Don’t separate families; instead, reform the law
As a Christian, I strongly believe there is an undeniable responsibility to love and show compassion for the stranger among us.
Immigration reform should not be pushed off the table because it’s an election year. It’s an ongoing moral issue, and determines whether a family lives in poverty and whether a parent is separated from his or her child.
Comprehensive immigration reform is needed because in a family it is not just one person who is affected. Piecemeal approaches only help some while leaving others behind.
“Self-deportation” isn’t as easy as anti-immigrant activists make it sound. Making life miserable is not only discriminatory but is hateful toward people trying to work with the system (if given an opportunity). Attrition through enforcement is also ineffective.
The state laws being proposed are discriminatory in nature — and ultimately will not better our country’s immigration system.
Wesley Yaeger, Alpharetta
Use incentives to ease metro Atlanta gridlock
Tax incentives would be the quick and easy way to solve our traffic problems. These changes would also help stimulate economic activity while our housing market recovers.
Let’s give folks a 50 percent property-tax credit for living close to work. Let’s give additional tax credits for working at home and/or having flex-time schedules.
We could also decentralize workers by moving government jobs outside of Atlanta. Even if this means paying relocation costs for government workers, we would still come out far cheaper than the cost of T-SPLOST taxation. We are not taking advantage of the one thing Georgia has: plenty of land to expand. Centralization of Atlanta population benefits a few — but hinders quality of life and adds stress and long commutes.
By expanding outward and using these tax credits, we could see big changes quickly in our traffic congestion.
Lynn Everitt, Hoschton
Planned Parenthood deserving of support
I say “good riddance” to Karen Handel regarding her decision to step down from Susan G. Komen for the Cure (“Handel hits back as she steps down,” News, Feb. 8).
Her assertion that Planned Parenthood “unleashed a premeditated and vicious attack” is pure baloney — and evidence of her staunch anti-abortion agenda. Both Komen and Planned Parenthood provide innumerable services to women, including breast-cancer screenings, research, birth control and yearly gynecological checkups. Planned Parenthood is particularly deserving of funding from Komen — and any other group concerned about women’s health.
Kelly Seets, Dunwoody
