Readers write

Time to vote and show ‘em who’s in charge

Voting season is upon us. Georgia’s early/advance voting is April 27 through May 15. The primary is on May 19.

Trump gave orders to congressional Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, one of the most restrictive voter suppression bills in history, because he’s terrified his war of choice and failed policies are making Americans — Republicans, independents, Democrats — realize how he’s made our lives miserable. Yet his minions jump to acquiesce.

Congressional Republicans are meekly complicit by voting to pass every bill Trump demands and supporting his every whim, no matter how adversely this affects their own voters. Our collective American misery and pain transcend party affiliation.

The Constitution gives Congress a coequal role in governing this country, but many congressional Republicans are not looking out for their own constituents. In the “Big Beautiful Bill,” they cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about 51% of Republicans report they or a family member have been on Medicaid. Republicans removed tax credits for ACA health insurance, when more than half of folks on ACA live in Republican districts.

“We the People” have the antidote: show congressional Republicans at the ballot box that we won’t take this anymore. We vote.

KATHLEEN COLLOMB, DECATUR

Wind energy is efficient and economically sound

Critics often focus on the drawbacks of wind energy, but a broader look at the evidence tells a different story.

While wind turbines do cause some bird mortality, fossil fuel extraction and combustion — especially from coal, oil, and gas — kill far more birds through habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Consider the recent listing of the emperor penguin as endangered — driven by melting sea ice, not turbines. That’s an entire species at risk due to the impacts of fossil fuels.

The issue of waste is also misunderstood. Retired turbine blades are a challenge, but they represent a relatively small and increasingly manageable waste stream. By contrast, coal ash contains toxic heavy metals and has contaminated waterways and communities across the country for decades.

Wind energy also offers a key economic advantage: price stability. Once turbines are installed, the energy they produce is largely insulated from volatile global markets and geopolitical tensions.