Nation’s founders warned against ‘unfit ruler’
Thinking ahead to the next presidential election, we might consider these phrases from our Declaration of Independence: “He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us ... .
He has constrained our fellow Citizens ... to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren ... He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us ... .”
I agree with the country’s founders: “A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
BILL BROWN, ATLANTA
New Medicaid program jeopardizes hard workers
Georgia’s Pathways to Progress Medicaid program makes Georgians choose between working a few more hours a year and putting themselves at risk of losing health insurance.
The program provides Medicaid coverage for those earning less than the federal poverty level (FPL) of $14,580 a year and working at least 80 hours a month.
A Georgian using Pathways who earns $15/hour and works a little more than one hour a month more than 80 hours, will lose access to Medicaid.
Any rational person receiving Pathways coverage will decline additional work hours if it means losing coverage. The result will be an underclass of Georgians who can, at best, work half-time, for fear of losing health insurance — a perverse result given Pathway’s focus on getting people to work.
ROLAND J. BEHM, ATLANTA
Deleting race as a criterion is a loss for all students
The Supreme Court has ruled that colleges may no longer use race as a criterion in accepting students. The idea is that by using race, colleges accepted students less qualified than many they rejected. Benefiting from this now-banned process were many Black, Hispanic, and Native American students. It would seem that deleting race as a specific factor might improve academic intensity and achievement for the essentially white majority.
But the fly in the ointment is that white students’ college experiences will be lessened. If education means learning about oneself and how one is to relate to the modern world, losing significant interracial opportunities to develop thoughtful relationships outside their own class deprives the privileged majority of a much-needed probing of their understanding of race. The result will be lopsided graduates likely to further their own interests and those of their class at the expense of national well-being.
How can the country become better if it is forced to shrink its perspective?
RICKS CARSON, ATLANTA
Time to go bold with clean energy reforms
An AJC Independence Day front-page article states, “..clean energy sector will accelerate...”. Good. We need to expedite replacing dirty emissions with zero-emission sources.
Why? Read the AJC’s July 3 story, “New abnormal -- more wildfires, more smoke.” If we don’t lower emissions, Earth’s ecosystems will worsen in future years. We need to add a sustainable living index to our obsession with increasing the gross national product. See the Apple TV series “Extrapolations” for possible consequences of inaction.
The Environmental Defense Fund declares it’s time to go bold, to “set a path toward a cleaner, safer, healthier world that will protect our families and future generations.”
How? Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s current legislative asks are 1.) Pass clean energy permitting reforms; 2.) Prepare for the European Union’s carbon border adjustment; 3.) Assess a carbon production fee on fossil fuel companies and return the revenue to the people as a carbon cashback.
Ask Congress to act - boldly. Then thank them.
BOB JAMES, ATLANTA
