TRANSPORTATION
Relief can’t rely on MARTA alone
“Getting moving on transportation fixes again” (Opinion, April 27) continues to illustrate how the symphony that is transportation planning and development is still out of tune. We are beginning to hit a few good notes as support grows for increased use of the motor fuel tax for transportation. However, talk about MARTA’s improved operational efficiency has nothing to do with congestion relief, and its effect in metro Atlanta is the same: minimal. If the Legislature can help with transportation funding (increased use of motor fuel tax) and congestion relief management — from the Georgia Department of Transportation, for example — we can achieve statewide harmony, build road projects where needed, and implement a regional bus network to move people efficiently.
JOEL SMITH, STOCKBRIDGE
INEQUALITY
Maybe we ought to look up to Canada
A recent letter to the editor decries the report that Canada’s middle class is better off than the USA’s, and with the usual conservative panache blames it on President Barack Obama. Perhaps a little reminder of the source of our economic woes coupled with some simple research would help clear up misconceptions of those on the right who want to pin blame. There are basic differences between the U.S. and Canada. Canada has a government-run health care system that operates much more efficiently than our hodgepodge of insurance and private medical services. Canada has a higher minimum wage and stronger bank regulation, which helped avoid the housing and financial crises we still suffer from. Canada taxes dividends and capital gains as part of its income tax, as opposed to the Bush-era tax cuts on such revenues that has led to income inequality in the U.S. The top 1 percent in the U.S. owns 35 percent of the country’s wealth; in Canada, it’s 15 percent. Perhaps we should take a few leaves from Canada’s book.
TOM MCMANUS, ROSWELL
WILD WEST
On old cattle land, Bundy takes stand
Cliven Bundy was a mighty man. Grazed his cattle on gov’ment land. Refused to pay the rental fee. “I’m a citizen. It belongs to me!” so said Bundy as he cried, “It’s free!” But the gov’ment said “That cannot be.” His cattle grazed there since 1900, so it’s easy to grasp Bundy’s uptight thunder. Now the government says, “Pay up or else!” Bundy will only say, “That smells!” If you want a hero, he’s standing firmly. If you’re thinking “crooked,” face up sternly. Will he stay strong with revolutionary clout? Or will he be like Clancy at bat? “You’re out!”
CATHERINE BOONE SHEALY, ATLANTA
