READERS WRITE

Tax allocation districts

Responses to “Voters hold key to redevelopment plans,” @issue, Sept. 27

Our local economies would benefit

November’s ballot proposition on tax allocation districts (TADs) will likely have a significant impact on our local economy, and Mike King’s column nailed two important points about that measure. TADs, which dedicate future property tax increases to pay for public improvements needed to spur development, may well make the difference for several promising projects now on hold.

As King also noted, the TAD ballot measure simply permits local jurisdictions —- including school districts —- to participate in such districts. The decision to participate remains wholly in the hands of local elected bodies such as school boards.

With economic times getting tougher by the week, our communities need access to every economic tool possible. TADs are an irreplaceable tool for developments such as Atlantic Station, which wouldn’t exist without a TAD, and the Beltline, which will need a TAD.

TAD revenues can’t be tapped by the state assembly. TADs are local decisions involving local revenues. They can only be used to promote growth, and that’s something we may soon dearly wish we had more of.

JIM DURRETT

Durrett is executive director of Livable Communities Coalition.

Developers know how to apply pressure

Mike King’s support of TADs is naive. He writes: “Local school boards would retain the authority to say no to using school taxes to help finance a TAD project.” In Cobb County, we have seen the pressure that developers and their cronies in local government can bring to bear on school board members to approve a TAD.

And we should not forget that the same state legislators who support Amendment 2 also attempted last year to sneak through a proposed law (Senate Bill 225) ordering school boards to conduct no independent research or fiscal analysis of TAD proposals presented to them. Essentially: shut up and vote.

RON BUTLER

Powder Springs

Membership dubious yardstick

So Cynthia Tucker declares that Sarah Palin does not possess the experience to be vice president but Barack Obama has the experience to be president because he is a member of the Senate (“Palin either too green or a genius actress,” @issue, Oct. 1). Membership may have its rewards, but it says nothing of accomplishments, effectiveness, etc.

If being a member of an institution or organization is the threshold for qualification, is there not a candidate for president who also was a 20-year-member of a church whose very controversial pastor spewed hate-filled, anti-American “sermons”? Either your association or membership attaches you to the group or it doesn’t, be it the Senate, a church or a domestic terrorist.

THOMAS NAULT

Powder Springs

Nothing’s perfect; now get on with it

In response to Marc McAfee (“Older generation dropping the ball,” @issue, Sept. 30): Yes, you have done everything right, stayed in school, studied, no drugs and got a HOPE scholarship. And now you worry if you can cope with the mess we left you to clean up. One thing you didn’t study was history.

Do you really think we old folks found this world in perfect shape? When I was 17, I had already served one year in the German army. During wartime, those who are now my fellow senior citizens fought in World War II. Other generations faced the Great Depression, the Korean War, Vietnam. Did we complain? No, we just went to work and tried to make this a better world.

So we didn’t do a perfect job and maybe failed at some things. But we tried. I hope when you are ready to face this world, you’ll roll up your sleeves and do the same thing. Best of luck.

FRED WECK

Sandy Springs

Throw out faulty economic theories

Regarding the opinion column “Market needs to self-correct without bailout” by Scott Beaulier and Peter J. Boettke (@issue, Sept. 30): While I agree that the economy needs to correct itself, I do not agree with their rant that creative destruction is the reason. Creative destruction is old economic theory based on a people’s ability to do a task better than another. It does not apply here.

As a nation we need to be pragmatic about trying to continue to run the U.S. economy with debt being our chief product. In light of events, it is crazy to loan more money to the system so we continue building debt. Our economy is based on trading existing value, not creating new value. The point has been reached; there is not enough value left to continue.

It is time to reset our economic system by throwing out theories that did not work. Current problems would not be as severe if we kept manufacturing in the U.S. instead of making policy that encouraged it to go abroad. Creative destruction was chanted by the same pundits who told us we did not need to manufacture what we consume and told us to embrace the service- and finance-driven economy. Who was right?

BURL M. FINKELSTEIN

Newnan

Admit the truth: These are dire times

Everything that has happened in the last two weeks has me convinced that we are in a depression. Has political correctness brought us to the point that we refuse to acknowledge the naked truth? We have been in a recession for at least a year, and no one will even admit that. The emperor wears no clothes, and these are dire times.

My investments are in real estate, and I’m thankful for that. But I know I’m not secure. I’m thankful that I have very little money in the stock market; I will never invest another dime in it. The CEOs on Wall Street are either incompetent or reprehensible. A housewife knows how to manage a budget; why don’t the CEOs?

ANDREA FRANK

Baldwin