Fossil fuel addiction threatens our world
Like Jay Bookman, I noticed that the blossoms on the azaleas had come and gone long before Bubba Watson hit his first tee shot at Augusta National (“Changing climate alters the Southeast,” ajc.com, April 9).
We must face the facts that an unlivable world awaits us if we fail to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up our planet.
Our nation (and much of the world) is hooked on fossil fuels, and an intervention is needed to prevent us from ruining the lives of our children and grandchildren.
That intervention comes by weaning ourselves off coal and oil with a gradually rising fee on carbon-based fuels.
If revenue is returned to the public, as it is in the Save Our Climate Act, we can detox without a shock to our economic system.
Steve Valk, Atlanta
Government policies make farming harder
Regarding “Young farmers far too scarce” (News, April 5), whose fault is this? The federal government and the IRS are largely responsible.
A farmer with a large farm can’t afford to pass that land on to his children because of factors like the inheritance tax.
The federal government ends up sending money via various programs to those who own the farms — but leaves out those who actually do the farming.
This is another example of big government trying to regulate everything — and it’s finally coming home to stare government in the face.
It’s also true that farming requires hard work and long hours — and few American youths are willing to put forth the effort required.
Jim Fonville, Marietta
Leftists have no clue about Constitution
I just read “Individual mandate is just common sense” (Readers write, Opinion, April 10). When is the left going to figure out that this issue is based on whether the mandate is constitutional?
There are lots of things that are just “common sense,” such as eating the right amount of vegetables each day, getting exercise, washing our hands before eating, quitting smoking, wearing a seatbelt, etc.
Is the writer also suggesting that our government has the right to put laws on the books to make people do these things simply because they are common sense? Why not let the government just decide for all of us what is common sense and start putting these laws into place, too?
The letter writer (ironically) goes on about wanting to bar medical providers and insurance companies from passing on costs of treating the uninsured — yet neglects the fact that it’s the government that requires that these people be treated in the first place. While I’m not implying that these people should not be treated, this is just another example of how the left doesn’t see the whole picture.
Bob Keeler, Alpharetta
