Archive for the ‘Quality of Life’ Category

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

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How should we consider the case for and against government support of theaters and museums? It’s election season, so the topic has come up, with folks citing Mitt Romney’s threat to defund Big Bird. Locally, we’ve seen the closing of Marietta’s fine Theatre in the Square (not that another grant or two could have saved it). Today, we offer three opinions, as writers make their case for reframing the arts debate, which they say shouldn’t be reduced to a pro/con wrestling match over public money.

Opinion 1

Opinion 2

Opinion 3

Continue reading 5/18: Support for the arts »

Moderated by Rick Badie

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Soldiers who return home from war often face a second battle at home. They return as fathers, mothers and breadwinners, expected to pick up where they left off. Transition can prove tough. Enter the Callaway Gardens Homecoming Initiative, which helps military families reconnect. An Iraq veteran credits it with strengthening his marriage.

Continue reading 5/16: A homecoming initiative »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Georgia lawmakers are taking heat about the lack of ethical reform statewide — as reflected in the column below by a Sandy Springs resident. He says he feels that legislators work more for special interests than the citizens they’re elected to represent.

In response, a longtime lobbyist discusses the benefits and knowledge lobbyists bring to the political arena.

What do you think?

Continue reading 5/11: Ethical reform in Ga. »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Today’s columns arrived in my inbox separately, unsolicited on both counts. But they have a common theme: responsibility.

The former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court writes how something as personal as a penchant for profanity — yep, she cusses sometimes — or as major as a cheating-teacher scandal can impact society.

The former chief of Southern Co. discusses the role big corporations should play with the CDC in helping protect our community health in the face of global dangers.

Continue reading 5/4: Private and corporate responsibility »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

We’ve had several opinion columns on the so-called “fetal pain bill.”  Today, Gov. Deal signed it into law. What do you think?

Continue reading Gov. Deal signs abortion bill »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis
Ever felt as if your doctor was sending you for yet another test merely to inflate your bill or minimize his or her liability?

The practice of “defensive medicine” — ordering “unnecessary” procedures for patients — has come under scrutiny due to the rising cost of health care. Today, two local doctors tackle the issue.

Read what Dr. Sam Kini and Dr. Kelly B. Thrasher have to say. Then tell us what you think.

Continue reading 4/27: Practicing ‘defensive medicine’? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

The “fetal pain bill” passed by the General Assembly awaits Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature. But that hasn’t stopped the debate over the proposed law, which would restrict abortion after 20 weeks.

A local doctor suggests the law may in effect make abortions safer for women and cites data to back it up.

On the other side, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood in Atlanta writes that the law is just the next step in Georgia’s march to further restrict women’s rights when it comes to abortion.

Continue reading 4/20: ‘Fetal pain’ bill debate continues »

It’s not difficult to see why urban library visits have risen dramatically in the recent economy, as government funding tightened. Systems such as Atlanta-Fulton County fulfill a shadow mandate that goes beyond lending books into fields of education, health and personal finance. Yet usage on a per-capita basis remains lower than at other city systems.

Larry Eichel, project director of the Philadelphia Research Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts, writes about a study that looked at Alanta-Fulton County Library, among those in other cities. And John F. Szabo, director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, discusses how the system had addressed problems and provided key services.

When did you last visit?

Continue reading 4/13: Libraries address dwindling funds »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

We know what politicians think: State legislators just voted to pass the so-called “fetal pain” bill, restricting abortions in Georgia after 20 weeks.

But how do doctors feel about it? One supporter makes the case that babies are sensitive to pain at 20 weeks and newborns that young often survive.

An opposing group, while thankful for an exclusion for “medically futile” pregnancies, posits that the law is really designed to challenge Roe v. Wade and leaves women and their doctors in a quandary.

What do you think?

Continue reading 4/6: ‘Fetal-pain’ bill »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Developer Dan O’Leary says his proposed $1 billion video-gaming complex near Norcross will raise an estimated $350 million annually for the HOPE scholarship through the Georgia Lottery. O’Leary’s comments to the AJC’s editorial board this week are highlighted at this link.

A family group opposed to the idea of expanded gambling at the casino-like facility responds.

What do you think?

Continue reading 3/30: Video-gaming complex? »