FULTON COUNTY
Tax collector wrong
to profit from office
In biblical times, tax collectors were largely despised as they used their positions of public service to enrich their own pockets. It is sad to say that things haven’t changed much over the years when the Fulton County tax collector is allowed to funnel over $200,000 in tax revenues each year to his own bank account for work done by his department’s employees using Fulton County equipment and processes (“Fulton tax chief’s pay targeted,” Metro, Feb. 13).
If the sheriff were to contract special after-hours protection for select businesses and used his county officers to do so, on the county’s dime, wouldn’t that be corruption? Why then is a tax collector permitted to enrich himself by re-selling county employees to provide tax services? It is the misuse of a government position like this that erodes confidence in government officials. I don’t have a problem with the county selling tax services, but the revenues should go to the general coffers, not the tax commissioner’s pocket.
TIM NEET, ALPHARETTA
MARTA
State should help pay,
not force privatization
Once again, state Rep. Mike Jacobs and the GOP right wing show just how draconian and backward their 19th century attitudes are about worker rights and important public services like MARTA (“Private sector fixes needed for MARTA,” Opinion, Feb. 19). First of all, “privatization” is not the answer to everything. The problem with MARTA is not unions or treating workers fairly, but the fact it is the only big-city transit agency not state funded. Transit is for everyone and should remain a government function.
Second, Jacobs’ pension ideas are just more evidence that the right wing wants to keep destroying what is left of the “social contract” that decent pensions, along with safe workplaces, good wages and the right to a voice in the workplace — that is, unions — are good examples of how to treat workers. Tax and regulatory measures are needed to require or encourage defined benefit pensions and good wages in the private sector, not destroy them in the public sector, too.
DENNIS MICHAEL SMITH, MARIETTA
PUBLIC HEALTH
Expanded insurance
could reduce ER visits
Regarding freestanding emergency departments (“Benefits seen in solo ERs,” News, Feb. 18), we need to ask ourselves: Why this “epidemic” rush to “emergency” services? Let’s take a look at those thousands of ER visits. How many of them were true emergencies? How many of those ER visits could have been prevented had that person had health insurance and had been trained to see his/her primary doctor on a regular and timely basis, so they would not have to go to emergency services for minor ailments such as sore throats and diabetes management?
Governor Deal, I implore you to reexamine the benefits of the Affordable Health Care act. We do not need more emergency services. We need to make health care affordable and universal for all Georgians, so their health care is managed on a regular and timely basis by their primary care physician. Prevention is the key.
SALPI ADROUNY, JOHNS CREEK.
FEDERAL BUDGET
Waste not hard to find
when looking for cuts
Regarding “Job Corps $100M short” (News, Feb. 17), there is a $100 million shortfall for the Job Corps program with an annual budget of $1.7 billion to serve 60,000 youths with free education and vocational training. That’s about $30,000 each. And Congress can’t figure where to cut!
GARY FURIN, ATLANTA
