EDUCATION
Beverly Hall should lose retirement benefits
Beverly Hall has apparently placed her own interests so far ahead of the children in her care that she deserves substantial jail time. Is it not criminal to have so little regard for the education and well-being of her students? I propose that she lose any retirement benefits accrued in her time in our employ. The city owes her nothing but contempt. I thank the AJC for its hard work in uncovering yet another failure of our local government to make good on their most basic commitments to children.
Jay Woodall, Atlanta
AMERICAN HISTORY
Columnist’s conclusion about Founders is faulty
In his column, it is E.J. Dionne Jr. who is at risk for wrong conclusions (“Misinterpreting the will of our Founding Fathers,” Opinion, July 4). Clearly, the founders of our republic sought to create a strong union. Yet, the author takes a breathtaking leap across 200 years of history to imply that the current immersion of government in every aspect of society is in concert with the Founders’ intentions. Dionne mentions the need for a national authority robust enough to secure the common good. To secure is to make safe; to protect. It is not to use the police power of the state in attempting to provide the common good.
Recall the words of Benjamin Franklin: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
R. Chris Collins, Atlanta
POLICE
Georgia Tech police go extra mile to return bike
I want to thank Georgia Tech’s police department for going the extra mile and returning my son’s bike to us.
In 2009, my 13-year-old son’s bike was stolen when he was riding in a local park. A police report was filed, and we registered the stolen bike with the National Bike Registry. We recently received a call from the registry that Georgia Tech’s police department had our stolen bike. A Georgia Tech police officer decided to check the National Bike Registry and found that the bike was registered.
I found Georgia Tech police extremely helpful in arranging to pick up the bike. The bike turns out to be in pretty good shape. It will now become a bike for our (almost) 10-year-old daughter. I am also extremely impressed with how the National Bike Registry can work.
Laura Fehrs, Decatur
GOVERNMENT
Save money by reporting only positive news
I have a suggestion as to how the AJC can realize substantial savings in this challenging economic time: only feature stories of state and local organizations and systems that are operating openly, transparently and under strict compliance with established guidelines, and whose employees are following strict ethical practices. The upshot is that (such entities being few and far between in Georgia), the AJC would save thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars in paper, ink, reporters, etc.
Peter Vajda, Sandy Springs
