Damage to students can’t be calculated in dollars
Regarding “The high cost of test cheating” (News, Nov. 20), kudos to the AJC for shining a light on the dollar cost of the recent test cheating scandal and the corruption that led to it.
It is truly a waste of badly needed dollars.
While the AJC reported on the actual “real” dollars spent on this horrible display of arrogance and corruption, you missed a cost that is not measurable in “real” dollars: the example to children of seeing their teachers cheating. That includes the flawed leadership example displayed by the superintendent and those who assisted in this crime against Atlanta’s children.
There is another unmeasurable cost: the lost credibility of Atlanta and Georgia with businesses planning to move their operations here, after reading the flood of unfavorable publicity in major media outlets.
Lost-opportunity costs are always difficult to measure.
Donald Conkey, Woodstock, Georgia
Enhanced interrogation foes may be hypocritical
In response to “Call it what you will, it’s still torture, still wrong” (Readers write, Opinion, Nov. 20): The writer suggests that enhanced interrogation techniques are immoral, torture and un-American.
These interrogations seldom result in death or permanent injury and do gather a great amount of reliable information.
I assume the writer favors President Barack Obama’s technique of using drones. There is no interrogation, no torture — and all you gather is DNA.
How hypocritical is that?
Marianna Chamberlain, Buford
Supercommittee failure bad leadership example
The supercommittee’s failure to reach a debt plan represents a failure of leadership at all levels.
This failure represents a terrible indictment of Washington’s inability to govern our great country. Where was the president’s leadership during this stalemate?
Where is leadership from what is supposed to be our greatest American thinkers?
Brian DiNapoli, Decatur
Reader agrees with Gingrich on Dodd-Frank
In response to the AJC PolitiFact Georgia article (“Dodd-Frank Destroying Banks? Gingrich’s Statement is Wrong,” Metro, Nov. 23) I find the premise that the new banking regulations have strengthened community banks to be completely absurd.
As a community banker since 1998, I have never seen such an increase in regulation as since the passage of Dodd-Frank. While community banks have improved their bottom line in the last few quarters, we are nowhere near where we need to be pre-Recession and by industry standards. And we will have a hard time getting there because of Dodd-Frank.
Newt Gingrich is correct when he states Dodd-Frank is killing the opportunity for community banks to grow because it does nothing to give investors confidence in our economy; instead it stymies our business climate.
He is the only candidate offering solutions to the banking sector which in turn affects consumers and our economy as a whole.
WILLIAM WADE, DAWSONVILLE
Republicans, Democrats should suffer at the polls
It is obvious that voting out incumbents in 2010 did not get the attention of Congress. We will have to continue to vote against all incumbents until they get the message: “Go to Washington and fail to act, and you are done.”
This comment is directed at Republicans and Democrats. We must take control of our future. We must insist that our elected representatives have the courage to make decisions — not postpone action in order to protect their re-election.
The failure of the super committee is absurd. If they do nothing, the cuts are postponed until after the next election. They apparently think the voters can’t figure that out. Let’s prove them wrong: turn them out again!
Carol G. Bush, Oakwood
Voters have clear choice of 2 visions for country
We should expect no real political solutions to our budgetary crisis until after the 2012 elections. The country is at a crossroads and a compromise solution really isn’t possible.
The Republicans offer limited government, lower taxes, less services and would expose the populace to living without a government safety net.
The Democrats propose larger government, higher taxes and would expose the public to complete security in the short run that risks a Greece-style calamity down the road.
There isn’t a middle road.
Should the rich pay their fair share? It is an effective emotional argument, but the fact is we could tax the rich into poverty and still not have enough money to meet all our obligations. We could confiscate all those Wall Street dollars and give them to the poor, and where would we be after the dust settled?
Utopia isn’t possible. The sooner we quit voting as if it were, the better off we will be.
John Cowan, Cartersville
Businesses trying to survive in tough times
A letter to the editor (“Businesses fail to step up, lead way to growth” (Readers write, Opinion, Nov. 18) makes a good point about businesses not hiring enough people to provide the service the writer wants — but it does beg the question: With what are these businesses supposed to pay the additional employees? Wooden nickels?
In a cutthroat economy where price is everything and people will drive to get 5 cents less on gasoline, business owners are feeling the pinch to cut costs.
Unfortunately, that also means cutting employees.
Catherine Collingwood, Norcross
Charitable giving
As the Christmas season approaches, I am reminded of my childhood in the projects and those who contributed canned goods and produce to help make our Christmas happy. Christmas was a time of stress. The little ones believed, yet our socks on Christmas morning would contain items which were obviously from the charity basket. While we appreciated the donations, the shame and embarrassment we felt to have some “rich man” in our kitchen looking around in disdain made our hunger worse. At 65, I can still feel my face flush. If you are delivering baskets this season, try to remember that this is about a family going through a rough patch — not about you. The most generous thing you can give a family is anonymity. Put the basket in front of their door, knock and leave quickly. You may find the blessings you receive from this true act of charity outweigh the satisfaction you feel from observing hungry families.
Helen Kopec, Dacula
