Talk:Marietta, Georgia

The frequent reverts

A surprising number of users (including me) have decided to push their version of the Marietta article without discussing the changes on the talk page. Though I'm stunned that anyone would spend so much time on such an undistinguished and bland suburb, and frankly I don't expect an honest or thoughtful dialogue from the other side on this issue, I'll break the ice and explain my reverts.

My original revert on 2004-09-21 was of a change that added only two things: an objective claim I believed to be false based on my own direct personal experience, and an angry screed against suburbia that I believe has no place in an encyclopedia.

The objective claim was that Marietta was primarily known as a speed trap on I-75. (I regularly drove 75 or 80 mph on I-75 in Marietta, moving with the flow of traffic, when I lived there, and I was never stopped.) Recent embellishments have expanded this to say that the speed limit on I-75 drops from 65 mph to a rigidly-enforced 55 mph on entering Marietta. This is provably false, as Georgia law forbids rigid enforcement of speed limits by all state and local police. Fines may not be assessed in Georgia for driving at 5 mph over the speed limit or less. Five mph might not seem like an especially generous buffer (unless compared with speed limits in most of Europe), but Georgia Code 40-6-9 also provides a system for challenging speed traps used as revenue-generation devices. The Governor may, at his discretion, strip localities of the power to enforce speed limits if they abuse that power. This would suggest to me that if, in fact, Marietta is such a notable speed trap, there must be some documentary evidence of that fact to be found. To the best of my knowledge, speeding tickets in Marietta have not become a political issue.

I will say that I think parts of the most recent anti-Marietta version are gradually getting more realistic. I think it would be nice to see some of the criticisms incorporated into the article in a way that follows the NPOV policy. For example, Life University is unaccredited, and I think that's a fact that bears mentioning if one is to use the name "Life University" which, by itself, implies that the school is something that I would argue it is not (i.e., reputable).

I added back a "further reading" section added by 66.20.28.21 which has since been deleted again by someone else. I would like to see that remain. Including references to other articles about Marietta are, as far as I know, entirely appropriate, even if it is an article that argues a particular point of view. I don't think an aesthetic critique of the Big Chicken and of gross suburban sprawl is particularly controversial. (Nor should it be controversial to state that such content does not belong in the encyclopedia itself, even if references to it are fine.)

--dreish~talk 19:07, 2004 Oct 28 (UTC)

• Actually, Life University is accredited, and technically (thanks to an injunction granted by Judge Charles E. Moye, Jr., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia) has never lost its accreditation. I would probably agree with you that the school is something less than reputable, but that's strictly my personal opinion. NPOV demands that we tell the story of the controversy that very nearly cost Life's accreditation in accurate terms, and I have done so on the article for Life University. -- SwissCelt 03:04, 26 July 2005 (UTC)

• As far as the Big Chicken goes, the site does have international fame, and has been featured on many television specials on Americana. It's as worthy of an article in Wikipedia as most of the featured subjects. -- SwissCelt 03:04, 26 July 2005 (UTC)

You have encountered user GreatLeapForward, aka 66... and several other aliases who has a fixation on Phil Gingrey, medical torture, and Marietta. He is unwilling to discuss or negotiate and is here solely to enforce his animosity against these targets. He has no respect for you or any other editors here and has been banned from editing those articles and should be blocked here as well. See [1] Shall I protect this page? alteripse 00:47, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

That picture is not of Marrieta. Marrieta does NOT have MARTA running through it.

How Offensive?

For you to say that is very offensive and ignorant. Marietta is perhaps the cheif city in the Metro Atlanta area. The unincorporated Marietta estimated at 204,506 larger than any other suburb. Marietta has managed to plans activities and to keep suburban life to the fullest for its residents. Establishing perhaps the only metro city with a sizeable Downtown and Skyline.

i luv marietta cuz it rox my sox till the cows cum home

What about Sandy Springs? That city certainly does have a skyline. Also, by "unincorporated Marietta", I believe you're including the area around I-75 and the Perimeter? Isn't that area actually closer to Smyrna? -- SwissCelt 20:20, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

To Correct that, unincorporated Marietta's true population is actually 387,456, which includes all of east cobb, portions of west cobb, central areas of cobb and parts of Kennesaw, Acworth, and even Woodstock(postal codes which are in Cobb county). Barrett Parkway, the majority of HWY 41 running as far north as McColumn airfield. Marietta like so many Atlanta suburbs and the city of Atlanta; has failed to expand its city limits to major population center due to the lack of ability to provide city resources to its residents and a low desirability to be incorporated to the city for tax reasons. The Marietta city council enacted regulations in hopes that the city would not develop a skyline such as the 10 story commericial building limit. Perhaps you were thinking of the Vinings buisness districts skyline, rather than Mariettas. Sandy Springs is a newly incorporated city. Perhaps a better move would be for the city of Atlanta to annex the area. To simply state Marietta into one statement: Overgrown Suburbia.