College acceptance should be based on merit, not race
Maureen Downey is an advocate of affirmative action in the guise of preferential treatment of college applicants of color. My view is the opposite.
We are a merit-based society. The best athletes, scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, etc., advance and are rewarded with financial benefits and stature in society. This is not a zero-sum game. Everyone has the opportunity to participate based on their God-given talents, perseverance and dedication to their goals and objectives.
MLK said to judge the person by the quality of their character, not the color of their skin. We are a charitable nation. We have compassion for the oppressed and debilitated. That is part of the reason affirmative action began in the first place.
It has been almost 60 years since LBJ passed the Civil Rights Act. More than enough time for minorities to prove themselves in the marketplace. The onus for advancement is on the individual, family and dedication, not the institutions of higher learning or the organizations of the state, commerce or society.
JOHN MCNAMEE, ALPHARETTA
MAGA Republicans are a danger to democracy
The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband told police he wanted to break her kneecaps and send Democrats a message. The assault should send all voters a message – about the danger posed to America by the MAGA movement dominating the Republican Party.
MAGA Republicans seek to replace our democracy with a white supremacist, Christian nationalist government, or an authoritarian regime headed permanently by Donald Trump or someone like him. They will pretend to believe lies about “stolen” elections, intimidate voters at drop-boxes, spread antisemitic and other hate propaganda and commit actual violence to force their primitive, ultra-conservative agenda onto the civilized majority of Americans who want no part of it.
Due to the MAGA stranglehold on the GOP, a vote for any Republican is a vote against democracy and civilized norms of behavior. Inflation comes and goes, but if we lose our democracy, how will we get it back?
CHRIS MOSER, STONECREST
