Debate is definitely needed on tax plan
I completely agree with Commissioner Steve Brown (“Transit costs more than it gives,” Opinion, March 25) concerning a debate on the pros and cons of the Transportation Investment Act.
The debate needs to be between Atlanta’s chamber of commerce and a panel of knowledgeable people in opposition to the Transportation Investment Act.
Since many, many people in the region are against the T-SPLOST, the debate should be accessible to everyone through the Internet.
Steve Smithfield, Fayetteville
Ditch the feds; keep money in states’ hands
Regarding “Suspicious scores across the nation” (News, March 25), it is no surprise that a system that doles out money based on test scores should create widespread fraud.
When the federal government takes the states’ money and then redistributes it, the likelihood of fraud increases. The bigger the bureaucracy, the harder it is to manage. Let’s give it back to the states and abolish the Department of Education. They failed.
Patti Benton, Alpharetta
AJC investigation is journalism at its finest
Regarding “Suspicious scores across the nation” (News, March 25), this is journalism at its finest! This should be the goal of all newspapers worldwide.
John Shepard, Lawrenceville
Thanks for exposing hypocrisy
Once again, I want to thank you for your outstanding watchdog effort to expose the hypocrisy of U.S. Rep. Tom Graves and Sen. Chip Rogers (“Loan deal raises issues,” News, March 27).
Using the “good-old-boy” approach, they managed to get a multimillion-dollar loan and wrangle a loan-forgiveness deal. At the end of the day, the loss eventually ends up at the doorstep of the FDIC. That means we, the taxpayers, will eat the loss.
After listening to their fiscal and individual responsibility rant over the past several years, we once again find that actions that apply to the “little people” in the course of our daily lives do not apply to them. Voters, do not put them back in office.
Keep up the good work, AJC.
John Kohler, Lawrenceville
Column about fathers hits home for a mother
Thank you so much for the Maureen Dowd column about Mike Nichols and a father’s influence on sons (“Fathers cast long shadows over the lives of their sons,” Opinion, March 25).
My husband was in the Navy in Key West in 1942 administering X-rays. He died at the age of 38, leaving four young sons, ages 2 to 12.
Your column will mean so much to our sons and their families. I am most grateful.
Annette Z. Tinter Easton, Atlanta
Response to “Employers driven to fight traffic mess,” Opinion, March 25.
I have lived in metro Atlanta for 25 years. The traffic was bad in the past and it is bad now. For most government officials and citizens, the solution is always to build more roads or increase public transportation. The AJC’s editorial calls for more taxes. Once again, the “solution” is no longer how to fix the traffic problem, but how to pay for it.
Not everyone can telecommute, but it is time for employers to embrace the technology available and start learning to trust their employees to do their jobs. That is the way to fix the problem — no new roads, no new emission laws, no new MARTA buses and trains and no new taxes.
Rick Barnett, Johns Creek
