POLITICSIf adults can’t control bullying, outlook is grimBullying is a problem that affects millions of schoolchildren every year. As a society, we are trying to teach our children that bullying is very wrong. It hurts, and it steals the rights of other children to learn, feel safe and be heard.

HEALTH CARETwo doctors should get
a prescription to thinkI read the comments of Dr. M. Todd Williamson (“Pro and Con: Public option?” News) and Dr. Thomas Morrow (“Demand drives health care economics,” Opinion) in the Sept.

TRANSPORTATIONMARTA Web site, staff fabulous to visitorsI traveled to Atlanta with family over Labor Day weekend for a sporting event. We were aware of several events taking place in the city over the same weekend, so we anticipated a bit of chaos, annoying traffic and transportation headaches.

HEALTH CAREWe need affordability without public option“Sick with fear over health care” (News, Sept. 5) did not address the issues of huge monthly premiums charged by private insurance companies, or families having to file bankruptcy because of high out-of-pocket expenses.

Heavens! They’re teaching social studiesI thought I was mad about health care reform, but now President Barack Obama has gone too far. He delivered a speech to my kids telling them to work hard and stay in school. I will not stand for such brainwashing of my children! This is clearly another attempt to indoctrinate our children into socialism.

LEGAL SYSTEMTucker is right: Too long a list of sex offendersI am grateful that Cynthia Tucker attempts to keep our focus on the real issues involved in sex crimes (“Not every sex crime predatory,” Opinion, Sept. 6). I agree with her that not every sex crime is predatory, and that we place too many people on sexual offender registries around the country.

ECONOMY

We don’t need a pep talk from the president, nor do we need Congress spending all its time on health care reform. What we need is the president and Congress focused on and spending their combined energies on job creation. People are still losing their jobs and their homes.

TRANSPORTATIONThere’s no demand for high-speed rail transitThe campaign to build high-speed rail seems to ignore the obvious problem: who will ride it? If the demand was there, the railroads would already have them on the rails. That system will be expensive to build, and will take a lot of time.

HEALTH CAREMajor reform is clearly needed now, not laterI find it astonishing and terrifying that many of my fellow Americans have apparently degenerated to the mentality of a tape recorder, regurgitating the misinformation and meaningless slogans they hear — not only from talk radio entertainers — but from some elected officials.

HEALTH CAREPersonal reasons 
for reform valuableI would like to thank the AJC for actually writing about both views on health care reform (“Health care sparks debate,” Metro, Aug. 29). Because there are opposing views on the subject, it truly is a debate — therefore, the media must share the voices and stories of both sides.

WATERWe must start work now on long-term solutionsThe problem of how to allocate the available fresh water among all the different users is a difficult one. But it should be obvious that demand is growing so rapidly that in a few years, there will not be enough water, no matter how it is allocated.

ECONOMYRecession brings people back to their sensesIt’s amusing for analysts to grab for every single tip that shows the recession is ending! Yet, some top economists predict it will last into 2010, and maybe beyond. For those who stay solvent, a continued recession could well be good.

HEALTH CAREResponse to “Understanding what’s at stake.” Special section, Aug. 23

Thank you for your excellent, extensive review of the health care debate (“Understanding what’s at stake,” Aug. 23).

HEALTH CAREPresident on track when it comes to reformI have recently enjoyed my 80th birthday, and have no qualms about the reform of health care and what it will mean for me. I am more concerned for my children and grandchildren. As for “death panels,” they are a lot of hooey.

HEALTH CAREHow contract might work: Sign here or leaveDr. M. Todd Williamson’s proposal indicates he is either extremely naive or amazingly cynical in seeking to protect his profession’s economic status (“Reform: Contrasting views from the medical field,” Opinion, Aug.

HEALTH CAREIt all comes down
to a matter of trustPart of the problem with the argument over health care reform is trust. Who do you trust: private insurance companies or the government to manage your health care needs?We have seen health insurance gain too much control over doctors and patients, and the quality of care has declined, and cost increased.

Give us a summary that’s easy to understandThe question I have on health care reform is, why are President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and others in such a rush to speed something through Congress in a few weeks? Taxpaying citizens have every right to be skeptical and demand accountability on this issue, after witnessing the way the stimulus plan was rushed into existence.

SOCIETYNot my duty to pay for anyone else’s lifestyleI resent a letter writer presuming to know the meaning of my statements (Readers write, Opinion, Aug. 26). When I say, “I don’t want to pay for somebody else,” I mean exactly that — anybody else.

Academic research is part of school’s missionJohn Zmirak seems to assert that virtually all academic research is devoid of value — “After all, the teaching is what you are paying for.” In business education, academic research adds significant value in several ways.

HEALTH CARESpecial report omitted mental healthI enjoyed reading your special report on health care reform (“Understanding what’s at stake,” Aug. 23). Although I feel this is a good and very informative piece, there are a few points that were not addressed.

GovernmentResponse to “Mayor: Atlanta $6 million in black.” Metro, Aug. 21

If Atlanta is $6 million in the black, how come our property taxes were raised enough that I will more than likely lose my house (after 31 years), because I can’t afford to pay them?What was the big emergency, mayor? Does this have anything to do with an election year coming up, and a possible successor who may thoroughly examine the city coffers?Allyana Ziolko, Atlanta

HEALTH CARE

Make coverage portable, keep government out of itI see the need for health insurance reform, but prefer to see employer-based programs strengthened so people with pre-existing conditions are not excluded.

Sowell wrong about British health system

It is not for the U.K. to intervene in America’s health care debate. But misrepresenting facts — as Thomas Sowell did, claiming Britain’s National Health Service has “unsanitary ward(s)” and “inadequate nursing care” — does a disservice to America’s democratic process (“Do you want a panel making medical choices?” Opinion, Aug.

IMMIGRATIONLocal, state policies
fail, create confusionI read with great interest about the implementation of an immigration check for business licenses in Gwinnett County (“Immigration check tied to business licenses,” Metro, Aug.

Medicare patients have little choice nowI challenge Stuart Barton’s assertion that “a government-run plan would limit patient-doctor choice,” (“Will health care reform hurt American senior citizens?” Opinion, Aug.

TRANSPORTATIONStreetcars not solution for Atlanta’s traffic woesStreetcars for Atlanta is a dumb idea. Taking two lanes on Peachtree is one of the only things that Atlanta can do to actually make traffic worse.MARTA cannot pay its costs on its current system.

Preventive health care starts with usCharles Krauthammer is very thorough and persuasive in his dismantling of the value of preventive health care (“Prevention saves lives, but not money,” Opinion, Aug. 14). However, he is missing the point.Preventive health care is about choosing the apple instead of the chips at 3 p.

PUBLIC WORKSWith broken sidewalks, ‘last mile’ hard to crossIn “Streetcar can be an economic driver” (Opinion, Aug. 15), Mayor Shirley Franklin emphasizes the importance of “the last mile” people use to access important destinations.

GOP trying to divide 
our nation over issueLast year, my wife died from brain cancer. We were fortunate, and had excellent medical coverage. Thanks to our doctors and their staffs, both in Atlanta and at Duke University, we received outstanding, world-class medical care.

WATERMore building, less arguing neededHow many water reservoirs could we have built in Georgia with the money paid out in attorney fees over the many years of water rights arguments?Ed Wolak, Moreland

WATERHow much is lawsuit 
costing the 3 states?It seems to me that a great report for the AJC would be to publish the amount spent by Florida, Alabama and Georgia to litigate the water wars.

Parents ought to challenge ‘r’ wordMaureen Downey questions a teacher’s use of the word “retard” in the classroom.Like derogatory descriptors for other groups of people (think the “n” word), “retard” is now widely seen as pejorative language that is inappropriate in any setting.