Readers Write 11/7

SOCIETY

Response to “Ending reefer madness.” Opinion, Oct. 31

While Cynthia Tucker’s piece considers many important issues, it ignores or misrepresents others.

The disproportion of jail or prison time between whites and blacks and other minorities convicted of marijuana use bears constant scrutiny. Also deserving scrutiny is the article’s claim that research suggests marijuana is no more detrimental than alcohol. While this is arguable, what it omits is not.

Impairment or intoxication from any substance is dangerous. Many people use alcohol to achieve impairment. Many others use it more moderately to relax or socialize. How likely is a marijuana user to smoke a joint with plans to avoid impairment? And for any who might, how many succeed?

Ron Walton, Carrollton

Stance on legalizing marijuana is unrealistic

Regarding “Ending reefer madness” (Opinion, Oct. 31), Cynthia Tucker claims in this endorsement of legalizing another crutch for the weak-minded that dysfunction in poor black neighborhoods is caused by fallout from marijuana being illegal; that black men make poor fathers, husbands and providers because they’re in jail. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if these fathers, husbands and providers didn’t smoke dope or sell dope, they wouldn’t be in jail in the first place.

Law-abiding, productive citizens in this country manage somehow to stay out of jail and find that liberal support for legalizing a harmful, addictive habit is contrary to sensible, adult reasoning. It’s also doubtful that Tucker would light up in front of her child even if Proposition 19 were approved. I think her support for it was another of her attempts to appear provocative, rather than realistic. Jack Franklin, Conyers

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Other Southern cities got nothin’ on Atlanta

In “New South capital looks vulnerable” (Opinion, Oct. 26), a columnist questioned if Atlanta may face slower growth, while cities such as Charlotte and Nashville overtake us. The short answer is no.

Atlanta’s core assets are not something other cities can build overnight: the busiest airport in the world; a reputation as a hip city that leads the nation in attracting college-educated young professionals; 57 colleges and universities; a low cost of doing business; and a high quality of life.

That’s why legendary companies such as Coca-Cola, the Home Depot, and Delta Air Lines give Atlanta bragging rights as the city with the fourth-highest concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters in the nation.

It’s true that Atlanta needs to invest in its infrastructure. And we are.

In 2010, Georgia passed a transportation funding bill that would allow voters to approve the single biggest infrastructure investment in Georgia’s recent history, and a landmark water conservation bill. And Mayor Kasim Reed just won $47.6 million in federal funding for streetcars.

Cities like Nashville and Charlotte benefit from the connectivity of Atlanta’s airport, and our business muscle. The competition is no longer regional, but global. We want to be like London, Toronto and Shanghai.

With more than 2,400 international companies here, and 65 foreign consulates or trade offices, it’s no wonder diplomats from all over the world chose Atlanta this year when the U.S. State Department asked them which U.S. cities they would most like to visit.

So keep your bets on Atlanta. We’ve got the world in our sights.

Hans Gant, Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber

POLITICS

Words of warning for Republican winners

The GOP has taken the House and hopefully will take the following message: You did not win; rather, the Democrats lost. This does not mean we want you to enact a socially conservative agenda. You were elected for two reasons: You are not Democrats, and you said you would help shrink the government. Continue to not be Democrats, and make some serious efforts toward reducing the size and scope of our federal government, and you might just win more in 2012. Neglect what we sent you to D.C. to do, and you’ll be back home in two years. Ben Skott, Roswell

AMENDMENT 2

Wounded by the refusal to fund trauma care

I want to say how disgusted and disappointed I am that Georgians refused to take responsibility for their own health by voting against funding the trauma system legislation.

The cost is less than 3 cents a day per vehicle to ensure that if you get hurt in rural Georgia, you will make it out of there alive before you bleed out from your injuries. I’ve practiced emergency medicine in Georgia for over 27 years and have seen the results of severe, traumatic injuries from auto crashes. It’s not pretty, and it’s really maddening to know that faster transport to a trauma hospital could have saved a life or lessened the severity of the injuries in these victims.