Country needs president who is honest
Even though I cannot vote yet, I believe that it is not fair and should not be allowed for former President Donald Trump to run in this year’s election.
One of the reasons behind that is that he has been convicted of 34 felonies. I feel that this country should be run by honest people and people with a clean background.
WEBB BRISTOW, SANDY SPRINGS
BOY SCOUT TROOP 463
Expand mass transit, not express lanes
Here we go again! Express lanes are inherently unfair. Wealthy households love them. Working-class households can’t afford them.
Instead of giving the upper middle class and the rich their own lanes, funding has got to be poured into mass transportation. We need a MARTA train system that effectively serves the entire metro area. The train lines then need to be linked to a web of trolleys, light rail and buses running in their own dedicated lanes where possible.
We should be constructing a mass transportation system that makes the need for personal autos redundant. Stop pandering to the elite! Make transportation work for everyone. Toll roads are a temporary fix and cop-out.
JAKE DAVENPORT, COLLEGE PARK
Prisons should address staffing shortages first
I applaud the AJC’s coverage of our state prison problems. This is obviously a crisis, but I don’t see any real work being done to fix it. The staffing shortage seems to be most crucial, and that’s no wonder since it is not a very desirable job. Make the jobs that deal directly with the prison population as desirable as possible with good pay and benefits, and then shorten the workweek to 32 hours with overtime pay for any hours over that.
Secondly, there’s the contraband problem, mostly drugs and cellphones. Make mandatory sentencing of some kind for anyone convicted of providing contraband to inmates, whether it be guards, other staff, visitors, attorneys or whoever. Then use jammers to stop cellphone usage.
If any of these things need laws changed or written, that’s where our Legislature and congressional delegation should be assisting. Georgia has a good war chest. Use it.
JOHN MARBURY, JESUP
Kemp is politician; Duncan is a leader
Thanks to Meagan Hanson for her Aug. 20 AJC essay, “In a world of grifters, we need Kemp.” But I do find it difficult to agree “that America needs more Brian Kemps.”
I would offer that the United States needs fewer Brian Kemps because he is a “politician.” Though I admire what he and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger did to stand up to former President Donald Trump and his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, I cannot fathom why Kemp could now support Trump in his bid to become president. A “politician” who puts “party” ahead of a candidate’s moral character is not someone I believe the country needs more of. We need leaders like former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who cast aside allegiance to the “party” at the risk of expulsion.
NED CONE, ATLANTA
Time to consider upper age limit for presidency
The Constitution sets 35 as the minimum age to serve as president, but there is no upper limit. The Trump-Biden debate indicated that President Joe Biden might be suffering from cognitive decline. He dropped out of the 2024 election. Now, former President Donald Trump’s rambling and often incoherent speeches might indicate some cognitive decline on his part as well.
I would propose an upper limit of 80 years old for a person to serve as president. That would mean that for a person to serve for two terms, he or she would have to be elected by age 72. Such a change would require a constitutional amendment.
JOHN TITUS, PEACHTREE CORNERS
