How to submit an op-ed column

Unsolicited op-ed columns of 500 to 750 words can be e-mailed to Tom Sabulis, Opinion Editor. Preference is given to Atlanta and Georgia writers who focus on local and regional issues, or national or international topics that impact Atlanta readers.

Op-eds should be sent as MS Word attachments as well as pasted into the body of the e-mail. Please include the name of the author and a brief bio on both the attachment and the body of the e-mail, with day and evening phone numbers. Op-eds are read within 48 hours of submission and accepted within five business days. The AJC reserves the right to publish contributions in both print and electronic formats.

Submit an op-ed column | Opinion page

A sampling of recent articles, op-ed columns and guest columns from the AJC's Opinion page:

As I joined the president of Georgia Tech one night last week in the back seat of a police officer’s vehicle, there was no overlooking his passion. Now before you think that the two of us had found trouble around campus after attending a Yellow Jackets basketball game, I guess I’d better explain.

You’d think the opponents of overreaching, department-of-central-planning-type government who control the Georgia General Assembly would be overjoyed at the chance to cede control of mass transit in the Atlanta region. Especially given the state pays precious little of the cost anyway.

From Georgia House Bill 277, The Transportation Investment Act of 2010: “The State of Georgia, particularly the metropolitan Atlanta region, faces a number of critical issues relating to its transportation system and ever-increasing traffic congestion.

Today, more than 2 million workers support metro Atlanta’s economy, a number which is projected to more than double over the next three decades. Because these workers live and commute to their jobs all across this region, we know that our economic prosperity is linked to our ability to promote reliable, cost-effective commute options for the nearly 50 percent of metro Atlanta workers who leave their home county to get to their jobs.

Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on JFK's affair with an intern.

born Feb. 12, 1809 — was our first Republican president, and, yes, the GOP proudly calls itself the party of Lincoln. But could Lincoln win his party’s nomination in 2012? Consider his stance on some of the hot-button issues in the Republican primary race.

Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on the contraception debate.

As a member of the clergy and a person of faith, I welcomed the decision of the Obama administration to cover contraceptives services as preventive care in the Affordable Care Act. The decision acknowledges what those of us who work in pastoral care know — women’s access to contraceptive services is essential for their reproductive health, and is critical to the success and health of families in our community.

The Obama administration has ruled that free contraception, sterilization and some abortion-inducing drugs must be a part of every health plan in the nation. This sweeping mandate includes an unacceptably narrow “religious exception” that would not include Catholic charities, shelters, schools and colleges because they serve and employ people who are not Catholic.

Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on the Republican presidential primary race.

Below is a shortened version of Karen Handel’s resignation. The full text can be read at this link . Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been the recognized leader for more 30 years in the fight against breast cancer. I have always kept Komen’s mission and the women we serve as my highest priority as they have been for the entire organization.

Given the controversy surrounding the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization over the past few days, we thought it was important to provide a local perspective. As an affiliated but separate corporate entity from the national organization, the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G.

I am still reeling, in a positive way, from the outpouring of support we received last week over the Susan B. Komen Foundation’s decision to break off its relationship with Planned Parenthood. But I am dismayed that this incident happened and relieved that the decision was reversed.

Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on politics.

I like the fact that the Southern Crescent counties of Douglas, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Clayton and Henry have a gross regional product of $23.6 billion. But I also have to face the realities of the future. The region has sustained a wild spike in land use and very little in the way of transportation planning to support growth.

The south metro region
has experienced unprecedented growth in the past decade. The development of new homes and businesses has created a population explosion that was good for
our economy, and put south metro Atlanta counties on the map as desirable places to live and work.

Even with the excitement of a respected airline such as Southwest Airlines entering their market, most frequent business travelers in Atlanta will continue to fly Delta Air Lines, despite their complex relationship with our hometown carrier. Atlanta business travelers love Delta for its deep southern roots.

Southwest Airlines’ arrival into Atlanta with our first flights this Sunday is great news for Atlanta travelers and for Southwest. Atlanta has long been on our “wish list” of places we wanted to serve, and our acquisition of AirTran last May was the catalyst for making that desire a reality.

Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on Karen Handel.

When researchers say that Americans are falling behind on math skills, we can assume they must have tested Georgia’s state Senate Democrats. A year late to the party, Senate Democrats have discovered that Lottery revenue can no longer cover the full scholarship that HOPE once offered to all students with at least a B average.

Had you attended the House Education Committee meeting last week and listened to the debate around the charter school amendment, you might have been confused about what the proposed change to the state constitution would do. At various points, the amendment was described as a simple effort to clarify the definition of a special school, put into question by the May 2010 state Supreme Court ruling declaring a state-created Charter Schools Commission illegal.

Cartoonist Mike Luckovich's take on Mitt Romney.

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, in an interview Jan. 19 with AJC columnist Kyle Wingfield: ● On lobbyist gift limits: “I don’t think the discussion can remain about limits. I think the discussion’s going to be, do we have a ban or do we trust people to make decisions? [With a limits bill], Everybody’s going to try to one-up everybody.

You may take it as a matter of faith that when two people so diametrically opposed on most issues regarding government agree so completely on one issue, its worth must not be in dispute. Prepare to have your faith shaken. Both the conservative Georgia Tea Party and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s liberal columnist agree that Georgia should invoke an ethics law that actually has teeth — to enforce a dollar limit on the gifts lobbyists may give the legislators they wish to influence.

Benign neglect (noun) — “An attitude or policy of ignoring an often delicate 
or undesirable situation that one is held to be responsible 
for dealing with.” That dictionary definition describes a favorite tactic used by politicians to quietly tamp down unpopular sentiments, perceived problems or other matters that they just wish would go away.