Readers Write 12/17

POLITICS

Refund call not a legal issue, but an ethical one

The “Truth-O-Meter” rating of Jane Kidd’s statement that state Rep. Doug McKillip owed his campaign contributors a refund as “false” misses the real point (“Party-switchers don’t owe,” Metro, Dec. 15).

The issue here is not whether McKillip is legally obligated to return any contributions because of his decision to switch parties after the November election. The real issue is whether McKillip is ethically obligated to return these contributions. McKillip and his fellow party-switchers deceived their contributors and the voters by running under one party label, then switching parties after the election. In McKillip’s case, the deception was even more serious because McKillip ran as a progressive Democrat in a solidly Democratic district. It is very likely that he would have faced a strong re-election challenge if he had switched parties before the election.

The ethical thing for him to do would be to return the contributions that he received, resign from his seat and run again in a special election as a Republican.

Alan Abramowitz, Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science, Emory University

JUSTICE

Don’t waste money on the obviously guilty

“Attorney says bombing suspect was entrapped” (News, Dec. 14) clearly identifies what is basically wrong with the judicial system in this country. We are so wired in to our goal of protecting the “innocent” that we can’t convict the obviously guilty. Let’s face it: The primary purpose of a sting is to provide a potential criminal with the apparent means to commit an unlawful act. In the case of Antonio Martinez, this act was not only unlawful, it was heinous. With total disregard for the innocent lives that might be lost as a result of his actions, he did what he thought was necessary to commit the terrible deed.

It is a waste of the taxpayers’ money to provide an attorney to attempt to establish a defense for such a person. Such a designee should only be responsible for ensuring that the guilty party is treated fairly in the eyes of the law. Trying to convince anyone that Martinez did not intend to murder is a waste of time, effort and money.

Bob Grayson, Cumming

ENVIRONMENT

Scientists not kidding about climate change

Jay Bookman says his dog had a “you-have-got-to-be-kidding” look when it realized the temperature difference outside (“Today doesn’t disprove warming,” Opinion, Dec. 14). It reminds me of a politician’s look when confronted with climate change.

Our climate scientists are not kidding. Their predictions are coming true. Things are not getting better — they are getting worse. We need to act now to reduce our emissions, or the planet will continue warming.

Let’s put a small, annually increasing fee on the carbon in fossil fuels, then return 100 percent of it back to all citizens. Fossil fuel prices go up, but we have the money to pay for them and the incentive to use fossil fuels more efficiently (and start replacing them with renewable energy).

It’s our choice: “smart and smarter” — or “dumb and dumber.”

Todd Smith, Jasper