READERS WRITE

Please don’t take away my newspaper

Please, please don’t take away my newspaper because it’s part of my daily worship. With numerous big-city papers facing financial problems —- and some even closing completely after futile efforts to find a buyer —- it seems nearly all are in great danger of leaving the scene and changing the daily habit of millions of us.

The critics and even some of the publishing analysts say the public is turning to the Internet to get news. I challenge their claims. There are thousands of us out here in the hinterlands who love our newspapers. I certainly do. Nothing replaces the joy of having a cup of coffee and breakfast with the morning paper. The daily paper is almost an appendage to my body each day.

In a smaller way, I pray for those hometown weeklies that all of us who came from elsewhere subscribe to and read with tremendous pleasure. These weekly papers tell readers in many cases the news they already know. But still these papers serve a purpose; they really spread the relish on the daily living of good people in the community. May they, too, never vanish from our reading lists.

DENTON HARRIS

Atlanta

DeKalb wastes taxpayer money on litigation

The recent article stating that DeKalb County lost its lawsuit against the state concerning the appropriate sharing of homestead option sales tax (HOST) revenues with the city of Dunwoody failed to mention how much taxpayer money DeKalb County wasted pursuing this litigation (“Judge rules in favor of Dunwoody,” Metro, March 17).

As a taxpayer, I wonder how much more DeKalb County has wasted in eight years of litigation with its own cities over HOST revenue-sharing. DeKalb County’s elected officials should pay the price for such incessant and expensive litigation. Think of all that’s needed in our community and ask why they continue to waste our money. Surely we can do better.

ROBERT J. AUGUSTINE

Dunwoody

Government spending can foster recovery

In Tom Graves’ opinion column defending HB 481 (“JOBS Act fosters recovery in the only way that works,” @issue, March 20), Graves seems to mock the idea that “government action can provide jobs, give folks money and make everything all right.” FDR’s New Deal, did just that, and history has shown government spending to be a suitable way to foster recovery.

Graves also recognizes President Reagan’s Economic Recovery Act during the economic crisis in the early ’80s. While Reagan certainly deserves credit for jumpstarting the economy out of a recession, those policies that Graves references as “immensely successful” resulted in a deficit that quadrupled over the course of Reagan’s presidency. In a time when Georgia’s budget faces a huge shortfall, the Legislature should not disregard fiscal responsibility and make balancing future years’ budget that much more impossible.

WILLIAM BROWN

Athens

Prostate screening is very important

Recent news about prostate-screening studies is both informative and disappointing. The factual findings are self-evident but the inference that men should not submit to screening is unhealthy and unwise.

As a prostate cancer survivor, I volunteer with the Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition, which raises awareness about detection and treatment options. Screening is how I learned about my cancer. Screening includes a PSA score (from a simple blood test) and a DRE (digital rectal exam) by an experienced urologist. Neither alone is conclusive but if findings from either indicate a concern, a man needs to get a biopsy and learn his Gleason score.

This reading indicates how vigorous the cancer growth is. Only with this full picture can you have an informed discussion with your doctor. Then continue to get checked over time.

RICHARD LAPIN

Dunwoody

All the fun has gone from Luckovich

What is a loyal reader to do? Mike Luckovich used to be so entertaining when he teased and poked barbs at so many politicians of all persuasions. His ultra-negative focus on Bush Two and our American military was often saddening, but at least it elicited thought and emotion.

Now that he cannot and will not levy any criticism upon our president and the Democratic Party, all of the fun is gone out of his drawings. Where do we go from here? Can you recommend any other periodicals that are more enlightened?

CLIFF SMITH

Norcross

Lottery may help Big Three go green

Since the Big Three automakers are still not selling cars and are in big trouble, why not have the federal government buy $20 billion worth of vehicles and sell lottery tickets to the public to win these automobiles? Twenty billion dollars is an arbitrary figure and might be enough to help these companies avoid bankruptcy.

Sale of the lottery tickets could pay back the $20 billion and this would not be another bailout. The catch would be that these vehicles have to get a minimum of 50 mpg and have reduced emissions. This would force the Big Three to go green and be a win-win for America as we slowly wean ourselves off foreign oil.

BRIAN DiNAPOLI

Decatur