Closing bank would hit state’s economy hard
A partisan fight in Congress is threatening to close the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency which supports thousands of U.S. jobs and billions in annual exports by providing loan financing to exporters when private banks can’t (or won’t).
Closing this bank would hit Georgia’s economy particularly hard: over the past five years, it has helped state businesses export nearly $2.5 billion in products. These exports are driving our state’s recovery.
Although some critics claim that the Export-Import Bank makes risky investments, less than 2 percent of its loans default.
Most commercial banks can’t match that.
The Export-Import Bank doesn’t even cost taxpayers a penny — it’s returned over $4 billion in budget surpluses since 1990.
And Export-Import Bank financing is necessary to counteract the unfair trade practices of countries like China.
Canceling a program that creates jobs at no cost to taxpayers?
Congress must have a keen sense of the absurd.
Sam Zamarripa is a former state senator for the 36th District
Many ‘accidents’ are anything but
“Deadly wrecks add to delays” (News, April 18) highlighted the headaches that traffic accidents cause on metro Atlanta’s highways.
Many of these “accidents” are anything but. It is hardly an accident to drive above the speed limit.
It isn’t an accident to follow too closely or change lanes without a signal, and neither is it an accident to drive while distracted.
The entitlement mentality, seemingly so prevalent in society, has permeated our roads as well.
Let’s not forget the thousands of hours (and gallons of precious gasoline) wasted by those of us forced to wait in traffic while each mess is cleaned up.
Any loss of life is unfortunate, but let’s call these “accidents” what they are: incidents which too often show a lack of consideration for others.
Larry Stokes, Atlanta
Titanic also a lesson in gender relations
Regarding “Titanic was big, but smaller than we knew” (Opinion, April 19), columnist Leonard Pitts is right to see the Titanic as teaching a lesson in hubris and the need for humility.
However, the Titanic also teaches an important lesson in gender relations: that the “battle of the sexes” and the “man’s world” are myths.
Many women survived this disaster and many men perished — because of the “women-and-children-first” rule.
That men privileged women’s lives over their own demonstrates that men as a gender are capable of extraordinary unselfishness and self-sacrifice in their relations with women.
Denise Noe, Atlanta
