Readers Write 11/22

GOVERNMENT

Georgia can do without a lieutenant governor

As the AJC has pointed out, there is a lot of controversy surrounding what powers the lieutenant governor should have in the Georgia Senate. The simple solution is to do what many states have done: get the lieutenant governor out of the Senate altogether. One alternative would be to only allow the lieutenant governor to break a tie vote in the upper chamber.

The best solution would be to do away with the office completely. There are five states with no lieutenant governor. The main duty of any lieutenant governor is to succeed the governor in the event a sitting governor is unable or unwilling to serve. The secretary of state could easily fulfill this duty.

The office of lieutenant governor in Georgia costs thousands per year. This is simply a waste of taxpayer money.

T. Dennis Bickham III, Atlanta

AIRPORT SECURITY

Uproar over pat-downs strange, considering 9/11

I guess I am the only one who is confused by the public outcry over heightened security measures at our airport.

As a nation, we sat and mourned over the attacks of Sept. 11 and most (if not all of us) were disgusted that these terrorists were able to get any type of weapons on the planes. We blamed the TSA for not doing its job and demanded that something be done so that our nation would never be attacked again.

Fast-forward ahead almost 10 years, and numerous failed attempts later. The TSA implements a new screening process to help assure traveler safety. Some are up in arms over those measures, claiming they are too “invasive.”

Either you want to be safe when you travel or you don’t — there is no in between. I say, take the pat-down and accept that it now comes standard with traveling — along with the extra baggage fee.

If you are really that offended by the pat-downs, remember that gas prices are holding steady at around $3 per gallon.

Asha Mas, Atlanta

SOCIETY

Those who strove to get ahead needn’t give back

I heard a recent discussion on talk radio about “giving back.” What is with this giving back?

I am 79, and everything I have I earned, or it has been paid back by my time, money or sweat equity.

I received a scholarship to a prestigious college for four years. I paid it back by three years of active duty and nine years of reserve duty in the U.S. Navy. I worked for years for a few employers with 70-hour weeks for which I was paid. I earned what I received. Give back to who?

To get into college, my granddaughter had to do 150 hours of “voluntary service” to give back. To who?

How can any institution or government mandate volunteer service? How can you mandate something that is voluntary? Giving and volunteering come from your heart. No authority should be used to require it.

This is all part of the socialist thinking that has galloped into our culture. That is so wrong.