Georgia's $17 Million Emergency Fund

An Open Letter to Representative Ed Lindsey, and other Georgia Lawmakers,

Dear Representative Lindsey,

Please do all that you can to rescind the addition of $17 million in expenses to Georgia taxpayers earmarked to pay for a parking deck for the proposed Falcons Stadium, as part of the state 2015 budget.

May I suggest that instead of earmarking $17 million for a parking deck that we do not need - that the state instead put those funds in a severe weather emergency response fund. Chances are - we're really going to need that.

On the other hand - this piece of pork for a parking deck thrown into the budget bound for the Governor's desk looks like nothing more than some lawmakers' last minute move to score points with a billionaire in exchange for upcoming campaign contributions.

We can't afford any more of this kind of mismanagement that fleeces taxpayers and shortchanges Georgia families of basic public health and safety measures we should already have in place. And we sure don't need to use public money to pay for a parking deck to profit a private enterprise. And we don't want to pave over a great part of Atlanta that is thriving with business and tourism, and is easily accessible to public transportation. We really don't need to invite more traffic congestion to this city, either.

What we do need are legislators who will do what's right and good for our state, instead of playing politics at the last minute with the state budget.

Please speak up on this issue now. You are a leader in your party in this state. Please show us you are willing to do what's right for Georgia, and stop this last minute political ploy that will waste our state's desperately needed resources.

Let's save it for a rainy day. Or a snowy one.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Molly Read Woo

Here's an article about the pending budget from the Atlanta Business Chronicle

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/capitol_vision/2014/03/lawmakers-send-15-budget-to-governor.html