Sports complex design must be built to last
Regarding “New home or old Dome?” (Metro, April 29), are the Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority wise enough to design a new stadium to meet future needs?
The new stadium is planned to have a retractable roof and a $1 billion cost, with a portion paid by a tax added to hotel- room bills.
One compelling need for a new stadium is accommodation of preferences of club-seat buyers which have trended from the mid-level tier to the “lower bowl.”
The Georgia Dome opened in 1992, but no longer meets needs that have changed.
What went wrong?
Twenty years from now, will another stadium be needed?
Tony Gardner, Cumming
Don’t let NRA dictate weapons policy in U.S.
I think the television media has it all wrong.
A teen was killed by a neighborhood-watch volunteer, and television has played the tragedy as racial.
This situation is not about race — it’s about guns, and perceived fear.
Florida is not the Wild West.
When a person straps on a handgun and goes out looking for trouble, he finds it — whether it’s real or not.
Handguns aren’t used for deer, turkey, bear or small game hunting; they are used for people hunting.
I blame the NRA for fostering a climate of fear.
The NRA somehow became an entity that shapes gun legislation — to the detriment of us all.
Put the NRA back in its place as a gun club (and nothing more).
Patricia Evans, Mountain Park
Local control is best in setting curriculum
Regarding “Sweeping changes to hit schools” (News, April 30), the new national “common core” academic standards are coming. We should remember our previous experiences with national standards.
We had national standards for U.S. history and national standards for civics and government.
These were so filled with liberal propaganda that they were eventually rejected.
We also had national math standards which were denounced by mathematicians and parents.
Responsibility for education has been assigned to the states (not the federal government).
That way, each state might try something a little different and we can see what works best.
A national, one-size-fits-all curriculum will stifle innovation and flexibility.
It will be susceptible to influence by special interests in Washington.
In the last few decades, as the federal government has gotten more involved in education, we have spent more — and gotten poorer results.
Central control is a bad idea.
Bill Whitlow, Norcross
