Many unanswered questions about Trump’s “declassified” documents
A former U.S. commander-in-chief said he automatically declassified numerous highly classified documents he took to his residence when his federal employment terminated.
As a retired military officer, like thousands of others, I was often responsible for ensuring the security of classified documents and treating them with the greatest respect. Any classification downgrade required strict documentation. No one was allowed to take classified documents “home.”
If he and any subservient consider the White House documents unclassified, not requiring secrecy, why didn’t they create the legally required records and why haven’t they urged sharing the now-unclassified documents with the press and historians?
K.E. HAYASHI, CAPTAIN (RET.), U.S. NAVY, DECATUR
Student debt forgiveness unfair to those who paid off their loans
Why are so many Americans upset with President Biden forgiving outstanding student loan debt? After all, is not education the foundation of a stable and prosperous society? Is not education in the best interest of our nation?
So what if these students signed a promissory note to repay their indebtedness when they borrowed the funds? And, of course, individuals have an obligation to honor such a commitment. Does it matter that, with this program, students who failed to fulfill their commitment that said commitment now shifts to other Americans? Other Americans WHO perhaps either worked themselves to fund a college education or, if they borrowed money, repaid the loan as promised.
What’s wrong with that? Wait, I think I just answered my original question.
MICHAEL L. SHAW, STONE MOUNTAIN
Student debt relief no different than other tax benefits
For folks upset about seeing their tax money benefit others, I’ll point them to my grandparents, who lived in a five-story walk-up tenement in a part of New York with a greater population density than Calcutta. Yet, they still saw some of their taxes used to bring electricity to hillbillies in Alabama.
Although I never had my own children, I’ve paid taxes to run schools for other peoples’ kids throughout my entire work life. Sometimes the line in the Constitution’s preamble about promoting the general welfare means you’re not the direct beneficiary. There’s a good chance you know someone who is and could use $10K worth of payments lifted off of their backs.
STEVE KANER, TUCKER
Why does Atlanta struggle along with inadequate mass transit?
I was recently in Portland, Oregon, where an extensive light rail system is inexpensive to ride, seems efficient and goes everywhere. New York, Washington and San Francisco also have extensive transit systems.
MARTA was created in 1971. Now, 50 years later, we are still talking about where to expand, whether to build light rail, heavy rail, or express bus lanes and how we’ll pay for it. Projections seem to run 20 and 30 years out.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the first proposed express bus route will now cost 49% more than expected and take a year longer to complete, possibly endangering other projects.
I’m sure the answer to this question is complicated, but why are other cities able to build and complete extensive public transit systems while we just seem to be struggling along?
RICHARD H. SIEGEL, ATLANTA
