Forget war on terror; declare war on fat
We are not just a slightly overweight nation. We are an obese nation. This pandemic is the biggest threat to each of us and to our children.
I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s and remember a time when there was no McDonald’s or Burger King. It was unusual to see more than one or two people in my neighborhood who were overweight.
The size of men and women today is truly frightening. Sizes XXL and beyond are not unusual. Forget the war on terror. We are killing ourselves with what we choose to put in our bodies.
It is time for Americans to stop eating fast foods, to start walking daily and to make fruits and vegetables their No. 1 choices in foods (not hamburgers and fries).
I have heard people grumbling about first lady Michelle Obama telling us what we should and should not eat. It is high time for government to speak up loud and clear about this problem. This is the role of government (or at least it should be). We need to be shown a better way.
William E. Lynch, Adairsville
Anti-mandate rhetoric sickeningly familiar
Opponents of President Barack Obama’s mandate concerning the purchase of health insurance want us to believe that this move would lead us into socialism.
When Medicare was introduced, the same dire predictions were told to the public. Ronald Reagan participated in a campaign in opposition to Medicare being passed. What was used back then were scare tactics and rhetoric — just like now.
It’s truly sad that we are the richest nation in the world, yet only a few can afford health insurance. The costs continue to rise. The health care companies are getting richer and we’re receiving less care. Maybe Obama’s health care mandate can level the playing field and everyone can receive health care. We have to try something.
Maria Acevedo, Marietta
At election time, please reprint lobbyist stories
The AJC has been giving us a daily dose of examples of the slimy behavior of our legislators regarding thousands in gifts from lobbyists.
All we can do now as readers is to shake our heads and curse. It would be fruitful if the AJC republished these examples in the two weeks prior to elections. Perhaps we can vote these legislators out.
R.T. Jackson, Atlanta
MARTA
Response to “Mass transit system deserves more support.” Readers write, Opinion, April 8
It is disheartening to realize that MARTA may have to cut back service. Thus, I was delighted to read this recent letter to the editor. As the writer pointed out, a lot of people rely on MARTA to get to and from work, and each person on public transit represents one less car on the road. Atlanta is becoming a world-class city, but we will never achieve that status without public transit to match. One reason MARTA lacks the funds to provide better service is the ludicrous restriction on how the agency may spend its assets. (Another reason is the lack of state funding.) Because Atlanta is Georgia’s capital and largest city, surely what benefits Atlanta benefits the state. We need to pressure our state government to not only loosen MARTA’s purse, but to allow state funds to provide capital to expand bus and rail service.
Freya Harris, Atlanta
