NEW STADIUM
Winning isn’t likely in talks with sports teams
William Perry of Common Cause Georgia should not be too unhappy that the issue of a new stadium has not been put up for public referendum (“Let voters have say on stadium,” Opinion, March 21).
The opinions of uninformed and misinformed voters are no better than that of uninformed and misinformed political representatives. Having Arthur Blank and his staff negotiate with Governor Deal and Mayor Reed is about as fair as the Green Berets having a firefight with a troop of Boy Scouts.
Of course, Mr. Blank has the right to take his team elsewhere if another city offers him a better deal. I think it is safe to bet that taxpayers won’t win in most of these sports team negotiations.
GERSON PAULL, ATLANTA
PUBLIC POLICY
Things offered cheap can really cost dearly
We wanted cheap food, and we got it.
We wanted cheap labor, and we got it.
We wanted cheap products, and we got them.
We wanted affordable health care, and we got it.
Be careful what you ask for, for there are unintended consequences.
KEN LEEBOW, MARIETTA
IRAQ WAR
Pre-emptive war was unnecessary, unjust
Congratulations to Jay Bookman regarding his recent column on the Iraq war (“Recalling lessons nation should never repeat,” Opinion, March 20).
I’ve been saying the same thing for years but rarely, if ever, have seen those points put so succinctly in print. Further, no one seems ready to acknowledge that even if Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, he posed no threat to the United States. Certainly, there was no justification for blemishing our historic reputation and tradition by launching a pre-emptive war that resulted in more Iraqi (and American) deaths than Hussein was likely to have caused.
WILLIAM BRADFORD, LOGANVILLE
FOOD ASSISTANCE
SNAP cards misused to buy frivolous goods
Lately, I have been in grocery store lines behind people using SNAP cards, and I look at what they are buying.
The last time this happened, the person ahead of me was buying a submarine sandwich, chips, a piece of cake, a case of water and a steak. I was in line purchasing hamburger meat that was on sale and a $1 bag of buns to cook for dinner.
I don’t believe that these cards are to be used this way, nor are they supposed to be used to buy pre-made food that can be eaten in the store. There are too many people getting these cards nowadays and using them as a luxury, not to buy what they need. This needs to stop. Stores need to educate their employees, and management needs to step up.
GREG QUEEN, MABLETON
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