Archive for August, 2012

Moderated by Rick Badie

The deadly rampage in Colorado set off a clamor for ideas to stave off such tragedies in the future. Some of us chose to stockpile ammunition and guns. Others called for stricter regulations.  A gun-rights activist suggests the focus should be on society’s moral decay rather than weaponry. And a gun-control supporter offers ways to keep firearms out of the hands of lawbreakers.

By Brian Wilson

In our firearm safety classes, I demonstrate an important point about the politics of gun ownership and concealed carry laws: I inflate a balloon, tape it to a classroom table, and take out my pocketknife.

I then ask questions: “Is there any doubt this knife is the mortal enemy of this balloon?” The class nods in assent. I then place the knife next to the balloon on the table, cross my arms and ask: “How long will we have to wait before this knife jumps off this table and kills this balloon?”

The class answers: “Forever.” They are correct.

Knives …

Continue reading Firearms: Evil in the wrong hands, good in others »

Moving on from the transportation tax

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

The proposed transportation sales tax got steamrolled by voters Tuesday, with 63 percent voting against the plan to raise billions for a controversial list of projects aimed at unsnarling traffic and improving transit in a 10-county region. So what’s next? We asked two leaders on each side of the T-SPLOST issue to suggest what needs to be done to find regional consensus.

Commenting is open below Steve Brown’s column.

By Bucky Johnson

Over the past 15 months, I have had the opportunity to travel around the region to speak about the Transportation Investment Act of 2010. There was overwhelming agreement that metro Atlanta has a transportation problem. This was the first time in the history of metro Atlanta that a regional vote for transportation improvements has been attempted. It was a valiant effort.

On Tuesday, however, voters in our 10-county region did not agree to fund the 157 specific projects proposed in …

Continue reading T-SPLOST fail: Two Views »

Moderated by Rick Badie

Here’s a way to reuse old tires: grind them into asphalt pavement mix. The GDOT is experimenting with the technology, which was pioneered in Arizona, where it’s been routinely used since the 1990s. Two GDOT officials write about this environmentally-friendly, cost-saving measure in our state while an Arizona official gives a historical perspective.

By Thomas Howell and Eric Pitts

Ten million vehicle tires are discarded in Georgia every year. That’s more than 27,000 tires scrapped every single day of every single week. What to do with them, how to pay for it, and how to prevent more than a million of them from being illegally dumped are questions that have frustrated the tire industry, environmentalists, and state and local governments for years.

Now, researchers and engineers for the Georgia Department of Transportation have developed two programs that will put tens – perhaps hundreds of thousands of these scrap tires, as well as those ubiquitous …

Continue reading Recycling tires saves money, creates jobs »

Who has a Plan B?

The proposed transportation sales tax met an ugly end Tuesday as voters in ten counties overwhelmingly rejected the plan to raise billions for a controversial set list of traffic and transit improvements. So what should we try next? Raise the gas tax? Toll more roads? Let us know your feelings about the vote and, especially, what ideas Gov. Deal and other leaders should consider for unsnarling gridlock and making our lives a little easier. We’ll include a sample of comments in Thursday’s newspaper along with a special transportation package addressing the aftermath of the T-SPLOST.

Commenting is open.

Continue reading T-SPLOST fails – What next? »