Passport fees
Response to “Profit from passport fees faces heat,” News, Feb. 22
Apparently, government work gets more lucrative all the time.
Recently, we learned of the extra income yearly that a tax commissioner collects above and beyond his salary just for doing his job. Now, we hear about the passport fees employees additionally collect. Since when did government employees get paid on a “piecework” basis, as well as a generous salary?
And to think that government office workers used to be underpaid. It just gets more outrageous.
Judith McCarthy, Atlanta
Public schools again on the losing end
Regarding the article “Salaries soar on funds for students” (News, Feb. 19), I commend reporters James Salzer and Nancy Badertscher for shedding light on the significant tax revenues directed to benefiting private school students, and the less-than-transparent administration of the student scholarship organizations created to distribute these funds.
With Georgia public schools sustaining cuts in the last funding cycles, it is unconscionable that millions in state revenue last year were diverted to private school students through student scholarship organizations.
Judging from the outcome of the controversial legislation that created student scholarship organizations, it seems clear that the majority of our state leaders really do not believe that Georgia’s public education system is that unique state responsibility that raises the bar for all comers.
Once again, it seems that special-interest agendas trump what’s best for public education students in Georgia.
Syd Janney, Atlanta
Why a referendum would be a mistake
A letter writer asserts that the issue of same-sex marriage “should be decided by referendum” (“Issue should be left up to voters, not politicians,” Readers write, Opinion, Feb. 19).
The U. S. is a republic in which representatives — bound by a Constitution which protects the rights of minorities — make decisions like that.
Perhaps the letter writer may think issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, equal opportunity for minorities and equal rights for Americans with disabilities should have been decided “by referendum” (in which women or minorities would have been legally prevented from voting, by the way) — but I don’t agree.
Eugene W. Turner III, Marietta
Even small firms can afford wellness efforts
Thanks for such a great article on workplace fitness. “A healthy work environment” (Living, Feb. 19) may well inspire other large companies to make the investment in wellness.
Small companies can benefit from wellness programs also, and it doesn’t always take a big investment.
There are plenty of low-cost ways to foster employee engagement and health savings without building an on-site fitness center.
The power of competition is an inexpensive way to engage employees in wellness.
We do an annual fitness competition that harnesses that competitive spirit. The prize doesn’t have to be huge (bragging rights are free).
Companies can also build relationships across departments by creating a partner program, pairing two people working on the same sort of goals (like smoking cessation or weight loss), or fielding a company team for a local race.
Employees are looking for workplace wellness programs to support them in living a good life.
In this economic environment, when many companies have asked employees to work harder without the certainty of monetary payoffs, making an effort toward wellness is important — no matter the size of your business.
Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin, president and chief executive officer, Tribe Inc.
