AJC.com > Opinion > Opinion Talk > Archives > 2008 > July
July 2008
Is compromise possible in evolution debate?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An opinion column by two associate professors of sociology at UC San Diego, appearing in the AJC and the Washington Post, proposes a compromise in the evolution debate.
The authors write in part: “Opponents of teaching intelligent design — civil libertarians, scientists and educators alike — have fought these challenges with a scorched-earth line of attack. No compromise, ever. Bloggers opposed to the idea of intelligent design ridicule its proponents as fundamentalist hicks, while formal assessments tend to condemn them in a slightly more civil tone. Those who study social movements, as we do, know that loss does not always deter; in fact, crushing one’s opponents, especially again and again, can create feelings of persecution and solidarity among them and deepen their commitment to their cause.
“From a tactical perspective, this may not be the best way to protect the science curriculum or the separation of church and state. From a more humanistic viewpoint, stigmatizing those who believe in intelligent design does not get us any closer to a respectful discourse.”
They continue, in a later paragraph: “We propose a compromise that would neither violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment nor limit the teaching of evolution in the public schools. Most defenders of evolution do not consider valid the critics’ fears that evolution teaches values. Even so, teachers could take these concerns seriously by clarifying what evolutionary theory does not imply about values. To assuage the type of concern articulated by William Jennings Bryan, teachers could tell students that even though evolutionary science talks about the survival of the fittest organism, it is not a model for how humans should treat each other. They could explain that students should not make an “ought” about human behavior from an “is” of nature and that competition in contemporary society will not lead to increased survival rates. Moreover, they could explicitly note that just because mutations in organisms are random, it does not follow that human morality is random.”
Do you think a compromise is possible in the evolution debate?
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That synching feeling in traffic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Have you ever hit a green light at the beginning of a long stretch of road and then proceeded to hit every green light ahead? Don’t you wish you could always do that?
Synchronizing traffic lights is a science in some cities and an art in others. It can also be a good way to save lots of gas, since drivers aren’t stopping and starting all the time.
“Traffic” author Tom Vanderbilt points out that synchronizing lights can often be quite complicated. For example, synchronizing your lights sounds OK, but what about the driver on the cross street? Who will synchronize his lights? And what about pedestrians at the crosswalk?
Can you share some examples of intersections or roads in metro Atlanta where the lights could be programmed to move traffic more efficiently? Think about timing, too; Where are some of the area’s longest red lights?
Read the Sunday @issue report on traffic:
Q&A with author Tom Vanderbilt
Road warriors’ quiz | Slower speeds more efficient
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Jury foreman laments a grueling mistrial
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Cobb County resident writes about his experience with jury duty as foreman on a traffic accident and personal injury case. The state court judge indicated that the trial would likely last three days, but that became longer because the deliberations deadlocked as members remained entrenched in their positions. The judge declared a mistrial.
The foreman reflects: “I feel miserable at my own performance. I failed myself and my fellow jurors by not being able to mediate some sort of agreement. I failed [the judge], who had charged us with reaching a conclusion. I failed the defendant and the plaintiff for the same reasons. And I failed the citizens of the county in that this will now become more of a cost burden on our society at a time when austerity is more needed than ever.
“My failure means there will likely be another frivolous suit tried, more costs for the court, and higher premiums on our auto insurance.”
What were your feelings after serving on a jury? Did you feel as if you had failed, or were you satisfied that the right verdict had been reached?
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Lane etiquette in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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When you find you need to change lanes in heavy traffic, do other drivers usually let you in? Likewise, do you always let other drivers change lanes in front of you, or are there limits to your driving generosity?
Tom Vanderbilt, author of the new book “Traffic,” talks about this bit of traffic etiquette: “One thing that particularly bothers me in New York, and it happens a lot, is when somebody aggressively nudges ahead, as if they were expecting to be let in. Which somehow reminds me of holding the door open for someone, and them not saying thank you.”
Is that little wave of acknowledgment — hey! thanks for letting me in! — important to you?
Read the Sunday @issue report on traffic:
Q&A with author Tom Vanderbilt
Road warriors’ quiz | Slower speeds more efficient
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Are school vouchers unfair?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A University of Georgia student writes in New Attitudes, an opinion feature written by readers between the ages of 15-22, that “school vouchers will almost certainly fail to achieve their goal of increasing educational opportunities for all Americans. In fact, they may only further blight an already crumbling system. Perhaps this hypothetical case can reveal voucher programs for what they really are —- tuition subsidies for wealthy families.”
He writes later in the piece: “Because the federal government will spend billions of dollars partially subsidizing tuition for those who can afford to pay some tuition, public schools will receive even less funding than before….The only fair and effective way to go about educating America is to dramatically increase funding for public schools and leave school vouchers behind.”
What do you think about federally subsidized school voucher programs?
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Lay off the horn, will ya?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
People in convertibles honk their horns less often than other people do — probably because they are more visible in their cars than others, reports a new book on America’s driving habits — “Traffic,” by Tom Vanderbilt. Likewise, people driving on the expressway on Saturday tend to honk their horns less than do people driving on weekdays.
When do you decide to honk your horn? If someone fails to get moving when the light changes to green, how long do you wait before blowing your horn? And how do you react when someone honks at you? Vanderbilt writes that our first reaction is often anger.
If road rage has a voice, it’s your horn. Do you use it often? And do others use theirs against you? Do you worry that another driver may turn violent if you honk at him or her?
Read the @issue package:
Q&A with author Tom Vanderbilt
Road warriors’ quiz | Slower speeds more efficient
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Spending on athletics or education?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The executive director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education writes in an AJC opinion column:
“Twenty-six percent of all dollars donated to Division I-A colleges and universities now go to athletics, according to an analysis published in the April 2007 issue of the Journal of Sport Management. In 1998, the comparable figure was 14.7 percent.
“In fact, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported late last year that overall spending on sports has been growing “at a rate three times faster than that for spending on the rest of the campus.” And for most schools, according to recently released NCAA research, sports program costs exceed revenues. Only the top athletic powerhouses make money —- and, frequently, only when they win.
“Where’s the money going? Mostly, it goes to build new stadiums, arenas and practice facilities to showcase the schools’ gladiators. George Washington University, for example, in the nation’s capital, recently announced “the largest single donation in the institution’s history.” The $10 million gift was not for an academic program, but for the renovation of the Charles E. Smith Center, where the Colonials’ basketball teams play.
“Ten million dollars is just the tip of the iceberg. Schools in the six top college athletic conferences, which include the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac 10, received more than $3.9 billion in donations for athletic facilities from 2002 to 2007 alone, the Chronicle of Higher Education says. What’s more, “Over the next few years, [these] big-time athletic programs hope to raise an additional $2.5 billion for new buildings.”
“The question that needs to be asked is why are schools spending big bucks on athletic facilities for a relative handful of semipro athletes when academics should be their focus?”
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Do we need those ramp meters?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A lot of drivers dislike the new “ramp meters” being installed at on-ramps all over the metro area. We’re supposed to have 166 of them in place by 2009.
The special traffic lights are designed to regulate the flow of vehicles onto the freeways. Tom Vanderbilt, author of “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us),” cites a case in Minneapolis/St. Paul in which the state shut off the Twin Cities’ ramp meters, and traffic congestion got worse.
Have you had occasion to use ramps equipped with the meters? What did you think? Do they help the flow of traffic or do they just slow you down?
Read the @issue package:
Q&A with author Tom Vanderbilt
Road warriors’ quiz | Slower speeds more efficient
Permalink | Comments (57) | Categories: Forum
Should cigarette tax be hiked in Georgia?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) writes: “There is a logical and … fiscally sound alternative to fill the huge [state] budget gap, and it’s a plan that 75 percent of Georgians say they support: Raise the excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1. The increase would put an estimated $612 million into the state’s coffers.”
“Georgia currently has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the country, at 37 cents per pack, while smoking-caused health costs and productivity losses in Georgia equal $9.02 for every pack of cigarettes sold in the state,” he notes.
Do you favor hiking the cigarette tax in Georgia?
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Do you oppose or support the Early County plant?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A native of Early County writes that although many of the county’s residents are aware of the dangers of pollution from coal-generated power plants, they want good-paying jobs just like metro Atlanta residents.
“There are technical solutions to the emissions problem at LS Power and nontechnical solutions to metro Atlanta’s pollution,” he writes. “The Southern Company is investing $1.3 billion for scrubbers and pollution cleaning equipment to clean up some of the 186,000 tons per year of air pollutants at the 3,540-megawatt Plant Bowen near Cartersville. I have not heard any complaints from the residents of Cartersville, Euharlee or Acworth about pollution from Plant Bowen. If Bartow County residents can live with Plant Bowen, which is only 45 miles from Atlanta, then Early County residents can deal with the smaller 1,200-megawatt LS Power plant.
“Plant Longleaf will use 20 million gallons a day of effluent water from the adjacent Georgia-Pacific paper mill. Even this is a modest amount, considering that a large integrated paper mill uses about 40 million gallons a day of water.” Read the full opinion column.
His opinion piece ends: “Coal is America’s most abundant energy source, and we must find safe ways to use it. As for Atlantans who oppose the Longleaf plant, here is some advice from Early County farmers: Use mass transit, go to a four-day workweek, go to bed one hour earlier each night. These three simple things can save the equivalent of a Plant Longleaf in energy each year.”
What are your reasons for supporting or opposing the proposed coal-fired plant?
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Are you a ‘crackberry’? Do you know someone who is?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an opinion column, a professor who directs the Image Understanding Laboratory at USC, writes about “crackberry,” a metaphor for our addiction-like urge to check e-mail. These people suffer separation anxiety from a BlackBerry.
Read full article at siliconvalley.com
“Human-motivation studies traditionally stress well-established needs: food, water, sex, avoidance of pain,” Irving Biederman writes in part.
“What’s been missing from this scientific research is humans’ nonstop need for more information. We are ‘infovores,’” he believes.
Are you a slave to your BlackBerry or computer e-mail? What’s your reaction to those who are?
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Will Georgia turn blue before long?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s understandable that Georgia Republicans, along with the AJC’s Jim Wooten, are skeptical about statements by some political commentators and Democratic strategists that Sen. Barack Obama has a real chance to carry Georgia in the 2008 presidential election, writes an Emory professor of political science in an opinion column.
But, he continues, a closer look at the evidence indicates that the outlook for McCain in the Peach State may not be as rosy as Wooten suggests. McCain’s average margins in polls is seven points, down considerably from George Bush’s margin in 2004.
It will be difficult for Obama to carry Georgia this year, the political science professor writes. But if he can keep McCain’s margin below 10 points here, it will almost certainly mean he is winning in most of the rest of the county and may force Republicans to devote scarce campaign resources to Georgia.
By 2012, the opinion piece concludes, “Obama could be in a strong position to carry Georgia.”
Will this red state turn blue within the next couple of elections?
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Is ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ outdated?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Cleghorn, an Atlanta attorney and former Army major, argues that it is time to end the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He notes that former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, mentioned as a possible running mate for Barack Obama, has recently said it is appropriate to “take another look” at the policy. As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Nunn championed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, writes Cleghorn.
More than 12,000 gay and lesbian troops have been discharged since 1993, Cleghorn writes, and nearly 800 dismissed had skills deemed “mission critical” by the Pentagon, iincluding more than 300 specialists in Arabic and other languages.s
Should the policy be repealed?
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Will minimum wage increase backfire?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“The federal minimum wage will rise to $6.55 an hour on Thursday, the second of three annual 70-cent increases passed by Congress last May. With housing markets collapsing, financial markets in disarray and the economy at a standstill, what may have been a reasonable plan a year ago seems ill-timed today,” writes an associate professor of economics in an opinion column today.
It can be argued, she writes, that surging grocery and gas prices make it especially important to help low-income families.
But higher minimum wage isn’t going to help people who can’t find a job because employers have cut their payrolls, she writes in part. She believes it is better to focus on giving firms tax incentives to hire low-skilled workers and then using the Earned Income Tax Credit to boost the earnings to boost the earnings of such workers to help low-income families.
Do you believe the minimum wage increase will backfire?
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Has the Fed responded well to the mortgage mess?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ted. W. Lieu, a member of the California State Assembly, writes in an editorial column:
“Two years after the mortgage meltdown started, the Federal Reserve finally released updates to its mortgage regulations last week, replacing rules that were so lax and ineffective that the Fed bears significant responsibility for the mortgage debacle and the larger financial fallout.”
He continues, “Unfortunately, the Fed still hasn’t gotten at many of the root causes of the problem. In the face of the collapse of IndyMac —- the second-largest thrift failure in U.S. history —- and the foundering of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, one expected more.
“The new rules are heavy on regulating mortgage advertising and require income verification for subprime borrowers. The rules also place some restrictions on when lenders can charge prepayment penalties and require escrow accounts for property taxes and homeowner’s insurance on some loans,” Lieu wrotes in part.
“But the Fed failed to tackle one of the most important players in the subprime market: mortgage brokers.”
Has the Fed responded well to the mortgage mess? What else can be done?
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Abortion signs too scary for kids?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an opinion column, an Atlanta mom writes that when her five-year-old daughter happened to see the graphic signs as they drove past an abortion protest in Buckhead, the little girl screeched: “Mommy! That lady has a picture of a bloody doll.”
The daughter has had nightmares for weeks, the mom says, and she deliberately avoided driving past the area. After a time, the mom told the protesters what happened and the response was: “It’s time she learned the facts.”
While the mom supports the right to protest, she points out that group “may not want to hold up a huge sign like this on a route that leads directly into two schools and a public park.”
In the opinion piece, she asks the protesters not to frighten her children and to instead stand there “with whatever words you want to use” or to hand out fliers.
What do you think of the signs, which have recently become more apparent in some parts of the metro area?
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Rebuild or renovate downtown library?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an opinion column, an Atlanta writer says none of the rhetoric about building a new “signature” library in downtown Atlanta makes a specific case for constructing a new building. Read full column
“Current public conversation … leaps to the necessity of constructing a new building at two to four times the cost of renovating the current architectural treasure, without stating or proving why,” she writes.
“The justification for a new building seems to be that such construction and expense would follow the ‘wise path”’ of other cities, without defining what that wisdom might be. An implication exists that forward commitment can only take place in a new building. I disagree,” she continues.
She notes that the current building was designed by Marcel Breuer, who many consider to be the “father of modernism,” and that we should use the lessons of structures like our own High Museum, which was expanded and renovated.
What do you think? Should the downtown library be renovated or rebuilt?
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Huffington: Obama, remain true to self
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Columnist Arianna Huffington urges Barack Obama to decide what he stands for and stick to it.
“Obama doesn’t need to go down a checklist of progressive issues and mark “yes” next to each one,” she writes. “His job is not to please the disaffected voter profiled in The New York Times who has decided to vote for the Green Party candidate, or Bob Fertik of Democrats.com, who has raised over $101,000 for Obama — but has put it in an escrow account, payable once Obama demonstrates “a firm commitment to progressive values.” He needs to remain true to himself — and, above all, to make it clear that he will not lead by sticking his finger in the air to see which way the political wind is blowing.”
She continues, “A real leader lights the way for others. That’s why I respect the leadership of Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) - even though we disagree on more issues than we agree on. But on the seminal issue of our time — Iraq — he followed his heart and his gut and stood up to his own party. That’s leadership.”
Do you agree?
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Was President Carter right on energy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Historian Joseph Wheelan writes, “Can we now acknowledge that Jimmy Carter was right all those years ago? Misunderstood, mocked and maligned, the 39th president (1977-81) will forever be associated with the Iranian hostage crisis and the botched rescue attempt; the human rights-inspired Olympic boycott and grain embargo; inflation; the infamous rabbit attack; and, above all, skyrocketing fuel prices.
“Americans, who hate to be told they must change, roundly condemned Carter’s memorable “Crisis of Confidence” speech of July 15, 1979. In it, Carter outlined a program for achieving energy independence: ‘On the battlefield of energy we can win for our nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny.’””
He continues, “It turns out that Carter was right after all. He was right in seeking to raise the fleet auto mileage standard to 48 miles per gallon by 1995. (Even U.S. automakers admitted at the time that they could easily achieve 30 mpg by 1985.) Carter was right in exhorting Americans to turn down their thermostats, even if he did look nerdy in a cardigan while urging us to do so.
I”n his July 1979 speech, he was right when he said, ‘I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 — never.’ That worthy goal quickly went by the board.
“He was right to encourage fuel conservation by proposing a 50-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and a fee on imported oil — in effect, a floor for fuel prices. Invoking the pioneering spirit of the 1960s’ moon mission, he was right to recommend a tax on windfall oil profits to finance a crash program to develop affordable synthetic fuels.
“Carter was correct, too, in setting a goal of obtaining 20 percent of our energy from solar power by the year 2000.”
If we had listened to Carter, would we be in the current energy fix?
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Are we slobs at the beach?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
St. Simons Island resident Tina McElroy Ansa urges Georgians who travel to the state coast to admire its beauty to please not trash up the place.
“Beer and soda cans are thrown from boats and wash up on the shore, along with disposable diapers. Cigarette butts and Styrofoam containers are left amid the granite rocks that line the otherwise pristine beaches.
” All we want to remind us of your visit are your good memories and some footprints in the sand,” she writes.
Are Georgians becoming the coastal version of the Ugly Americans?
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Regulate junk-food marketing to kids
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Susan Linn, an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, believes we need federal standards regulating how food companies market their products to children. Self regulation has not worked, she writes.
“Ads for junk food can still be seen during children’s television programming,” she writes. “This summer’s blockbuster films like “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” are promoting Burger King Kid Meals to children as young as 3.”
But Jeffrey Axelrad, a lecturer of law at George Washington University says the federal government should focus instead on food safety. And he argues that the fight against childhood obesity has turned into a “propaganda campaign”
What do you think?
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Drinking latte with tyrants never works
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer cites the recent rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages in Colombia as an example of how “hard power”- much maligned by critics of President Bush- is often the only effective way to ensure freedom.
He writes, “On the day the Colombian military freed Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other long-held hostages, the Italian Parliament passed yet another resolution demanding her release. Europe had long ago adopted this French-Colombian politician as a cause célèbre. France had made her an honorary citizen of Paris, passed numerous resolutions and held many vigils.”
But it was only skilled military action that saved the hostages, not the soft-power of diplomacy. ” Solemn condemnations have been issued from every forum of soft-power fecklessness — the EU, the U.N., the G-8 foreign ministers — demanding that Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe stop butchering his opponents and step down. Before that, the cause du jour was Burma. And then there is Darfur, a perennial for which myriad diplomats and foreign policy experts have devoted uncountable hours at the finest five-star hotels to deplore the genocide and urgently urge relief.”
Europe, writes Krauthammer, “specializes in providing haven for those fleeing the evil that Europe does nothing about…”
Only the U.S. - in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq has the guts to save innocent people from tyrants - but is severely condemned for it internationally and is thus losing its taste for such actions.
Is the U.S. a force for good and are we retreating from that now?
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Is coal killing us?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seandra Rawls of the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club writes that coal-powered power plants are the past - they are bad for our air and our health and should not be encouraged. She lauds a recent Fulton County Superior Court ruling in which a judge voided a state permit for a new coal plant in South Georgia.
But J. Allen Wampler, a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, argues that coal is one resources which is abundant in America. Technology can be used to make it burn cleaner- and we should invest heavily in that. Furthermore, he writes, alternative forms of energy like wind and solar will produce enough power to make a difference.
Who is right?
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Jesse Helms: may old attitudes pass with him
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charles Stith, former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania writes that the late U.S. Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina represented an era of arrogant foreign policy- that the world’s agenda revolves around the U.S. Also, Stith writes, Helms used race-baiting to defeat Harvey Gantt in the 1990 Senate race.
Stith writes, “It is by no means my intent to defame the dead; “you can hate the sin and not the sinner.” I truly have sympathy for the Helms family and can only imagine their sense of loss. Having said that, against the backdrop of Helms’ death and Obama’s possible election, I hope the time for such politics has also come and gone.”
Do you agree?
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Obama: man of many regrets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Writer Luke Boggs comments that Barack Obama is always expressing regrets for his words and deeds- sometimes so quickly it will make a person’s head spin. Most recently Obama regrets allowing his children to be interviewed on “Access Hollywood.” The regret kicked in only four days after the interview. Boggs googled Obama and regret and came up with a million hits.
Does Obama fret and backtrack too frequently?
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Honor killings: a Muslim woman speaks out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Melissa Robinson, an Atlanta Muslim, condemns so-called “honor killings” such as one that allegedly occurred in Clayton County recently- a father was charged with killing his daughter because she tried to get out of an arranged marriage. ” As a co-founder of the American Islamic Fellowship, an Atlanta-area organization of more than 200 Muslims, I can tell you that our organization does not subscribe to any interpretation of Islam that condones murder in the name of religion or honor,” she writes. “To me and our membership, this is an abhorrent expression of misogynistic thinking that targets women as the guardians of a community’s honor.”
What do you think?
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Windmills at Tybee, Jekyll?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech researchers recently completed a study on wind energy off Tybee and Jekyll islands. Southern Company, which commissioned the report, says further study whether a wind farm could generate enough electricity to be financially feasible. Read story here. What do you think? Will it spoil your beach view? Kill birds? Will it produce enough energy to make a difference?
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How McCain can win: health insurance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What if Sen. John McCain endorsed an emergency health insurance program for the thousands of workers losing their jobs in the current economic downturn? It could be as simple as a temporary expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) which Congress tried to expand last year, only to see President Bush veto it.
Some states already allow adults to enroll in SCHIP. If McCain proposed an emergency expansion measure this summer- could Speaker Nancy Pelosi oppose it? Would that not show GOP empathy for workers down on their luck? It may strike some in th GOP as a government giveaway program - but those critics likely had no problem cashing their stimulus checks that have been flooding American mailboxes in recent weeks.
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Cholesterol drugs for kids?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends wider cholesterol screening and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs in kids as young as 8 to combat heart problems when they become adults.
What do you think of this?
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Should festivals be returned to Piedmont Park?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The chairs of the Atlanta Track Club, Atlanta Pride and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival call for the City Council to immediately direct the Department of Parks and Recreation to lift the restrictions imposed for the 2008 festival season and readmit Class A festivals in city parks in 2009. Read entire op-ed piece.
They also urge: “A collaborative effort among the city, Piedmont Park, neighborhoods and Class A festivals to adopt definitive guidelines setting forth how our parks will be managed during various environmental conditions, based on industry-prescribed landscaping standards.”
What do you think? Should the festivals be returned to Piedmont Park?
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Government of the people, not corporations?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rob McDowell, a state of Georgia employee, takes issue with government bashers, particularly Steven Greenhut of the Orange County Register. Read Greenhut’s column here.
McDowell writes that on the day Greenhut wrote his column, “he probably took a nice hot shower, knowing that the water would flow abundantly, like the gas that heated the water.Then, maybe he had breakfast and coffee, confident that there was no pesticide residue or glass shards in the cereal, no hormones in the milk, and no heavy metals in the coffee water. He got into his car, which did not explode when he turned it on, and drove on sturdy roads and bridges to work, safe from shadowy militias out to kidnap him.
“His car, cereal, coffee, faucets, alarm clock, tires, suit and tie — all were provided by the enthusiasm, talent and ingenuity of private enterprise and the free market. But his day might have started a lot worse were it not for government keeping his water, food, car, neighborhood and roads safe.
“Perhaps Greenhut should try living in a country where government is essentially nonexistent. Zimbabwe comes to mind.”
Since our government is supposed to be us- we the people- those who do not believe in government do not believe in democracy, writes McDowell. Instead, they rely on the power of corporations to solve their problems- when corporations answer only to shareholders.
Your views?
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Does anyone speak English anymore?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lilburn resident Ann M. Dabrowski wonders where the English language has disappeared to in her home county of Gwinnett.
“I arrived early for a holiday event at my daughter’s Gwinnett County elementary school,” she writes. “We parents waited patiently outside the cafeteria doors for the event to begin, until an administrator appeared and made an announcement in Spanish. The other parents, obviously Spanish speakers, left the bench and followed the woman to another cafeteria entrance. “Sitting alone on the bench, I came to realize that I had become a stranger in a strange land.”
She urges all Americans to “make a concerted effort to be become bilingual. In today’s global economy, it only makes sense to expand our horizons by learning a second language, studying geography and learning the languages and cultures of other peoples. However, embracing diversity at the expense -literally and figuratively—of changing our language—our currency of communication—is a fundamental shift in what it means to be American.”
Most immigrants, she says, “are hard working, family-oriented folk who want a better life for their children. Who can blame them for seeking life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? It does seem, though, that many of today’s Latino immigrants are just not motivated to learn the English language. “And why should they? Businesses, banks, hospitals, schools and courts are aiding and abetting this culture shift by hiring bilingual employees to serve Spanish-speaking customers, and printing advertisements, billboards, and pamphlets in Spanish.”
Are we enabling immigrants to get by without learning English? And does that matter?
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