Tax evasion weakens economy, country
Jay Bookman’s piece on the European debt crisis (“Watching Europe’s financial crisis from afar, and hoping,” ajc.com, Nov. 10) pointed out a factor that is certainly crucial to the financial situation in Europe and, to some extent, here in the United States: evading taxes.
Everyone hates taxes — especially when they are excessive and mishandled.
That having been said, they are essential — just as productivity and efficiency are in the operation of a well run-economy.
Let’s go back to the avoidance of paying taxes.
Most historians agree that there were two principle reasons that the Roman Empire failed: the widespread avoidance of taxes and the overextension of the armies.
Do either of these factors “ring a bell” with us or the Europeans?
Bill Burns, Stone Mountain
Assistance to programs for the hungry needed
Hunger awareness is critical during the U.S. debt reduction discussions, as foreign assistance for food relief is on the chopping block.
Kirkwood United Church of Christ has committed to increasing its Soup Saturdays, raising money for its Neighbors in Need effort and collecting over 1,111 items of healthy food for the hungry in our community.
As the Horn of Africa suffers its worst drought in years, this is not the time to slash life-saving accounts —some of the most cost-effective programs in the entire federal budget.
Let us encourage Congress to continue to provide humanitarian assistance for emergency and sustainable food programs locally and internationally.
Rev. Susannah M. Davis, pastor, Kirkwood United Church of Christ
City’s police response to protesters overdone
I experienced great sadness seeing Atlanta’s response to the Occupy Atlanta protestors.
Zooming motorcycles, mounted police, and a helicopter circling overhead do not create a climate of calm.
For a “city too busy to hate,” the atmosphere created by an assemblage of police in all of these modes does not bode well.
Would that our city’s police department and our mayor take lessons from Occupy San Francisco.
The response of the authorities in Atlanta gave the appearance of being over the top.
Not knowing what was happening, one would have thought the television images were coming from a police state situated in the Middle East — with an overthrow of a major dictator in progress.
Elizabeth Sully, Atlanta
