Georgians should vote 'no' on Amendment 1
Georgia voters will be voting on Amendment One, the "Opportunity School District" championed by Gov. Nathan Deal, in November.
Amendment One's wording reads "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?"
The wording of this ballot question is deceptive. The actual purpose is to benefit for-profit charter schools at the expense of funding public education for all students.
The OSD would take schools deemed "failing" and remove them from local control. A state-appointed leader would be able to hire and fire teachers, allocate resources, set curriculum and enforce school discipline without public oversight or accountability.
Private charter school corporations, often based in other states, would run the schools and spend tax money without oversight.
This is a classic example of "big government" at work, with the state taking power away from locally elected school boards, administrators, teachers and parents.
Rather than siphoning still more tax money out of local systems and into the hands of politically appointed bureaucrats, we need to be working to help all of our schools.
Vote no on Amendment One in November.
David Cofield, LaFayette, Ga.
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Man's flaws span literature, reality
At one point in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick," the young and inexperienced "Alabama boy" Pippin, aka "Pip," is manning an oar of a whaleboat.
Scared as they are approaching the whale, he jumps out of the whaleboat for a second time. The second mate Stubb had warned Pip that the whale was worth 30 times what Pip would sell for in Alabama he continues to chase the whale, leaving poor Pip alone in the vast expanse of the ocean for a considerable time.
Of Stubb's action Melvile notes, "though man loved his fellow, yet man is a money-making animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence."
Moby Dick is a classic work in American literature not just for its story but also for its insights into human nature. The recent actions of Epi-pen manufacturer Mylan along with the previous actions by Turing and Valeant Pharmaceuticals in raising prices of their life-enhancing and life-saving products, along with astronomical salary raises for their CEOs, are precise examples of greed comparable to Stubb's abandonment of Pip.
Greed too easily has man putting his own creature comforts above any cares for the condition of others.
Grady Burgner, Ooltewah
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We deserve better than Mrs. Clinton
Our great country deserves a better leader than Hillary Clinton.
She has shown us her real colors - lying, deceiving, covering-up, poor decisions, Benghazi, emails, Clinton Foundation contributions, pay for play. She has done nothing to make this a better country.
She wants to be president for her own gratification, not to make this country a better place. I believe Mr. Trump is sincere in his desire to make the U.S. great again and has some ideas about how to do that.
Hillary Clinton has such liberal views that are opposite of the Christian world view. She prefers liberal Supreme Court justices as well liberal policies concerning abortion and gay rights.
We don't need another Clinton in the White House and should vote against her. She would just perpetuate the reign of Mr. Obama, who has so far been the worst leader in my lifetime.
Vote no to Hillary and vote yes to Mr. Trump to lead us to a better future for us and for our future generations.
Wilma Holbrook