Institutional abuse
Response to “Parents build bond from quest for justice.” News, Aug. 28
I grew up with four siblings. The fourth was physically and mentally challenged. I was shocked to read “Parents build bond from quest for justice” (News, Aug. 28). I was more outraged to hear that other teachers and administrators did nothing to stop this. It is unconscionable that those who should have protected these children did nothing. Suzanne Everitt Muccino, RoswellWhat happened to boys, moms is just criminal
I was sickened to read about the mothers whose sons were abused by a teacher for years (“Parents build bond from quest for justice,” News, Aug. 28). What was especially appalling was that the principal of a school and another employee supposedly knew about this horrible situation and did nothing about it.
The teacher knew these students couldn’t verbalize this abuse to their parents. Where were the other teachers in the school? Didn’t they hear anything?
The experience Judy Marshall and Lisa Williams had was the exact opposite that I had in all of my years as the parent of a special-education student in Fulton County schools. My son is 21 years old and just graduated from these schools. Mike was always treated with kindness by his teachers. I felt they were all hardworking, underpaid, and dedicated to educating their students. I’m sorry that Lisa Williams and Judy Marshall didn’t have the same positive experience with special education that I did. What happened to them and their children is just criminal.
Joni Pelta, Atlanta
MEDICARE
Glorifying Reagan ignores awful truths
Kyle Wingfield writes about U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s recent speech (“The spirit of Reagan in Rubio,” Opinion, Aug. 28). In the mold of “government get out of the way” Reaganism, Marco, a rising GOP star, concludes that government has crowded out former traditional ways of taking care of those in need. He seems to indicate that programs such as Medicare and Social Security have weakened the strength of the country’s prosperity. I think it is fair to say that traditional ways were woefully inadequate or nonexistent. People were turned into beggars. Better ways needed to be found. Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid came into being, and society has benefited immensely.
Ronald Reagan was an admired American. A danger, though, is that politicians and others reinvent themselves in his mold. They tend to loosely connect their ideas to the Reagan aura — for example, the privatization of Medicare and Social Security. Privatization would add a new layer of costly overhead. A better approach would be to make a series of reasonable modifications over time that would not only enhance the current systems, but lower the overall costs.
Jerry Hulshult, Canton
STREET NAMES
Find less-disruptive way to honor our late leaders
Regarding “Preserving street names, history” (Opinion, Aug. 31): Atlanta, please stop this madness. The taxpayers of Atlanta deserve a counterpoint position statement by City Council members who support this expenditure. On the surface, it is unconscionable that our leaders would decide to spend this scarce public money now (or any other time) and impose real costs on affected businesses for absolutely no benefit.
Surely a better approach to honor architect John C. Portman Jr. would be to create something that actually enhances our community. There must be a very compelling reason why this street renaming is justified, and we would welcome the City Council’s articulation of considerations that led to this decision.
Bryan Webb, Atlanta
POLITICS
Why it’s time to launch a fourth political party
Many Americans have no doubt grasped at the straw of an emerging third party as a solution to our political gridlock. A name for this party has become apparent in the congressional rantings following Hurricane Irene. The most appropriate — the Penurious, Penny-Pinching Party — has a catchy ring. It could be set to music.
I never thought I’d see the day when the United States could not help its poorer victims of a natural disaster without depriving other victims of joblessness and illness of needed aid. I keep recalling a childhood post-storm road trip in Mexico, in which whole families sat stranded for days without government help.
Before this state is actually reached here, I would like to suggest the formation of a fourth party. We could name it FOWB (or Friends of Warren B).
Mr. Buffett, just tell me where to send the money.
Barbara Rives, Stone Mountain
Good old days of voting weren’t so good for some
“Right to cast ballot is a privilege, not a right” (Readers write, Opinion, Sept. 1) has it exactly backward.
In the United States of America, voting is a right — unless this writer wants to go back to the days when certain classes of people were prevented from voting by poll taxes and other practices. He apparently would like to go back to the landowner/serf system where only the privileged classes had any rights (which is the direction this country seems to be headed anyway).
Lou Troughton, Marietta
