Lawmakers accomplish little, fail to leave much of a legacy

I don't know a single person who thinks anything positive was done during the Georgia General Assembly, and I travel in very wide circles.

Georgia's governance is a complete disgrace, but worse, yet, it is a disaster for the many people whose lives depend on changes in critical areas including health care, housing, jobs, conservation, etc.

I'm sure the reasonable [lawmakers] in the bunch whose voices were not heard above the chorus of dunces are popping antacids like candy. So, go fish everybody. And, be sure you are packing [a gun]. What a legacy.

CYNTHIA DAVIS

Atlanta

Mess costs taxpayers

Many letters to the editor following the General Assembly expressed frustration. The one point that hasn't been made is that all of this dysfunction and lack of substantive progress is being paid for by us! We pay their "salaries," per diem expenses, etc.

Who can tell us how much money this "mess" cost the taxpayers aside from the results of their inactions?

CAROL STEPHENS

Kennesaw

Our biggest investment, our home, deserves protection

Anyone who buys or sells a home should recognize and applaud the Georgia General Assembly for passing the home inspector licensing bill, known as HB 1217. It now awaits the governor's signature. The legislation establishes, for the first time in Georgia, that home inspectors must meet appropriate qualifications, including initial training and ongoing education. The State Licensing Board of Home Inspectors, which the new law will create, shall have oversight responsibilities and will set the standards of practice and code of ethics to which all inspectors must adhere.

Construction practices are constantly evolving and it is therefore imperative for all inspectors to remain engaged and aware of those changes. We strongly support this bill's emphasis on education. Homeowners have, as they should, high expectations when it comes to protecting the value and safety of their largest investment. We believe this legislation will significantly increase the pool of qualified inspectors on which the public can rely. We are so very pleased the General Assembly has affirmed the important role inspectors play in real estate transactions and we look forward to Gov. Perdue signing HB 1217 into law.

ROB GOLDEN

Roswell

President, Georgia Chapter of National Association of Home Inspectors

Greedy should not get bailout

As a matter of principle, government intervention in the so-called credit crisis is wrong. That we made a mistake softening the blow to investors is no reason to compound the mistake by bailing out individuals who are "too gullible" and "too greedy."

KEN THOMPSON

Dunwoody

Can't imagine what Fulton County school board members are thinking

Is there any fiscal responsibility in Fulton County? With recent concern raised within various metro Atlanta governments on spending, including cutbacks in vital services, it is disturbing as a Fulton County taxpayer to see that the Fulton County Board of Education paid more than $10.6 million in May 2007 for an unimproved lot that sold for $5.7 million just seven months earlier. The same lot was offered to the BOE for $5.5 million in 2005, with no deal. The enormous value increase paid for this property, especially in a negative real estate market, is beyond reason, and potentially improper. Is there any school safety oversight in Fulton County?

The school board declined to purchase this property two years earlier due to safety issues —- based on a risk assessment that concluded constructing school buildings so close to a petroleum pipeline "would, in our opinion, be cost prohibitive" due to required safety measures.

The designated Ison Road School property, which is on five-lane Roswell Road, one of the most congested traffic nightmares in all of Atlanta, has numerous safety issues as a potential elementary school site that are yet to be addressed, including an alcohol/drug addiction recovery meeting facility directly across the street, an adult novelty store 0.25 miles away, and an adult video store 0.25 miles away. Fulton County leadership and accountability —- where are you?

CLAY PARNELL

Sandy Springs