No one will ever fill Andy Rooney’s shoes
For as long as I can remember, the treat of the weekend was at the end of “60 Minutes” in the words and persona of Andy Rooney. His talent at diverting our attention for a moment was as marvelous as it was simple. He used props of everyday items — things he saw in stores, on his desk or gifts received from viewers — to express profound truths about himself and about us all.
He never took himself seriously and it was clear he held his audience in the highest esteem — sensing a duty which was almost holy. No one will ever fill Andy’s shoes, but we can appreciate his uncanny knack for finding a kernel of truth in every minute — which made the minutes we spent together with him all the more priceless. Thank you, Andy.
Lawson Thompson, Marietta
Writer probably hasn’t worked in many years
Congratulations to the author of “Government is paying people not to work” (Readers write, Opinion, Nov. 7 ) for having grown up during the Depression and for having an intimate knowledge of salaries and unemployment benefits. One must question what jobs the writer is talking about that pay near the poverty level. The writer probably hasn’t worked in a couple of decades. Maybe he is talking about his last salary or the “government doles”: Social Security and Medicaid. As one who works on behalf of the unemployed, let me assure the writer that those during the Depression were no better than job seekers of today. As in the 1930s, the vast majority want to work and will accept well below what they made previously. Remember the reason unemployment insurance was created: to help mitigate the effects of economic hard times.
ALfred M. Smith, Marietta
Pure, simple, they’re government extortion
Georgia’s HOT lanes are government extortion, pure and simple. The government takes away one of the lanes we (the taxpayers) built, and then tells us that if we want to use it, we have to pay. Taking that lane away makes the leftover lanes more crowded and increases congestion in the effort to extort the fees from us. It is galling and loathsome.
Please, somebody tell me who is responsible for this!
Jim Barton, Atlanta
Insurers go to great lengths to avoid paying
I look forward to your upcoming report “The Alzheimer’s generation.” My elderly mother is afflicted with this insidious disease. I am particularly interested in the financial toll on Alzheimer’s families. I encourage you to investigate the lengths to which insurers will go to avoid paying claims for Alzheimer’s care. Judging from the numbers in “The Alzheimer’s generation” (News, Nov. 6), I imagine the problem will only get worse.
Karl Koning, Cumming
