Capitalism needs regulations, as toxic train derailment shows
The Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailment and chemical spill should be a good lesson for us. The Republican rallying cry against government regulation is totally misguided.
Capitalism needs regulations and legislation to control its focus on profits above all else — just like we need laws to direct human behavior on a course of good rather than selfishness and evil. Especially with the U.S. Supreme Court verdict in Citizens United, the monied capitalists use propaganda, lobbying and political contributions to thwart the best interests of Americans.
Examples are numerous: gun manufacturers (more guns, more deaths), fossil fuels companies (slowing climate change action), food industry (non-nutritional foods leading to unhealthy citizens), etc. We need government agencies and legislators to stand against pandering special interests.
Misinformation and falsehoods abound, with unfettered free speech and money distorting the truth. An informed populace needs a moral government and laws/regulations that promote the common good for all.
JOHN SHACKLETON, ATLANTA
Don’t make Georgia ratepayers pay for Plant Vogtle incompetence
I want to thank David Kyler for his in-depth opinion piece on the troubled Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant, “Plant Vogtle costs call for policy reforms” (Opinion, Feb. 15).
I also want to second his condemnation of the state legislature and the Public Service Commission for letting Georgia Power profit from their incompetence in building the two nuclear reactors.
I am a proponent of nuclear power. However, not holding Southern Co. responsible for shoddy workmanship and cost overruns is not the way to build trust for the creation of future power plants. It is inconceivable that all Georgia ratepayers, including the destitute and the elderly, are forced to pay for these overruns while Southern Co. records record profits and its investors receive a hefty profit.
Hopefully, the spike in electric bills will cause Georgia voters to pay more attention to the PSC elections and to hold their representatives accountable for writing Southern Co. a blank check.
ERIC DUSENBURY, ATLANTA
