Special treatment for Bulldog athletes must end
If Kirby Smart wants to inspire Bulldog athletes, he should begin by having them treated equally under the law. Providing special assistance to athletes who have been arrested is a flagrant disregard for one of the noblest principles of our legal system.
Importantly, if players know they will be bailed out within hours of any arrest, how can they be expected to understand that law-abiding is important and that illegal actions have consequences?
The special treatment should end. If not, UGA football will be forever “dogged” by player misconduct.
C.R. VANTREESE, MARIETTA
Complexity of human development not considered today
How is it that people who know nothing about the complex science of human development in the womb think that they have the right to criticize, exclude and traumatize children and their parents who do not “fit” the visual and behavioral mode of white, Black, Asian, you-name-it heterosexuals? Righteous lawmakers, suppose you discover that one of your brave children is actually gay or transgender?
Do you know why many people are gay or transgender? Scientific reasons include their in-utero fetal development creating genetic and chromosomal pathways different from the more usual heterosexual pathway, and/or because they may have been physically, sexually, or emotionally traumatized by a parent at critical, emotionally developmental ages, which contributes to their decision to live differently from their gender norm.
Human development from conception is no more perfect and predictable than who we become as grown-ups, with or tragically without the love, mature guidance and societal support we all need and have a right to expect and experience.
CAROLINE DOTT, PH.D., LCSW, SANDY SPRINGS
Good governance requires regulations and oversight
Mike Luckovich’s cartoon on March 14 was a realistic depiction of the consequences of the former president’s disastrous policies.
Unraveling the safety regulations for the railway industry has led to hazardous and dangerous accidents causing death and environmental damage. And lessening oversight of the banking industry caused banks to fail and created a panic resulting in stock markets falling and inflation rising.
The irony is that Republicans will cry that the government is not doing enough. However, no matter what the current federal government does to try to remedy the situation, Republicans will point fingers at blame rather than acknowledge that the true reason for these failures is due to their own misguided actions.
Maybe these catastrophes will help them realize that good governance requires an obligation to regulate our industries and corporations in a way that leads to responsible operations to safeguard the American people.
DEEDEE MURPHY, ATLANTA
Raising truck weight limits would add to road hazards
Driving east to west on I-285 last week, I noticed that my car often went blippity-blip over bumps caused by large potholes.
The next morning I saw an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article stating that legislators are proposing a new bill that would allow raising the maximum weight limits of big trucks on our highways. These legislators ignore the obvious dangers inherent in raising these limits as spelled out by the Georgia Department of Transportation, local municipal and county officials and various safety experts.
Apparently, legislators think constituents want even bigger potholes. Or it would be interesting to know if owners of companies related to the construction and repair of roadways make it more attractive for legislators to attend to their wish lists rather than show concern for the safety and lives of constituents.
PEGGY O’SHAUGHNESSEY, AVONDALE ESTATES
