintenance. Regular SPLOSTS? If a pipe busts in the Miller theater, we pay for that now. Just like a broken iPod. 

So, back to the personal effect... I have about $20,000 of income a year that is not subject to the TSPLOST tax. This includes money I spend on groceries, entertainment, merchandise, textbooks for Mrs. Bryant, school supplies for the kiddies, tools for work,  etcetera. I spend pretty much all of it over the year, not able to save much due to being a one income family. So TSPLOST takes one percent of that. That makes my share of this farce of a stimulus about $200 a year. 

Hmmmm...what could I purchase for $200?

(Note: This is not a new thought. Frederic Bastiat first published the “Broken Window Parable” in 1850. Google it, he explains it better than I can)

Taylor Bryant*

*Bryant has previously ran for the Georgia State Senate (Dist 22) and the Richmond County School Board (Dist 6) as a Libertarian.

Furor Over University Name a Gift for Lee Anderson?

Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Augusta, GA
By The Outsider

With the local outrage over the new name for the new merged university dominating the front page of the daily paper, the evening news, and the talk radio shows, you'd almost have forgotten that there is a run-off in a week for the Georgia 12th congressional district GOP race.

Lee Anderson, who is now in a runoff with Augusta construction contractor Rick Allen for the 12th district GOP nomination,  ought to send Dr. Ricardo Azziz and the Georgia Board of Regents bouquets of flowers.

The furor over the university name change has successfully diverted local attention away from Anderson's voting record in the state legislature and most importantly his support of T-SPLOST. There was a noticeable backlash against Anderson in his home base of Columbia County in the immediate aftermath of the T-SPLOST vote on July 31st. Despite failing in 75% of the regions throughout Georgia and being soundly rejected by more than 58% of voters in Columbia County, the tax still passed in the CSRA region, largely because of the voters in neighboring Richmond County. That means that Columbia County residents will still be forced into this new tax region despite voting against it.

We heard reports in the days following the T-SPLOST vote that some Lee Anderson signs were being taken down from yards across  Columbia County in protest of his support for the tax and  voting for it in the Georgia General Assembly. But T-SPLOST was not the only tax Anderson supported in the legislature that is disproportionately hitting middle and lower income residents. He also voted in favor of a $500 million hospital bed tax and Georgia Power's advance billing of $1 billion in profits, hidden as "construction costs," which lead to double digit rate increases for the average  customer. Voters in Columbia County were finally starting to pay attention to Anderson's anti middle class voting record, and this presented an opening for Rick Allen in the run-off.

And then came the announcement from the Georgia Board of Regents last week that the name for the new consolidated university in Augusta would be named Georgia Regents University. All Hell broke loose. It's been dominating the headlines for the entire week and there is no sign that the outrage will die down any time soon. William S Morris III even had a self-penned letter on Sunday's front page of his Augusta Chronicle newspaper where he announced his resignation from the  board of GHSU over the name flap. Articles on the name controversy on The  Chronicle website have been getting by far the most comments, and callers to local radio talk shows have also been fixated on the name change.  More protests are planned for this week. We've noticed here that web searches for the congressional race and T-SPLOST have fallen off considerably in the last week. All of the interest seems to be on the name for the new university.

The timing could not be worse for Rick Allen. A recount request by Wright McLeod last week that yielded one vote had  delayed the inevitable show-down between Anderson and Allen. And during the uncertainty of the recount,  the announcement of the new name of the university came out, and got everyone talking.. Any momentum that Allen could have capitalized on over T-SPLOST seemed to be slipping away with the clock counting down to August 21.

To win the run-off next week, Allen will have to win Columbia County. The furor over T-SPLOST and tying Lee Anderson to it looked like it would be the winning strategy that could deliver victory to Allen. But now the furor has shifted to something else... the name of the new university. Will there still be enough outrage over T-SPLOST in Columbia County next Tuesday to sway the run-off election in Allen's favor? That remains to be seen.

Allen is already handicapped by a depressed GOP voter turnout in Richmond County because of the Sheriff's race. All of those republican cross-overs who took a democratic ballot in order to vote for Scott Peebles are not allowed to cross back over to vote in the congressional run-off on August 21st. Anderson did rather poorly in Richmond County in the July 31st general primary, in fact it was his worst showing in all of the counties in the 12th district. Allen could have been able to win Richmond County by a big margin and run up the vote tally and offset Anderson's advantage in the rural southern counties next Tuesday, but because of the depressed turnout, Allen's advantage in Richmond County will be negated and thus the largest county in the district will end up having a negligible impact on the race. That means Columbia County will decide this.

If Rick Allen can win Columbia County by the same margin as it rejected T-SPLOST, he will be the candidate facing John Barrow this fall instead of Lee Anderson. But for this to happen, Allen will have to position himself back to his Columbia County roots and distance himself from the political elites in Augusta-Richmond County, who have for the most part forsaken him anyway for the Sheriff's race and have become more of a political liability. If Allen has any chance for a victory against Anderson, it will be found in Columbia County.

Linking Anderson to the unpopular T-SPLOST appears to be the winning strategy to take Columbia County. The key is to make sure the voters are still as outraged over T-SPLOST next Tuesday as they were a week and a half ago. One way this could be accomplished is to link the red hot outrage over the university name change to the outrage over T-SPLOST. They both have one common denominator: an overbearing state political body out of touch with the wishes of locals.

T-SPLOST failed in Columbia County, but  the Georgia General Assembly engineered the bill in such a way, that their wishes could be outvoted by people in other counties.. and that is exactly what happened. The legislature also sought fit to penalize regions that voted against the tax by withholding a large portion of state transportation matching funds. The voters were not really being given a real choice by the politicians under the Gold Dome in Atlanta. T-SPLOST was more like an act of extortion: vote for it --- or else.

Lee Anderson was one of the state legislators who voted in favor of this flawed bill that took local control away from individual counties and gave it to a new regional government. Similarly, the wishes of many local residents and leaders were outvoted by another state body known as the Georgia Board of Regents when it came to naming the new consolidated university in Augusta. The case could be made that an overbearing state government  gave us the hideously flawed T-SPLOST and the extremely unpopular name for the new university abbreviated as GRU. Some can say that  T-SPLOST and the new university name are GRUesome, and Rick Allen would be wise to make that argument and continue to link Lee Anderson to the overbearing and out of touch state government  that gave us both.***
OS

The Three Wise Counties (Video)

Saturday, August 11, 2012
Augusta, GA
From CityStink.net Reports

Three counties in the CSRA region wisely said NO to T-SPLOST on July 31st: Columbia County, Glascock County and Lincoln County. However, since they were outvoted by the rest of the region, they will still be subjected to this hideous new tax and new level of government bureacracy. To make matters worse, since the T-SPLOST was rejected by 75% of the state, including populous metro Atlanta, this will likely result in proceeds from the CSRA's gasoline tax being diverted to Atlanta. At least 3 local counties had the good judgement to see T-splost for what it was: a sham. Watch Al Gray's video commentary below:

T-SPLOST Beneficiaries Boost Anderson Congressional Campaign

Monday, August 6, 2012
Augusta, GA
From CityStink.net Reports

Analysis of campaign disclosure reports submitted by the Lee Anderson for Congress campaign show an unsurprising result. Anderson, a Republican running for the 12^th Congressional District Seat in the Congress of the United States was an early and heavy beneficiary of political donations from area contractors, more specifically paving and site work contractors who stand to gain from the T-Splost bill.

While Anderson was in the Georgia House of Representatives, he voted for House Bill 277, the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, which was quickly dubbed T-Splost.

While voters in Columbia and Lincoln Counties who were former constituents of Anderson’s voted down T-Splost in their respective counties, most were shocked to learn that they had been sold into subservience to the inner city entitlement crowd by Lee Anderson. Because it was a regional vote, Anderson and the gold dome crowd had eliminated home rule on the county level.

It is said that “the path to hell is paved with good intentions,”  but for the pavers the path to riches is a river of cash to Lee Anderson.***

Anderson Paving Contributions

Farmer Lee Anderson Grows Taxes

The Lee Tax Shift

Friday, August 3, 2012

Columbia County, GA

By Kurt Huttar

Last Tuesday, July 31, 2012, saw the completion of the biggest tax shift in CSRA and Georgia history with the passage of the 1% sales tax for transportation called T-Splost. Less than two months after Columbia County Representatives Lee Anderson and Ben Harbin voted for $tens of millions in new sales tax exemptions for Delta Airlines,  Delta, Georgia's  domineering airline, contributed $225,000 used to convince easily-swayed voters to vote themselves a 33% sales tax increase on food.

Perhaps Delta, once notorious for sending passengers on the last leg back to Augusta on buses, wants safer roads on which to transport shafted customers upon whom it foisted an $8 billion tax increase.

Anderson, now a candidate for the 12^th Congressional District seat now held by Democrat John Barrow, voted to cut Delta's sales taxes but voted for these sales tax increases on us in the middle class. Here we find Lee dining with George Bowen, the lobbyist who greased through the fuel tax exemption for Delta and Georgia Power.

Worse is the behavior of Georgia Power Company, who gave $395,000 to deluge us with pro T-Splost propaganda after the same legislation saved them $hundreds of millions. It is noted that said cost savings supposedly are given back to consumers via fuel adjustments to their rates, but how many citizens trust those calculations? This also came after Lee Anderson voted in 2009 for Georgia Power's advance billing of $1 billion in profits, hidden as "construction costs." We got double digit rate increases from that, too.

Yes, we voters are now going to have to pay Lee's 14% T-Splost sales tax increase on those double-digit, advance-profit charges on our power bills.

Here, the Georgia Gang, including former Augusta Chronicle opinion editor, Phil Kent, questioned the rush by Lee Anderson and others to pass the bill.

Lee could not be dissuaded by pleas of "Read the BILL, Lee!"

Anderson, a hay farmer, also voted for a $500 million a year hospital bed tax. How did he make a “No Tax Increase” Pledge with Grover Norguist's Amercans for Tax Reform and vote for these tax increases? Can we believe his promises?

It was most frustrating for us in Columbia County to only be able to put up a few score “VOTE NO” signs, then go home to find pro-T-Splost mailers in the mailbox.

I had to  drive by scads of “Vote Yes” signs illegally placed in medians and rights of way, like this one: 

I had to listen to broadcast appeals funded by these corporations who just got sales tax cuts. 

Finally, I got a batch of signs from Augusta County Commissioner Joe Bowles, who courageously fought adoption of this terrible tax. 

On August 21, we have chance to just say 'No!” once again. This time it is a vote against legislators stupidly subordinating our Columbia County votes to those of ignorant and corrupt Augustans. This time it is a vote mindful that this dastardly T-Splost tax begins to be collected January 1.

Just say no to Lee Anderson for Congress.

Lobbyists love him. The middle class groans under the burdens their orgies of money and excess we are left with.

Isn't it time the people won one?***
KH

Related Stories:

• Anderson Off His Wagon in the 12th District
• My Lesson From Lee Anderson: Never Give Money to a Politician

T-SPLOST Passes in CSRA Despite Columbia County Saying No

Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Augusta, GA
By The Outsider


Bucking a statewide trend, it appears that the T-SPLOST tax has passed in the 13 county Central Savannah River Area region. The latest vote totals as of 11pm on July 31 showed a margin of 56% voting in favor and  44% voting against with a more than 6,000 vote spread. This is by far the best showing for the T-SPLOST   in all 12 regions of the state, where latest totals showed that the tax was failing in 9 out of 12 regions.

Perhaps the biggest repudiation of T-SPLOST came in the  metro Atlanta region, where voters are rejecting the tax by a wide margin of 63% against and 37% in favor. This, after millions of dollars were poured into the Atlanta region by pro T-SPLOST groups  for an ad blitz pitching the tax. Its failure in the metro Atlanta region will make things very complicated, since the law states that any region which does not pass the tax will have their state transportation matching funds slashed....and with metro Atlanta comprising nearly 50% of the state's population, that's a lot of money. You can now expect a barrage of lawsuits challenging the efficacy of T-SPLOST now that it seems to have failed in 75% of the regions, including the states's most populous metropolitan area.

The T-SPLOST also failed in Coastal Georgia, which after metro Atlanta accounted for the most spending by Pro T-SPLOST groups. In fact, Chatham County rejected the tax by over 57%  despite the Savannah port deepening being a signature project touted by T-SPLOST backers.

So why did it pass in the CSRA? 
By looking at the most recent vote totals, it appears that T-SPLOST mainly passed here because of Augusta-Richmond County (the most populous county in the region) where it was approved by more than 58% of the vote with a nearly 6,000 vote margin. T-SPLOST did particularly well in predominately African-American voting precincts in Richmond County. The tax found its softest support in West Augusta and South Richmond County precincts with a slight majority of those precincts rejecting T-SPLOST.

The story was completely different in Columbia County where over 58% of voters rejected the T-SPLOST.   The latest totals showed 14,358 voting against and 10,340 voting in favor. But even though Columbia County voters resoundly  rejected T-SPLOST, they will  still be taxed anyway. Lincoln County and Glascock County also rejected the T-SPLOST. The nine other rural counties passed it, presumably because of the promise from politicians that they would be getting over $87 million in additional tax revenue from populous Richmond and Columbia Counties

Since this is a regional tax regime, Columbia County is tied to the other 12 counties in the CSRA region, including Augusta-Richmond County. Under the provisions of the tax district, Columbia County will be a donor county, giving up  over $23 million of its sales tax proceeds to other counties in the region. But under the T-SPLOST regime Augusta/Richmond County will be giving away $63 million of its sales tax proceeds to other counties, which makes the overwhelming support there even more baffling. Columbia County will also now be married to what many political observers consider a corrupt and incompetent Augusta-Richmond County for control of transportation dollars.

Impact on the 12th District Congressional Race
Lee Anderson voted for T-SPLOST in the Georgia General Assembly, and now he appears to be in a run-off for the 12 Georgia Congressional GOP nomination with either Rick Allen or Wright McCleod. Anderson defended his T-SPLOST vote by saying he was only voting to give the people a say in the matter. However, critics charged that the regional vote was unfair and would subject individual counties to the tax even if their voters overwhelmingly opposed it at the polls. That scenario now seems to have been born out in Columbia County. All 3 of Anderson's GOP challengers said they were against T-SPLOST. Now there is speculation of whether there will be a voter backlash against Anderson in his home base of Columbia County because of the T-SPLOST outcome.

Also in the hot seat is Columbia County commission chairman Ron Cross, who heavily promoted T-SPLOST. Seeing as how it failed by such a wide margin there, his critics have yet another example to show  how the commission chairman is out of touch with the average voter in Columbia County. If there is any bright spot for Columbia County over the T-SPLOST outcome is that it may lead to the overwhelming passage of a referendum imposing term limits on county commissioners and the chairman.

Now the CSRA region will have one of the highest sales taxes in the state, making it less competitive for business. However, neighboring South Carolina  retailers are likely to see a jump in business from T-SPLOST. ***
Stay Tuned... more to come
OS

Related Stories:

• Don & Ron's $87.6 Million Pot of Gold
• 15 Reasons to Detest T-SPLOST and Punish its Promoters
• Al Gray Warns Rural County Leaders Over 'Shameful' T-Splost
• Al Gray: Vote No to T-SPLOST (Video)
• Why T-SPLOST Must Be Defeated (Video)

Peas Lost to T-SPLOST (video)

Monday, July 30, 2012
Augusta, GA
By Al Gray

In his latest anti T-SPLOST video, Al Gray, explains how our buying power will be pea'd away if T-SPLOST passes. Watch his video below.

T-SPLOST Report: Don & Ron's $87 Million Tax Give-Away

Just Dandy or Downright Irresponsible?

Monday, July 23, 2012
Augusta, GA

By IndyInjun

A loose coalition of anti-tax and community activists has arisen locally to oppose T-Splost, which is the chosen acronym for a proposed new 1% sales tax dedicated to transportation. This measure is Referendum Item 1 on the July 31 Georgia primary election ballot. If passed, the sales tax rate in most counties in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) increase from 7% to 8%, for a whopping 14.3% sales tax increase.

The funds collected from the new 1% T-Splost in all of the 13 counties in the CSRA  region would be dispensed in two pots. 75% of the money goes into a designated, preapproved investment list projects, called the “Constrained Investment List.” Many, if not most, of these projects in the CSRA have long been on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s planned projects list to be built with motor fuel tax funds. For example, the extension of Riverwatch Parkway to Washington Road in Evans has been on the DOT planned list for a decade or more. Columbia and Richmond Counties are MPO’s (Metropolitan Planning Organizations) under the authorizing bill, the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, and will be empowered to use the new T-Splost funds largely without DOT involvement.

The horse trading with the other 11 counties was thorny. As best can be told, the trade-off was to build the large investment list projects in Augusta and Columbia County early in the 10 years of the T-Splost, while the Investment list projects for the rural counties are delayed largely to the last 3 years, carrying the risk that the funds will run out. The bill says that these projects are guaranteed to be built but provides no funds.

Dandy Don Loves Taxes

The other 11 counties are willing to be in this arrangement only by virtue of the 25% “Discretionary” Funds or Cash Pot. This 25% is set based upon a combination of road miles and population which vastly favors the rural counties.

How much money is Augusta and Columbia County giving up into the Cash Pot for the rural counties? An astounding $87.6 million!  Augusta gives up $63 million and Columbia County gives up $23 million in cash! Proof of this is found in the spreadsheet that the CSRA Regional Commission provided, although it required extending some of the data and calculations to divulge the truth of the matter.

Don Grantham, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation Board for the Augusta Region, and CSRA Regional Transportation Roundtable Chairman Ron Cross were extremely generous with the “cash pot” funds to be doled out from their counties!

Why aren’t these figures being publicized? ***


IJ

CSRA TSplost Revenue Gains and Losses by County

Al Gray: Vote NO to T-SPLOST (Video)

Thursday, July 19, 2012
Augusta, GA
From CityStink.net Reports


In his latest video, Al Gray, of ArrowFlinger Reports and a CityStink.net contibutor, explains why it is so important for Georgia voters to defeat T-SPLOST on the July 31st General Primary ballot.



Related Stories:

• Don & Ron's $87.6 Million Pot of Gold
• 15 Reasons to Detest T-SPLOST and Punish its Promoters
• Al Gray Warns Rural County Leaders Over 'Shameful' T-Splost
• Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and T-SPLOST
• Why T-SPLOST Must Be Defeated (Video)

Al Gray Explains Why T-SPLOST Must Be Defeated (Video)

Thursday, July 12, 2012
Lincolnton, GA
From CityStink.net Reports
Commentary


Al Gray, of ArrowFlinger Reports and a CityStink.net  contributor,  explains in this video presentation why the atrocity known as T-Splost should be defeated at the polls on July 31st. before voting on T-SPLOST you NEED to watch this video first.



Related Stories:

• 15 Reasons to Detest T-SPLOST and Punish Its Promoters
• Al Gray Warns Rural County Leaders About "Shameful" T-SPLOST

Signs of Desperation for the Tax Hikers

Money No Object to Ram T-Splost Down the People’s Throats

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Appling, Georgia

By Hwy221

From the $8 million Lobbyist Shill Group ConnectGA2012, birthed to pitch the Transportation ‘Investment’ Act, to the various tax-loving Chambers of Commerce cheerleaders, the “New Jobs!” cries from Helen to Hahira sound like some obsessive mantra. The people of Georgia have never seen a slicker effort to separate them from their money than from these T-Splost salesmen.

With a little effort, salesman-in-thief Nathan Deal almost begins to look like Euctice Haney from Green Acres and after you watch this clip, you will understand why. When old Nathan came back from Congress, pursued by an ethics investigation, yet elected in a landslide over Roy Barnes, he was encouraged to think that Georgians are all rubes like Sam Drucker and Oliver Wendell Douglas.


(click video below to play)

If we buy off on his T-Splost scam, well maybe we are past all hope.

Take a gander at what folks headed west on Washington Road (Highway 104) have been treated to starting this week. Scarcely 100 yards apart, with no visible ROAD WORK between, are two signs like this, one on each side of the road.

(click image to enlarge)

For what purpose are they there?

Based upon the positioning of these signs and the obvious lack of road improvements around, our sales tax dollars are only at work buying loudly colored signs pitching more sales taxes.

These people are shameless in their manipulative hijinks aren’t they?

The sure sign that we see is very clear – COLUMBIA COUNTY HAS MORE SALES TAX MONEY THAN IT NEEDS!

T-Splost? Let’s make that into the bug-on-a-windshield thing it sounds like.


Just say NO! to T-Splost!***

• Join the Anti T-SPLOST movement on Facebook

Related Stories:

• 15 Reasons to Detest T-SPLOST and Punish Its Promoters
• Al Gray Warns Rural County Leaders About "Shameful" T-SPLOST

Al Gray Warns Rural County Leaders About 'Shameful' T-Splost

Friday, June 22, 2012

Lincolnton, GA

By Al Gray

Below is a presentation by tax activist Al Gray before the Lincoln County Commission on June 14, 2012, warning county leaders about the "shameful" T-SPLOST and its disastrous effects on the region, especially small rural counties like Lincoln, which can be easily outvoted and forced into this abominable regional government with little to no representation. 

*Click Video to play (Fast forward to the 1:20 min mark for Mr Gray's remarks)*

*Below is the text of Al Gray's remarks to the Lincoln County Commission concerning T-SPLOST* (Graphs and charts referenced in the video are included below)

Chairman Johnson and Gentlemen of the Commission, thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. I have come to sound a warning about the proposed new 1% Transportation sales tax that comes before voters July 31st. Frankly, in all the years following public policy I have never seen anything this shameful.

The greater shame is on this county's legislators – Bill Jackson, Lee Anderson, and Tom McCall for springing forth such an assault upon the people of this county. The bill that gave rise to this abomination was called the Transportation Investment Act. This bill set up a regional transportation roundtable for 13 counties, including Lincoln County. While it is true all had input, the law set up an executive committee of 5 to have the final vote for the 13 counties. They set it up so that Lincoln County is forced to be in this whole new level of regional government, whether we vote to pass or fail, so that our votes are diminished.

This is taxation without representation. Worst of all they committed EXTORTION against us all, by denying state funds if we say “No!” Beyond this, this is a 14.2% tax increase that they swore to never vote for. Nor were any options even offered, like dedicating the 1% to our county.

Yes the shame is upon them and tonight I come to ask you to stop embracing this nonsense lest you bring greater shame on yourselves and the Chamber of Commerce, a group that risks its reputation by hawking this tax.

Politicians and Chamber representatives have been going around the CSRA saying this tax will raise $841 million under a base case. This is a LIE and the Promoters' own data shows that. Here is a chart showing the base case. It is built on wild income growth numbers – 8% next year – that are a fantasy. The real numbers knock holes in these projections!

*Click graphic below to enlarge*

Will we get only $650 million? Sales tax revenues are WAYYYYYYY down as the blue charts show over the last 5 years. Can we pretend our way back to prosperity?


*Click graphic below to enlarge*

Gentlemen YOU HAVE BEEN HOODWINKED!!!!!!! What these real revenue numbers show is that area wide, revenues will probably only cover $500 million to $540 million of the investment list projects! This will mean that the ones in the last years of this deal won't be funded. Incredibly $6.6 million of the $7.7 million of Lincoln's projects are to be built in these final years.

 *Click graphic below to enlarge*

 Source: Constrained List Spreadsheet from CSRA Regional Commission

The numbers say these projects will lack funding. You have been deceived and now are being asked to foist this deception upon the people of Lincoln County.

Beyond that, this is a terrible 14.2% increase in the sales tax. Frugal folks just cannot stand such an increase in any cost, for a 14.2% increase doubles living costs in 5 years. For this? This comes on top of a 23% sewer rate increase and several double-digit school tax increases. Look around! Who can afford that?

These deceivers have managed you get some of you excited over Lincoln County getting $722,000 a year in new discretionary funds. Well, based upon the data above this looks to be far less. This money is only coming to us because this scam makes Richmond and Columbia counties give up $7 million to bribe us into this wicked partnership with them. How is that right? A 1% new tax dedicated to Lincoln County would raise more revenue. Why are you excited about the same money or less with strings attached? Why are you willing to destroy your credibility for this?

Gov. Sonny Perdue said that DOT committed ENRON ACCOUNTING when it lost control of highway funds 4 years ago. Now they are all excited about getting their hands on this money. They want us to bail them out.

Mark Twain once said there were three kinds of lies....Lies....Damned lies and statistics........now we can add a fourth lie – Tsplost. 

My warning is this. Don't go forth using these phony numbers after tonight. You know better and the people now know better.

Just vote no on T-splost. It is the only honorable thing to do.

For more reality based information on what Tsplost really is all about visit CityStink.net online.***

A.G.


Join the Anti-T-SPLOST movement on facebook here-->  Vote NO to T-SPLOST

Related Stories:

• 15 Reasons to detest T-SPLOST and Punish its Promoters
• Where you Gonna Say You Caught These Fish

Where you gonna say you caught these fish?

Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and T-Splost

Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Augusta, GA
By Al Gray

When Mark Twain described the 3 kinds of lies it was about the art of deception. We find about those too late.

Back in 1990 or so, I was returning to Evans one Friday afternoon after a week on my job down in Effingham County. The evening before I had gone fishing on the lower Savannah River and caught a tremendous number of Bluegills, which were on ice in the back of my truck.

Driving up Millhaven Road approaching Girard, there was a beaver pond on the right close to a high tension power line. As I got closer, I saw the head and shoulders of a man fishing in the pond. Having a busy weekend ahead made for a sudden plan to give away my fish.

I pulled off the road, shut off the engine, and rolled down the window. I said “ Hey...you having any luck?” He said “Not much, I only catched this lil ole brim", as he held up a stringer with a fish about the size of 3 fingers. "I don't believe there are many fish in this hole” and I asked him “would you like a mess of about 35 fish?” He said “ Sho' would, I wuz about to give it up, its so hot out heah” He told me his name was Alonzo and asked if I could give him a ride back to "J-rod”

After we got to his house and transferred the fish from my cooler to his, he insisted on giving me a few $dollars for the fish and the ride. Just before I pulled away I asked Alonzo, “Where are you gonna tell your buddies you caught these fish?” He laughed and said “Ah'm gonna tell 'em I catched them in dat beavah pond!

I forgot about the whole exchange over the weekend, until late Sunday afternoon on the trip back, Just south of J-Rod there were a bunch of cars parked on the shoulder. They were alongside that beaver pond, and there was a whole row of folks fishing.

Never believe a politician or a fisherman. They will have you fishing in an empty pond catching only snags and mosquito bites.***
A.G.


Join the Anti-T-SPLOST movement on facebook here-->  Vote NO to T-SPLOST

15 Reasons to Detest T-SPLOST and Punish its Promoters

T-SPLOST creates 12 new "regional" governments 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Augusta, GA

By Al Gray


*Please see a video presentation by Al Gray warning county leaders about the perils of T-SPLOST--->Here

The Transportation Investment Act of 2010 (also referred to even in the legislation as the 'Transportation Investment Act') is being called T-Splost all over Georgia. The legislation establishes a new 1% sales tax supposedly dedicated to regional transportation. 


Our region is the Central Savannah River Region, consisting of populous Richmond and Columbia counties, along with 11 rural counties. The tax covers a 10 year period. The funds are totaled for the region, then allocated based upon 75% a “constrained investment list of projects and 25% discretionary funds based upon an 80% non-state road miles per county and 20% based upon population. Funds are collected by the Georgia Department of Revenue, then transferred to the Georgia Finance and Investment Commission for distribution.

Confusing? You bet. That is intentional.

Here is the evaluation, from a cost recovery and fiscal conservative policy point of view of why TSPLOST is an abomination:

1. The Bill says only the 5 member executive board has a vote on the final project list. Rural voters have no representation in that vote.(see Executive Committe paragraph ½ down the page) This is Taxation without Representation #1.

2. Rural voters in 11 counties can vote it down, but still are subjected (See Special Districts, paragragh 2) to this regional government, if it massively passed in urban counties. This is Taxation without Representation #2.

3. It is an Act of Extortion. The bill says regions that do not pass it see their state funds matching TRIPLED from 10 percent to 30 percent. (See Line 687-692, page 20, House Bill 277) (Good news is that it will fail in a region or two prompting a HUGE lawsuit.) Bill Jackson, Ben Harbin, and Lee Anderson voted to allow Nathan Deal to extort money out of us in this manner.

4. Richmond County and Columbia Counties are Donor Counties, giving up an estimated $5 million and $2 million respectively, to fund the 25% discretionary funds for the other 11 counties. McDuffie County is said to be also a minor donor county, although the author's analysis suggests it has a very slight benefit of less than $100,000 over 10 years.

5. It is a 14.2% tax increase. Frugal folks get WIPED OUT by anything that increases living costs by double digits as your living costs double in less than 5 years (see Rule of 72). Worse, it compounds the 14% Georgia Power rate increases that Jackson, Anderson and Harbin gave us.

6. The $840 million figure the Chamber is Presenting is A LIE AND THEY KNOW IT. It is built on a wild income growth figure of 8% next year. WHO is getting 8% pay increases???? Their own figure is $689 million, apples to apples. Even that is too high by $50 million because the “low case” numbers are known to be off for this year by more than 50%. (More on this later.)

7. It introduces a whole NEW LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT!!!! Ron Cross contests that with your author, but it has its own governing body, revenue stream, financial apparatus, and it calls for NEW STATE/REGIONAL positions (House Bill 277 New Code section, lines 236-329) written into the bill.

8. It turns over nearly all funding in the rural counties (HB 277, line 786-789) to DOT, an agency this whole deal is bailing out after it lost track of its contract obligations, a failure so bad that Governor Perdue accused DOT of "ENRON ACCOUNTING."

9. Politicians already see this as a NEW way to divert or tie highway funds to such things as deepening the port at Savannah. This shouts WARNING!!!!!,for the state cannot be trusted with its TRUST FUNDS. Look up the Tire Fund, 911 fund, and Tobacco funds. What really is absurd is that this whole imbroglio was set up to CLAIM that it protected us from these SCAMS.

10. This legislation creates a NIGHTMARE FOR RETAILERS as it requires separate sales and use tax reporting for each location! (See HB 277 lines 762-768).

11. 17% of the revenues collected on motor fuels in Georgia go into the General Fund, not transportation (see pages 3 & 4). If transportation is the priority claimed, WHY is this true? What about the $750,000  to take a black bear census and to build bear underpasses on a state highway? Is that a transportation 'priority?'

12. Columbia County has huge funds from SPLOST which it uses for road improvements even on state highways. DOT keeps the motor fuel taxes. THIS IS A THIRD HUGE POT OF MONEY. Neither of the other two go away!

13. Looking at the bill, it allows COUNTIES to charge Administrative costs (HB 277 Line 474). This is HIDDEN from cursory examination of this bill. No wonder the county administrators are drooling.

14. Looking at the bill, it forces counties (HB 277 lines 800-850) to use DOT and envisions DOT as 'consultant' on the discretionary projects. The DOT's Todd Long alluded to this during the Chamber of Commerce forum in Evans on Wednesday, June 6.
    
    
15. House Bill 277 also states that the collection of T-Splost funds is subordinated to collection of the state sales and use taxes (see HB 277, lines 750-752).

As a past member of the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce, this writer is concerned that championing this outrageous deception will ruin recruitment for Chambers of Commerce. It might be an easier sell for the Communist Party to sign up new members after this misguided foray into public policy!

Let's defeat T-Splost on July 31.

Along the way we need to make ALL of the county commissioners tell us their positions on this new tax so that we can be informed voters. They are calling it a “fair” tax, so isn't requiring disclosure of their stance on T-Splost likewise FAIR?

Then make the politicians PAY.***
A.G.
Join the Anti-T-SPLOST movement on facebook here-->  Vote NO to T-SPLOST


Related Stories:

• Why T-SPLOST Must Be Defeated (Video)
• Al Gray Warns Rural County Leaders Over 'Shameful' T-Splost
• Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and T-SPLOST