DEATH PENALTY
People not infallible, so avoid executions
The death penalty costs too much, takes too long, invites abuses and doesn’t work. The possibility of being executed is not a deterrent for criminals who commit capital crimes. It takes years from conviction to punishment, causing justice to be delayed — and thereby denied. If the accused is indigent, lawyers are tempted to raid the defense fund. Witnesses of questionable integrity are tempted to offer false testimony in exchange for lenient treatment in their cases.
God doesn’t make mistakes. Humans do, and those mistakes cannot be corrected after an innocent person is executed. There are better solutions (such as life without parole).
Tony Gardner, Cumming
POLITICS
Columnist should look for facts over fiction
Regarding “Nasty mood in U.S. could worsen” (Opinion, Sept. 29) by Leonard Pitts, this may be the worst column that the AJC has ever printed. “Nasty mood” is what Pitts is in. There was not one fact in this piece. If you want to print fiction, then start a new section: “Columnists who have no facts to support Obama, so let’s just make stuff up.”
Gene Henry, Atlanta
DEFICIT
All income earners could pay a little more
Why don’t we all help reduce the deficit? We know that the government cannot keep spending our money at a faster rate than it collects it without an ever-increasing deficit. However, our political parties seem to only want the “other guys” to carry the costs of reducing the deficit. Why not do something as simple as this: Have all earners — regardless of their income — pay an additional $10 for every $5,000 of gross income they earn each year? That would require all income earners to contribute to the reduction in the deficit.
The beauty of the program is that everyone pays something, and it is all based on what the individual earns before tax deductions. Everyone who has any income has to pay something — that is what makes it a fair concept.
Flynn Clyburn, Madison
UNEMPLOYMENT
With bad times, jobless become easy target
Regarding “State may cut aid to jobless” (News, Sept. 28), the shortsightedness of our elected officials never ceases to amaze me. Did they think in 2000 that we would always have low unemployment? They should never have given employers a tax holiday in the first place, but to repeatedly extend it was inexcusably reckless. Now, they want to take it out on the unemployed when so many have been out of work for long periods of time.
If they had ever studied economics, they would know that the only thing that will create more jobs is putting more money into the pockets of those who will spend it.
Mary Bagwell, Atlanta
