This election period has been historic. The people learned the Transportation Invest Act (also called T-SPLOST ) was a perfect example of how much trouble the state legislature can create on issues they know very little about.
The T-SPLOST legislation not only created a horrible special interest plan, but it also penalized the voters for voting their conscience.
People trampled by legislation have no prospects of success other than distancing themselves from those creating the nefarious plans.
As our citizens continue to see that government is a force to be opposed, rather than a body providing for the common good, you can expect more grassroots movements to spring up from the fertile ground.
Organized party politics is proving to be a failure in our modern day. Only small pools of people in either party are willing to take a stand on principle.
How repulsing it was to watch as our Fayette Chairman Herb Frady lectured citizens, again, on the West Fayetteville Bypass project. Even worse, Chairman Frady still blames the road to nowhere on the citizens themselves for approving the referendum by a razor thin margin.
The citizen voters were never given a list of the projects when they voted. In 2004, Commissioner Frady announced that the East Fayetteville Bypass was the number one priority. The priorities were rearranged after the vote.
Seven newly elected officials in Fayette County have been elected largely on opposition to the West Fayetteville Bypass. The direction the citizens wanted was crystal clear, but the leadership refused to listen.
For those who decry the nastiness in politics, I recommend following the money. If there was no money to be made off of government decisions and contracts, there would be no malevolent behavior.
It was incredibly disturbing to watch the Atlanta Journal-Constitution not disclose their parent corporation s $250,000 donation to the pro-T-SPLOST PAC until a few of us protested.
Our metro Chambers of Commerce pushed agendas counter to the best interests of our citizens.
Tax Commissioner George Wingo, when endorsing his candidates in the countywide races, stated that the opposition was part of some radical sect of the TEA Party.
The humorous part was calling for an end to deficit spending, halting special interests projects like the West Fayetteville Bypass and actually bidding out county government contracts did, in fact, make us radicals in the current environment.
It would be naive to not think that the people who make money off of government will not go to great lengths and expense to have their people in power. But the paradox is most of the people who will claim to want a sound, honest government do very little to ensure one.
I watched as an incredibly small band of people worked to the point of exhaustion promoting candidates they researched and knew would serve the best interest of our county.
The volunteers were few, but people willing to donate financially to their campaigns were scarcer.
There is a burden that comes with comprehending how your government really works. The battles surrounding T-SPLOST and the West Fayetteville Bypass have proven the good, regardless of geography or political affiliation, must associate to overturn a more powerful wrong. Otherwise, we fall one by one.
Alexis de Tocqueville was right; we really do get the government we deserve.
For those who participated in the election, thank you. I wish David Barlow, Chuck Oddo and Randy Ognio the very best as the county moves forward.
Steve Brown
Fayette Commissioner, Post 4
CommissionerBrown@fayettecountyga.gov
Peachtree City, Ga.
