SECOND AMENDMENT
Guns, money, NRA;
time for honest talk
In the Jan. 15 AJC, a reader writes as if nobody is getting rich with “gun control” remaining the status quo (“Proposed laws would only make some rich,” Readers write, Opinion).
Any time powerful lobbyists block legislation, just follow the money. Who does the author think benefits from the present loophole for gun shows in Virginia? It’s not hunters and legitimate brick-and-mortar establishments that profit from these sales (that fuel gangs and other illegal activity).
Let’s have an honest discussion about the NRA’s monied support from manufacturers, and those that profit handsomely while children die.
SALLY MCDONALD, CHAMBLEE
HUMAN RIGHTS
As we celebrate life
of MLK, be grateful
Every January, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. for his activism to remove the racial inequality that existed in our country in his time. This holiday is a reminder for each one of us to show gratitude for his fight to eradicate this social injustice.
As a Muslim, I feel blessed that Islam gave the same concept more than fourteen hundred years ago, when Prophet Muhammad stated, “All of you are equal.”
When people belonging to different times and geographies present the same idea of equality, it only validates it as being the truth. There is no doubt that the work of Martin Luther King Jr. has had tremendous impact on American society — and especially, people here in the South — and his contributions have established America as a champion of human rights. Martin Luther King Jr., we owe you a lot.
SAIMA AHMAD, SUWANEE
INFRASTRUCTURE
Atlanta must address
pothole problem daily
I recently visited several cities where the population is similar to Atlanta’s, where I was not surprised to see crews repairing potholes on a daily basis.
The problem of potholes in Atlanta is quite serious, as any resident and visitor will confirm once they drive along Peachtree Road, Collier Road Northwest, and East Paces Ferry Road. There are, of course, many other streets in addition to the three mentioned that require daily pothole repair.
JOHN S. SHERMAN, ATLANTA
BUDGET DEFICIT
Don’t pay public debt
with borrowed funds
Paying bills with borrowed money is not paying bills. I know President Obama is aware of this fact, but is his constituency? Are they aware governmental borrowing simply devalues their dollars even more?
If borrowing to pay bills worked, why not borrow enough to pay off all our debt? This is illogical at best.
ED DALTON, KENNESAW
POLITICS
Republican rhetoric
fails party’s heritage
It is sad to watch the party of Lincoln descend to such depths. Petitions to secede from the Union; threats to default on the nation’s debt and to shut down the government; anti-immigration rhetoric; indifference to the poor; opposition to common-sense gun laws; threats to impeach the president, and opposition to every initiative from the Democratic Party combine to render this once-Grand Old Party at best irrelevant, and at worst, bizarre.
Add to these its opposition to climate-control measures and its general anti-science posturing, and you have a relic of the 19th century hardly suited to the challenges of the 21st.
LLOYD E. FLEMING, DULUTH
