Redistricting should be done if view of public
On June 6 the AJC printed a letter from about fair redistricting (”We must demand fair maps during redistricting”). I appreciate the AJC’s prioritizing the critical need for fair legislative maps.
In Georgia, the process of redrawing lines for our legislative districts is controlled by the legislature, and done essentially in secret. The party with more seats in Congress gets to draw the lines, and they usually adopt the new maps with little chance for public input.
We voters need a non-partisan oversight group to ensure that our legislators are drawing fair, open and nonpartisan maps.
We also need our legislators to do the work of redistricting in full view of the public. No one can reasonably claim that secrecy is better than transparency. There are conflicts of interest in the existing process. We voters should know what they are and that the process is being done fairly for everyone.
Georgia voters deserve to know what is being done to us.
CLAUDIA KIRKWOOD, MACON
In praise of the obituaries
I’ve found the AJC obituaries a wonderful source of good news.
Don’t get me wrong – I know death is tragic. But reading an obituary, I often catch a glimpse of someone who has lived a good life, laughed and loved, and many times done something to make the world a bit better. It’s an antidote to all the ink spilled on crooks, criminals, and those who harm society.
I read about the latest murder or shooting, and hope I don’t run across someone like that today. It’s depressing and corrodes the bond I feel with my fellow humans. But when reading a well-written obituary, about a wonderful person I never met, I think I’d like to have known that person. It nudges me to ask: What have I done with my life? There’s a difference between resume accomplishments and obituary achievements.
WALTER F. HORNE, WALESKA
