STATE SEN. BALFOUR
Prosecution may deter citizens from seeking office
Attorney General Sam Olens knew, or should have known, that he didn’t have even a slight possibility of convicting State Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville. Tens of thousands of tax dollars were spent, resulting in a verdict of not guilty by a jury of his peers. A couple hours of the investigators’ time spent with the legislative financial director would have shown they had no case.
The investigation should have been recognized early on as a political wild goose chase. What was its real purpose?
The Attorney General surely understood that this investigation would cause months of pain, suffering and public humiliation to the senator, his wife and son, who was away in the military.
Will the senator be reimbursed for this injustice and the thousands of dollars it cost him in his defense? Probably not. What a tragedy. It’s no wonder that qualified citizens are reluctant to run for public office.
A.C. "BOB" GUHL, MONROE
‘BRIDGEGATE’
Furor over Gov. Christie ignores Dem scandals
Isn’t it amazing as to how much ink and air time “Bridgegate” is attracting (“Christie scandal inquiry intensifies,” News, Jan 14). In this case, no one died and the traffic jam was no worse than Atlanta’s at 6 p.m.? Why aren’t the IRS, NSA, Benghazi, and Fast and Furious scandals attracting one-tenth as much attention? Oh, yeah, that would focus on Democrat-overseen initiatives. Shame on me for momentarily forgetting those are “hands off” subjects for the majority of the liberal media.
P.D. GOSSAGE, JOHNS CREEK
GLOBAL WARMING
Some will use any weather events in push to prove climate change
A writer (“Understanding may help those who don’t believe,” Letters, Jan. 12), complains of those who still question the notion of global warming. If these denial heretics would simply “listen to scientists” says he, the light bulb would go on to understand that “the theory predicts more severe winters.”
Faced with conflicting weather patterns around the world, it seems global warming alarmists are able to squeeze just about any environmental outcomes into their theories. It’s like mama’s giant kettle of stew. Whatever is tossed in becomes part of the soup.
Are temperatures rising? That’s global warming. Frigid winters? Global warming. More rain? Less rain? Snow? Hurricanes? Tornadoes? Balmy weather? All global warming.
As columnist Mona Charen recently chimed in, “The heart of the scientific method is disproof. Skepticism then, not unflagging belief in any particular theory of climate change, is the mark of the truly enlightened mind.”
ALAN FOSTER, ACWORTH
EDUCATION
Cobb shouldn’t foist
taxes on rest of state
I find it appalling that the group “Face It Cobb” is suggesting taxing the non-Cobb County citizens of our state to fund the Cobb school system (“Parents push school funding,” Metro, Jan. 5). Cobb currently has a school tax exemption for all homeowners who are 62 years of age or older. In Fulton County, where I live, one continues to pay school taxes throughout one’s entire life.
Shame on the “Face It” people who do not tax their own citizens (62 and over) in support of their schools and expect those of us financially supporting our own schools to pick up the estimated $80 million deficit! County school taxes are certainly a burden for seniors in non-Cobb County. It’s very nice that Cobb has eliminated these taxes, but please don’t ask the rest of the state to make up the difference.
GEORGE P. HERGEN, Roswell
