Politicians’ response is part of the problem
It is with great dismay that I read about the abysmal lack of effective public ethics laws in our state (“Ethics report ranks Ga. last,” News, March 19).
Sadder yet is the hackneyed, knee-jerk response of officials like Rep. Joe Wilkinson. Perhaps Wilkinson should address the valid and obvious points made in the report — rather than attacking “the messenger.” His reaction is the classic pol’s attempt to divert discussion from the real matter at hand.
Politicians like him have for too long taken for granted the interests and needs of their constituents. Perhaps by addressing the lack of transparency in state public ethics laws, he and his cohorts can get back to their real work: representing the interests and needs of constituents (rather than powerful interests like the insurance companies, utilities and the like).
Fred R. Paprin, Sandy Springs
Turn lanes and tweaked signals aren’t enough
Regarding “Transportation needs engineers, not a tax” (Opinion, March 20), it seems that Arne R. Jorgensen misunderstands the state of transportation around Atlanta.
Unfortunately, re-timing the signals and adding turn lanes aren’t enough to untangle the traffic congestion suffocating our region. There are more cars on the road than there is capacity, and alternatives to driving are woefully underdeveloped.
So, while the transportation referendum would also pay for re-timing lights, signal timing won’t unclog the Ga. 400/I-285 interchange and won’t break up the jams in the Clifton corridor. We will need an arsenal of public transit, bikeways and roads to combat congestion and provide commuters with options.
Transportation is so intensely tied with quality of life, economic development and regional growth that the old thinking of throughput per dollar that Jorgensen espouses has been thrown out — for good reason.
Haven’t we studied our gridlock enough? It’s time to finally do something about it.
Aaron Greenwood, Atlanta
Columnist’s life, talent worthy of gratitude
On learning of Furman Bisher’s death, I reflected that AJC readers have not experienced a loss on this scale since the death of Lewis Grizzard.
I remember the college football roundtable show Furman hosted on local television. Guests included Ed Danforth and Harry Mehre. As recently as last Thanksgiving, he made the day more special with his “I’m thankful for” column. Surely, there will be a collection of those columns that will come out soon.
My mother saved the newspaper from the day I was born in 1950. On that day, Furman wrote a column titled “Hey, Don’t Turn Out The Lights, Irene!” It was his commentary about University of Georgia games that had been played at night.
Furman Bisher gave me so much. It is a sad day — but one on which I offer thanks for his life and the talent he shared with all of his readers.
Garland Watkins, College Park
Thanks for nada, Public Service Commission
Aren’t the citizens of Georgia lucky? We get to pay Georgia Power for the electricity we use and, thanks to the PSC, we get to pay for the new construction of power plants — and the plant closing-costs of the old plants. Thanks, PSC. You are really looking out for the citizens of Georgia.
Jacqueline N. Rice, Loganville
Response to “Like his new digs, Romney keeps some things buried.” Opinion, March 18
Maureen Dowd’s column (Opinion, March 18) is mean-spirited, irrelevant and unworthy of publication. If this is the best this columnist can do, I suggest she be replaced with someone of greater capacity for serious thought. I wonder what she has written about President Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? If this is the best she’s got, then two columns of white space below her byline would have been more telling of her intellectual capacity (and more interesting, as well).
SPENCER BARBER, KENNESAW
