Thank you, governor, for supporting reforms
I would like to thank Gov. Nathan Deal for his vision regarding the passage of HB 1176. This proposal will have the desirable effect of reserving prison beds for more violent inmates and providing a lower-cost alternative to incarceration. This action has the potential of saving Georgians hundreds of millions of dollars.
I have read the demagoguery of the naysayers. They do not understand the issue, or spew false information and fear. I have spent a significant part of my life dealing with this issue, and Deal is exactly right.
Wayne Garner, former commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections
Won’t be able to afford a new vehicle
As someone who voted for Gov. Nathan Deal and as a retired senior who has paid taxes on everything from soup to nuts, I now will have to hold on to the car I drive (“Annual car tax nears an end,” ajc.com, April 2). I can’t afford to go into debt for a new car. And it will be incumbent on me to continue to support everyone else so they can enjoy break after break. I am sick of it — and I want someone to find ways to give me a break!
Marjorie Stanley, Fayetteville
Can’t easily correct the flaws in our republic
Regarding “Amendment would do a lot for our democracy” (Readers write, Opinion, April 3), here we go again. The United States of America is a republic. We are represented by those we send to Congress, and our president is selected by the members of the Electoral College we elect. As for term limits, we should demand them. Then again, we almost always believe our representatives are better than others. The power-hungry people we send to Washington will never voluntarily shut off their gravy train. So, I guess we will just have to continue voting the “bums” out, and voting for the lesser of the evils who run for office.
Ed DeSimone, Atlanta
Mass transit system deserves more support
Regarding “MARTA service cuts loom” (Metro, April 3): A favorite topic of conversation in metro Atlanta is the increasingly bad traffic, yet our government can’t adequately fund the one agency that might alleviate some of this ongoing congestion. A major city like Atlanta needs a good public transportation system. What about those who can’t afford a car or are disabled and need MARTA to get to work? Our society wants people off public assistance, but government refuses to pay enough to get people to and from work!
Why can’t our growing city provide good public transportation like other cities?
Joni Pelta, Atlanta
LEGISLATORS
Response to “Ga. GOP can flaunt its power,” Opinion, April 1.
I read Jay Bookman’s column on Georgia legislators’ lack of fear of voters with interest and despair. The powers that be are convinced that the populace is stupid, apathetic and/or so cynical that we are not paying attention or simply don’t care what they do. Every day, Common Cause Georgia proves that someone is watching. Citizens must organize and tell the Legislature we care about how they conduct our business. Before you vote, ask your candidate if he or she has taken the ethics pledge to pass a law that ensures lobbyists can’t spend more than $100 on your rep.
JON SINTON, CHAIRMAN, COMMON CAUSE GEORGIA
