Readers Write 11/7

Do more to fight No. 1 killer among cancers

No one deserves to bear the burden of lung cancer.

This devastating disease is the single leading cancer killer of men and women in the United States — yet it remains largely overlooked.

There are an estimated 7,200 lung cancer cases in Georgia each year.

There is no better time than November — National Lung Cancer Awareness Month — for all Georgians to understand the severity of lung cancer and to do what they can to help prevent it and support the fight for a cure.

The American Lung Association in Georgia provides services and resources for lung cancer patients.

It also supports research that focuses on preventing lung cancer, reducing its effects on patients’ quality of life and increasing the survival rate.

If you or someone you know is living with lung cancer, visit www.lung.org to join the Lung Connection community, find clinical trials or send a letter to Congress to urge funding for lung cancer research.

June Deen, State Director, American Lung Association in Georgia

Government is paying people not to work

Regarding Leonard Pitts’ “Real Americans in line for work” (Opinion, Nov. 3):

As one who grew up during the Depression, I saw Americans who were willing to work anywhere, anytime just to support themselves and family — no matter how hard the work.

Pitts totally missed what is really happening. Our government is paying people not to work!

If the work is too hard, the people fall back on the entitlement programs available, which equal more than they would get paid working.

Eliminate these programs, and our farmers (or many industries, for that matter) would have no shortage of workers.

Fred Hahn, Roswell

When school chiefs get big bonuses — look out

The Atlanta school board would be wise to end the CEO-style bonuses wasted on former superintendent Beverly Hall (and others like her).

Good managers and employees have core values and expertise that motivates them to produce the best results that can be achieved by honest effort under the circumstances that exist.

Offering large bonuses for achieving unrealistic goals results in behavior that neglects basic duties in favor of manipulating the measurement system to obtain the bonus.

The adage, “What gets measured gets done,” is a hoax. The measurements always get manipulated when bonus money is significant.

Real competence, effort and integrity become secondary.

Tony Gardner, Cumming