Readers write

Weeping Time site deserves protection

Yes, protect, preserve and recognize the horror of The Weeping Time by dedicating this site to the memory of those whose grotesque experiences serve as tangible reminders of our national existence (“The race to preserve ‘Weeping Time’ slave sale site,” AJC.com, Feb. 24).

Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Kennesaw Mountain, Chickamauga, Wounded Knee, The Trail of Tears and other memorials remind us that our history overflows with pride and shame; wins and losses. The Weeping Time site reminds us that Americans must include all of us, today and tomorrow.

DONALD WEISSMAN, EVANS

Election threats undermine voter confidence

Just in the last few weeks, we have witnessed an avalanche of threats to our elections.

In addition to the FBI raid, we have seen members of the State Election Board trumpeting it on the Steve Bannon podcast, as well as some publicly calling for a takeover of Fulton County elections, and heard threats from the president to nationalize election administration and to place ICE agents outside polling places.

While an AJC poll last October showed that more than 80% of Georgia voters have confidence in our elections for 2026, these recent events are undermining that confidence just as we go into a major midterm election year.

The year 2020 was very challenging for all of us participating in elections, as we implemented a complex new election system in the middle of a pandemic, during which many poll workers refused to work. As a new poll worker and manager, I also had an entirely new team in a new location.

The positive operational changes since the election cannot be overemphasized. Our election system in DeKalb County is literally unrecognizable from 2020. And I believe that it is no different in Fulton County. From what I have learned in speaking with Fulton County peers, they are also continuously improving operations, as evidenced by the independent reviews conducted in 2022 and 2024.

It is time to move on from 2020 and have the State Election Board focus on what they can do to support all counties and serve Georgia voters in 2026.

JANET GRANT, DECATUR

Government cannot operate on tariffs and sales tax

As the Republicans around the nation, including those in this very state, push to abolish the income tax, and as our president suggests replacing income taxes with tariffs, I must remind everyone in this state that the government will not run on hopes and goodwill.

Infrastructure, schools, military, health, law enforcement, courts and regulatory agencies all require money. The state and the country may scale back what they do, further pushing our standard of living ever closer to that of the third world, but money will be required for their diminished functioning.

Tariffs and sales taxes will undoubtedly explode. Fulton County has a sales tax rate that ranges from 7.75% to 8.9% (in the city limits of Atlanta). Imagine adding an additional 10%-20% to cover the state and federal governments’ liabilities. We are talking $0.18-$0.30 out of every $1.00 you spend in a time where $20 barely gets you four items at the grocery store.

If such a reality doesn’t immediately decrease demand and increase crime, it will certainly create an undue and harsh struggle for us all, as those same Republicans have made no policy suggestions that would better prepare the American public to shift from consumerism and excess to subsistence living.