Vote this tax out! It’s feeding a hog trough
Michael Julian Bond’s column (“Prepare to cut back on multiple 1-cent taxes,” Opinion, March 4 ) hit the nail on the head.
Why does E-SPLOST need to remain in place? Years after it was implemented under “urgent need,” the school population has diminished by half but the tax continues. This is another example of a bureaucracy ( Atlanta Public Schools) following the basic principle “grow thyself.” Well, Beverly Hall did need a fat bonus to grease her road to ruin, didn’t she?
Citizens, please vote this tax out at your next opportunity. It’s feeding a hog trough.
Bob Eberwein, Atlanta
Columnist falls into trap of all the others
George Will’s “Future is not lost, even if White House is not won” (Opinion, March 4) is convincing evidence that the Republicans’ backup goal, in the event Barack Obama wins the November election, is to obstruct the Democrats and prevent any major legislation from being passed during the ensuing four years.
Instead of opining that Republicans should try to work with Obama to improve the state of the union, should the president win re-election, one of the leading voices of the Republican Party seems to place party politics ahead of country by preemptively writing off even an attempt at legislative cooperation during the next term.
I would have thought (and wished) that Will, who I had always believed to be a more reasoned commentator of the Republican ilk, would not have fallen into the trap of hopeless, divisive partisanship which of late seems to be the fate of so many politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Larry J. Pett, Atlanta
Ten Commandments worth spending on?
How sad that, while in recent years, our state Legislature has cut education budgets by billions of dollars, it feels that costly court battles over the Ten Commandments display are worth spending money on.
I believe that in schools and public buildings, one religion should not be privileged over another — that one religion’s documents ought not be officially displayed while other religions’ documents go unmentioned. America’s Founding Fathers, chary of the collaboration between the England’s government and its official religion, ratified in our nation’s Constitution that no law should be made establishing an official religion.
Robert Clements, Athens
Response to ‘Mystery illness meets its match’ (Living, March 4)
All day long, we read stories about corruption, death, greed and hate. Finally, there is a glimmer of hope and optimism against all odds. “Mystery illness meets its match” is not just about good medicine, good doctors and lucky patients. It is about life, love, gratitude and people caring about one another — or, as the subtitle suggests, truly “extraordinary people.” Thank you.
Cliff Mazer, Atlanta
