Dubious choices may hinder efforts
Food stamp recipient Marie JeanLouis (“New law, new reality for aid recipients,” News, May 18) seems to be working hard to get off her dependence on public aid. She is to be commended for her efforts to educate and better herself. She appears to be a very responsible and caring mother to her children, even when under tremendous pressure. But I do question some of her choices. Why not a small car instead of a gas-guzzling minivan? Why not give up the $256-a-month storage unit for her furniture, which is almost what she receives in monthly food stamps? She could still keep select pieces of furniture in her apartment to remind her of the middle-class life she hopes to achieve again. Lastly, I wonder why she remains married to a man who gives her little financial support.
ISABELLE WERBER, ATLANTA
Sell furniture, use funds to buy food
I’m reading the article “New law, new reality for aid recipients” and feeling somewhat sympathetic toward the woman being profiled who receives food stamps. Then I get to this: She pays $256 a month for a storage unit to keep furniture she no longer has room for in her small townhome because “it’s a reminder of the life she once lived.” She makes $1,030 a month, so she spends a quarter of her income on a storage unit! And she receives $265 a month in food stamps. So the taxpayers are essentially paying for her storage unit. Here’s an idea: Sell all that fancy furniture and use that money and the $256 saved every month to buy food. This is ludicrous. The credibility of the entire article sinks on this one fact.
DON SADLER, JOHNS CREEK
Seek real causes of Benghazi attack
Four Americans were murdered during an attack on a U.S. mission in Benghazi in 2012. The attack’s success was facilitated by our government’s faulty intelligence and inadequate security arrangements. Those facts are not disputed. The motive for the attack is disputed. The attackers never stated a motive, but Republicans immediately claimed it was a result of Obama’s failed policies. The Obama administration countered by stressing it was due to an Internet video about Muhammad. Both claims are bogus. The attackers already had a motive: They hate American influence and use murder to impose their agenda. Those who want more investigations on Benghazi should state their real motives. Maybe they can discover if the recent attack on Libya’s parliament was due to Obama’s policies or a video.
TONY GARDNER, CUMMING
