Not everything should be viewed from left prism
The “Political Insider” column on Sept. 3 does indeed try to politicize the current issues in the news. From the Texas disaster to the illegal immigration crisis to questionable manmade global warming, everything is viewed from the prism of the left. Somehow, the human tragedy in Texas illustrates how metro Atlanta needs to understand that we need more mass transit here, or that America needs to let illegal immigrants flood in to help rebuild Harvey damage.
The idea that the recent I-85 bridge collapse demonstrates the need for more heavy rail in the area has no logical basis. Any transportation system can have outages due to a disaster. If metro Atlanta was heavily dependent on rail systems, even more “pain” could be experienced if a disaster occurred. For example, the L train subway tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan will be closed for 15 months starting in April 2019 to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy ($477 million). Some 250,000 people take the line under the East River each day. Locals are clamoring for a new, robust bus line service with dedicated bus lanes during the closing.
JOEL SMITH, STOCKBRIDGE
Dreamers deserve path to citizenship
U.S. Senators Graham (R-South Carolina) and Durbin (D-Illinois) have proposed bipartisan legislation in the Dream Act 2017 which would provide a path to U.S. citizenship for the millions of young people who came here with their parents when they were young and are now a vital part of our society and our economy.
The majority of our nation support supporting these Dreamers by providing a path to citizenship for these young people. If the Trump Administration overturns DACA, I ask that responsible and caring congressmen, congresswomen and senators pass the Dream Act of 2017. Dreamers are an important part of Georgia and deserve a path to citizenship.
BETTE HOLLAND, DAWSONVILLE
Parker was a gift to MARTA
Keith Parker is being modest, but he did what very few leaders could have pulled off. He turned around the reputation of a floundering, unwieldy, seemingly unmanageable organization that is really at the core of transportation in Atlanta by being innovative, not risk-averse, fiscally lean, and tough, yet keeping MARTA’s mostly working-class and poor ridership the focus of every decision he made. He wasn’t afraid to experiment and look at every aspect that needed revision. As a result, it’s much tougher for our historically disdainful legislature to ignore them. Going forward, MARTA must be at the core of major transportation improvements needed to keeping this city competitive for companies staying here, and new ones looking to relocate and respecting our working-class and poor ridership. Parker and his able staff deserve all the accolades coming their way.
MIKE KOBLENTZ, CHAIR OF NORTHWEST COMMUNITY ALLIANCE
Southern Co. should pull the plug
The Georgia Public Service Commission should be renamed. These men seem much more interested in serving the interests of Southern Co. and the powerful than the consumers who have been surcharged a billion dollars to support this misguided Vogtle expansion. Georgia Power made a bad bet on nuclear energy when the paradigm had shifted. Even in 2013, many customers and environmentalists were clamoring for clean, renewable energy, but the company resisted and the PSC let them stall for far too long. It is time for the company to tell the truth: Vogtle expansion was a bad idea. Billions of dollars over budget, years overdue, and the company still can’t guarantee it will be finished. Pull the plug on this monstrosity.
DIANE SHEARER, TUCKER
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