Readers write: March 27
Recognize diversity that really works
So Starbucks’ attempt at race relations hasn’t met with financial success? The masses are unimpressed? Well, good try. I work for one of the largest companies in Georgia, and we have a diverse work force, for sure. Most people do a fine job, earn a good wage, and are generally proud of being part of the company’s success. Behind the scenes is some very good leadership — hard work, responsibility, demanding leadership.
Go figure. So perhaps the average Starbucks patrons work hard to bring something to the American table every day, and aren’t impressed by the standard drivel from Al Sharpton, the liberal media and others who blame race problems on America’s white people. And they don’t need to be told how to get along with their fellow, hard-working Americans.
ED MARTIN, PEACHTREE CITY
Price plan is no Medicare rescue
A large ad recently paid for by the Alliance for Patient Access was deceitful and disgusting. It features prominently Congressman Tom Price and his Washington phone number. It states Price wants to protect Medicare Part D from some “Washington bureaucrats.” In addition, it features a group of old folks smiling because he has come to their rescue.
That’s just the opposite of what he wants to do. Price wants to reduce Medicare funding. In fact, his budget will cause Medicare and Part D premiums and co-pays to increase. When that happens, many people will discontinue coverage because they can no longer pay the added expense. This will result in higher overall health costs.
JERRY HULSHULT, CANTON
Don’t misinterpret lay Catholic opinion
Jim Galloway’s article, “The Catholic absence in this year’s religious liberty fight” (Political Insider, March 18), misinterprets on which side the majority of Catholics are fighting. We overwhelmingly reject the use of religion as a tool for discrimination; 86 percent of Catholic voters disapprove of a guidance counselor refusing to help a gay student. Similarly, 67 percent reject the right of employers to deny insurance coverage of birth control based on the employer’s religious beliefs.
By conflating the Catholic hierarchy with all Catholics, Mr. Galloway does a disservice to everyday Catholics who understand the primacy of conscience. When it comes to important issues, Catholic teachings say we must follow our own conscience. The majority of Catholics believe religious groups have a right to lobby like anyone else, but that neither our religion, nor any religion, has the right to impose its beliefs on others. We can only hope Georgia’s bishops are learning from the Catholicism lived by ordinary Catholics.
GLENN NORTHERN, PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE
