Columnist improves on the ‘prattle’ about Paul
Mary Sanchez’s column about Ron Paul (“Contrarian candidate for hope and change,” Opinion, Jan. 17) goes the way almost all editorials about Paul go: Many people, left and right, empathize with Paul’s concerns and views, but the nation couldn’t survive his medicine — and now we know he’s got decades-old baggage.
Sanchez improves on the general prattle by pulling out the real reason for his success — raising our disdain for corruption to the top of our priority list. What Sanchez and others may be missing about Paul are the extremes he believes would never be put into practice. He is provocative and “in it” to get his ideas and positions on the table, and to generate a buzz and a future mandate. I wonder if people would vote for him if they believed that he would moderate his actions in practice?
Tom Doolittle, Atlanta
Why one 6-year term should be the rule
No president should ever again be a candidate for office. He or she should enjoy the exalted status for six years and retire with dignity. Because the Republicans announced early on they intended to restrict him to one term, President Barack Obama has been the object of relentless attacks. The other countries of the world are dismayed by this strife — causing them to doubt our ability to lead.
In their first terms, the behavior of all presidents is affected by their prospects for re-election. They don’t carry through entirely on policy implementations they promised those who elected them. Without the prospect of being re-elected, presidents could concentrate on their legacy. Representatives and senators in the other parties could be the “loyal opposition” they are supposed to be in a democracy. They could argue for their ideologies — without spending time, energy and money to deny the president’s re-election bid. The rest of the world could be assured that what our president is saying and doing is exactly what he or she believes is in the best interests of the United States —and the rest of the world. Harris Green, Big Canoe
Georgia should learn from South Carolina
Our family visits the beaches in South Carolina several times each year. Our drive is made easier by stops at the neat, modern and well-placed rest stops in South Carolina.
For some reason, our state has closed rest stops on I-85 north of Atlanta (and in some other parts of the state). This is very unfortunate. If these stops were closed in the interest of visitor safety, it would seem that we can take a cue from South Carolina on how they maintain control.
If a person who is up to no good stops there, a photo of the back of his vehicle and license plate would likely be a good deterrent. This seems to work to document traffic light violations at some intersections.
Ed Roach, Braselton
