Let’s just admit it: Streetcar a failure
“A streetcar named denial in Atlanta” (Opinion, May 19) confirmed my thoughts when I first heard about the plan — that this would be a complete boondoggle, cost the city way more than anticipated and never be successful. So far, this is another failure of city fathers and gives Atlanta another black eye. Are there any folks in City Hall with rational thoughts?
SUSAN ROSMARIN, DORAVILLE
Ga. ‘Slow Poke’ law is upside-down
Regarding “Hundreds of drivers ticketed under new ‘Slow Poke’ Law” (News, May 18), I had trouble finding a way to describe how insane the Georgia “Slow Poke” law really is, much less the enforcement of it. Then it hit me. The state, which sets speed limits and expects them to be obeyed, is going to cite a person driving as fast as the law allows for being a “slow poke.” Does anyone have any idea what kind of message this is sending to Georgia drivers, especially inexperienced teenagers just starting out behind the wheel?
All this law amounts to is the ticketing of people for obeying the law to allow drivers behind them to break it. I can’t believe the men and women who patrol Georgia’s highways would be comfortable issuing a single ticket under this “up is down” law. Any sane driver who spends time on Georgia highways knows speed kills. Why on Earth would Georgia pass a law that virtually encourages it?
CHRISTIAN RHETTS, ACWORTH
Eat smart, stay safe this holiday
Whatever happened to the days when the worst things we had to fear on Memorial Day were traffic jams and indigestion? This year, it’s all about food poisoning by the nasty E. coli, salmonella and listeria bugs in hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets at backyard barbecues. The U.S. Meat and Poultry Hotline’s advice is to grill meat and chicken products longer and hotter. They fail to caution that high-temperature grilling forms lots of cancer-causing compounds.
Do we really need to choose between food poisoning and cancer? Luckily, enterprising food manufacturers and processors have developed a great variety of healthful, delicious, convenient, plant-based veggie burgers, veggie dogs and soy nuggets. And they are right there in the frozen food section of our supermarket. This Memorial Day, let’s stay safe on the roads and safe at the family barbecue.
ANTONIO MATTERS, ATLANTA
