RELIGION
Refreshing to read about athletes who love Jesus
Regarding “Simpson’s faith stands out on PGA Tour” (Sports, Sept. 25), here’s a huge “amen” to Furman Bisher for sharing the news about men of faith on the PGA tour.
In a world where, sadly, God’s name is more “hush-hush,” it is enlightening to hear about Webb Simpson and Aaron Baddeley proudly and openly professing their relationship with Christ. There is certainly freedom in journalism to express negative news, so we believers thank Mr. Bisher and the AJC for printing positive information about true role models in athletics.
Susan Hartsfield Tanner, Cumming
EDUCATION
Teaching profession must raise its standards
Monica Dorner tells it like it is (“Raise GPA, required standards,” Opinion, Sept. 25).
I am a retired educator. I often saw and experienced the hard facts Dorner shared. If teachers want to be treated as other professionals, the profession must raise the entry requirements.
Thank you, Monica Dorner, for saying what needs to be said. Larry Weiner, Dunwoody
U.S. PRESIDENTS
Perhaps presidential standards also need a lift
I have enjoyed and compliment you on the articles concerning Atlanta schools. “Georgia fails at improving teachers” (News, Sept. 18) was especially provocative concerning education for teachers.
As I recall, our presidents have never had training to be a president. We have had lawyers, generals, professors, frontiersmen, a community organizer, politicians, governors, etc. — but none were specifically trained for the position. Yet, they received very nice compensation after completing their term — regardless of how their performance was rated by the general public, a Democratic or Republican committee, what they had done to make the United States better, or what shape the nation was in as they left office.
A. R. Conant, Cumming
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
There’s a reason for all the grumbling in DeKalb
AJC staff writer April Hunt wrote that complaining about the DeKalb government is practically a sport (“Debate on top spot in DeKalb,” Metro, Sept. 25). If she lived here, she would be complaining, too.
CEO Burrell Ellis has not produced a reorganization plan or a strategic plan. A government with no checks and balances is not acceptable. DeKalb County taxpayers are paying for a government with no vision or plan.
In the past, Ellis consistently questioned CEO Vernon Jones. Jones responded. We want Ellis to respond and show us his plan — and to find a way to clean up south DeKalb.
A. Jean Richardson, Decatur
SOCIAL SECURITY
If you’re not old, the message is clear: Worry
Most of the Republican candidates for president are saying anyone receiving Social Security won’t be touched by anything they will propose regarding Social Security.
Gov. Rick Perry has called Social Security a Ponzi scheme.
President Barack Obama has recommended nothing concerning solutions to Social Security’s problems.
Given that Social Security is experiencing a cash-flow deficit, the positions of these people who wish to lead our country can be summarized as follows: If you’re old or will soon be old, you’ll be all right. If you’re middle-aged or younger, you’re going to have to pay more taxes and interest on debt to protect the older voters who turn out in large numbers.
Unless the plan is to invest some tax money in winning lottery tickets, no other logical conclusion can be reached.
Allen Buckley, Smyrna
ATLANTA BELTLINE
No refuting that land purchases were pricey
The information in our newsletter concerning Atlanta Beltline land purchases (“Newsletter off target on size of Beltline purchase,” Metro, Sept. 28) comes, unaltered, directly from Fulton County online records. They give no information about “multi-parcel” sales.
If the land sale by Georgia Power was 2.1 acres, and not 0.1756 of an acre as shown on county records, I accept the correction.
The fact remains that the land was purchased from the city of Atlanta by Georgia Power in 2002 for $350,000 and sold to the Atlanta Beltline in 2007 for $3,485,000 — well over $1.5 million an acre.
County records show other purchases by the Beltline at over $1 million per acre, with the appraised value a fraction of that amount — i.e., 0 Angier Avenue, 0.49 of an acre sold in 2009 for $1.44 million — total appraised value $588,600.
John S. Sherman, president, Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation
BARACK OBAMA
Smart enough to know how U.S. got in this mess
It does not take a genius or a liberal to understand that this country has already been in hell and the “handbasket” afire (“Doesn’t take a genius to know Obama must go,” Readers write, Opinion, Sept. 25).
The past administration said we were X amount in debt. Now we are told we are X-plus dollars in debt. If President Barack Obama is not re-elected, we are going to be put in hell’s corner — and not even allowed to build fires with the “Big Guys.”
RICHARD BECK, MARIETTA
