HELPING OTHERS
Ga. 400 driver saved
by angels at toll booth
On a recent weekend, I selected the wrong place on Ga. 400 to pay my toll (this was a change-only gate). It had been several years since I was on Ga. 400. I was stuck at the toll area, and only had paper money. I turned on my emergency blinkers to warn other drivers that I had a problem. A young woman motioned to me to roll down my right window, and she asked if I needed 50 cents. I held up my paper money to show her what I had. She smiled pleasantly, and drove on.
Then, my attention focused on the “change catcher” as I heard it swallow change, and I saw the gate lift with a green light. I was free. I then saw another young woman returning to her car. An Atlanta angel from the car behind had saved me, and freed me from my predicament.
Bless those two angels. I will not forget them — and I, too, will try and pay it forward.
JOHN WINGFIELD, PERRY
FEDERAL SPENDING
Everybody’s for cuts
except when they hurt
I am retired, as are most of my friends. All of them are politically to the right of center. All believe that we must reduce taxes, eliminate the deficit and cut government spending.
However, none of them want any changes to Social Security or Medicare. Most of them want a more aggressive military posture in the Middle East and Korea. I live in a rural area, so farm supports are also sacred ground. And on and on it goes.
Yes, the Democrats want more expenditures on domestic programs with no specific way of paying for them. Yes, the Republicans want more military spending, and unsupportable domestic program changes, plus massive tax cuts.
But who is to blame? The American public which wants everything but is willing to pay for nothing.
JACK BERNARD, MONTICELLO
FALCONS STADIUM
Ego, excess fuel rush
to spend public funds
How ironic to find Joanna Adams’ compelling “Put good of whole before self” (Opinion, March 16) 14 pages behind a front-page story on stadium negotiations gaining momentum (“Stadium gets first official approval,” News, March 16).
Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Mayor Kasim Reed have done their best to position the new stadium proposal as a wise investment in Atlanta’s future, and opponents as short-sighted. The two men would allocate millions in public funds to a wealth-generating monument to ego and excess, while ignoring the will of the people. This is hardly what was advocated in the Adams column: “We must be knit together in this work as one. … We must make each other’s condition our own.”
Surely, the mayor of a great city and one of its wealthiest citizens can partner to do more good for the whole than what they currently propose to do for themselves. They should start by reading Joanna’s column.
SUSAN RADULOVACKI, ATLANTA
