GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Response to "Federal deficit goal in sight," News, March 3
One of the items highlighted in the AJC’s recent piece on cuts was that 800,000 civilian workers at the Pentagon would be off for 22 days each, spread across more than five months, and they could lose 20 percent of their pay over that period. Doesn’t this bring up the simple question, why does the Pentagon have 800,000 civilian workers? After all, we are only supporting one war.
Now is the time for the federal government to cut costs — and if they are short on their list, let me give a few suggestions: Freeze or cut federal employment; make federal government health care the same as that used by the private sector; cut out pork barrel projects, and cut civilian employment at the Pentagon by 10 or 20 percent.
In the business sector, this process would have been completed by now. If Congress and the president can’t get it done, let’s find someone who can.
JIM WOODRUFF, ACWORTH
SECOND AMENDMENT
Anti-gun control letter
makes unintended point
Regarding the letter writer’s quest to make a point about gun control (“Do liquor deaths mean alcohol needs control?” Readers write, Opinion, March 4), I agree a point was made; however, it was probably not the one intended. By using a strained apples-to-oranges comparison, the writer made it clear he considers the door shut on any discussion, much less action, that could prevent more gun violence tragedy — and all attempts to save lives should be met with sarcasm and scorn.
Though the writer was being facetious via mock attempts to reduce alcohol abuse and related deaths, this very example points to the success of organizations such as MADD. By working with legislators, law enforcement, the public, health organizations and car manufacturers, MADD has made a huge difference in the number of drunk drivers getting behind the wheel and killing innocent people. Maybe this was not such a strained metaphor after all.
LAURIE WARLICK, ATLANTA
HISTORY
We’ve had enough
talk about slavery
Regarding “Play casts light on Southern Jewish slave owners” (Living, March 3), there is a reason why “a lot of people just don’t want to talk about it anymore,” and it has nothing to do with guilt, shame and blame stunting conversations about slavery. It has to do with people being sick to death of the unending focus on the subject — especially here in Atlanta. Enough, already.
KELLEY MCMANAMAN, CHAMBLEE
ETHICS
Cut lobbyist influence,
raise legislators’ pay
One always feel a sense of at least psychological obligation when one is being entertained, so legislators must feel the same when lobbyists entertain them. A simple solution would be to pay legislators enough so that they can entertain themselves, while prohibiting lobbyists’ buying them even a bottle of water.
If legislators are doing their jobs and studying bills before they vote on them, this is work, and in my view, they’re entitled to treat themselves some as a reward for this extraordinary civic service. From a purely financial viewpoint, this proposed change would be a huge bargain — saving citizens the cost of repaying all that lobbyist entertainment with anti-consumer legislation.
ROBERT J. THOMAS, LILBURN
