Archive for the ‘Quality of Life’ Category

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Georgia has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the nation, particularly when it comes to keeping firearms away from children. Today, we hear from gun owners with different views: An Atlanta attorney writes that state legislators are more interested in expanding gun rights than protecting people, while a local real estate agent says the U.S. Senate’s background-checks bill was too vague for him.

Commenting is open below.

Still time to pass sensible gun law

By Halsey G. Knapp Jr.

It is not over. Just weeks ago, Americans were encouraged to see a national consensus emerging that enforceable, uniform background checks on all gun purchases, whether from retail stores or gun shows, would become a reality. Had the old mantra, “Guns don’t kill people, people do,” lost its sway? Were we finally facing the reality that too often, irresponsible people with guns kill other, innocent people?

One U.S. Senate filibuster later, our voices were drowned …

Continue reading Gun control on the radar? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

A dispute over the “land” that can be developed on Jekyll Island has reached the attorney general’s office. A task force recently said no marshland should be included in tallying the island’s land mass, a recommendation that could restrict future hotels and condos. Those who run the state park dispute that ruling, while an environmentalist fears that easing restrictions will put sensitive marshes in danger.

Commenting is open below.

Marsh or not, Jekyll’s future may ride on it

By David Kyler

Amid the ongoing update of the Jekyll Island master plan, debate has arisen over the intent of a 1971 law restricting development to no more than 35 percent of Jekyll Island’s land area above mean high tide (MHT). The controversy is not whether MHT should be used as the legal standard, but whether some 1,700 acres of Jekyll’s tidal marsh above MHT legally qualify as “land.”

A task force appointed by the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) said “no.” …

Continue reading Jekyll Island dispute »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

The Chattahoochee River is so important in so many ways to so many people. Today, a nonprofit caretaker group charges that the state has signed off on a harmful level of sewage discharge in Forsyth County. But the Georgia Environmental Protection Division says wastewater levels are different in rivers and lakes, and insists that Forsyth’s permit is just as stringent as others.

Commenting is open below.

New Forsyth sewage may hurt river

By Sally Bethea

Sewage gushes into the Chattahoochee River, raising the levels of bacteria and cancer-causing contaminants to such heights that swimming, drinking and fishing becomes dangerous. Fishermen, boaters and families are forced to stay away from the water. Kayakers wear nose plugs and wetsuits but still get sick after entering the Chattahoochee. Communities that rely on the river for water must pay more to treat it and make it safe to drink.

This scene is from 1989. Fast-forward 24 years, and great strides …

Continue reading Chattahoochee sewage »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Last summer’s transportation sales tax defeat and a series of divisive political feuds has set back the idea of effective regional solutions for metro Atlanta. Yet proponents say regionalism is an appropriate and necessary approach to solving big problems that local jurisdictions cannot. Opponents remain suspicious of appointed — that is, unelected — regional commission leaders making important decisions for so many.

There are three columns today. Commenting is open below.

Join together, tackle problems

By Mike Bodker

For me, regionalism is the recognition that problems do not respect jurisdictional boundaries.

A healthy and growing metro Atlanta is hinged on a reputation for excellent quality of life. That reputation will ultimately depend on our ability to work together to support the reality.

A great example here in Johns Creek is the Ga. 141 corridor. This road is the primary gateway between our residents and those north of our border to …

Continue reading Is regionalism the way forward? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Georgia ranks 32nd in the nation for the breadth of its animal laws, according to the Humane Society. That standing was aided last year when the state Legislature passed a law that helped define vicious dogs and held owners responsible for them. But there’s a long way to go. Today, animal-law experts talk about a dog-related bill introduced in this year’s session, and we hear from a Dallas, Ga., reader who wonders why so many irresponsible people own pit bulls.

Commenting is open below.

Georgia animal laws lacking

By Tom Sabulis

In 2012, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Responsible Dog Owner Act, which revamped existing legislation pertaining to dangerous dogs. A few bills dealing with animals were discussed during this year’s legislative session but did not get far. I asked Claudine Wilkins, an animal law expert, and Cindy Wiemann, an animal control officer and secretary-treasurer of the Georgia Animal Control Association (GACA), about …

Continue reading State animal laws: No teeth? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

The passage of House Bill 487 moves the regulation of coin-operated gaming machines from the Department of Revenue to the Georgia Lottery, with revenue going to help fund the HOPE scholarship. The legislation will eliminate illegal, untaxed underground machines at convenience stores, writes the chief of a statewide trade group. But putting an official imprimatur on gambling of any sort places the state on a slippery slope, says a Christian group that cites the lottery’s expanding array of games and their impression on children.

Commenting is open.

Video poker bill will help enforce the law

By Jim Tudor

“Convenience-store casino” was a catchy phrase coined by the media, usually in the context of a story regarding the seizure of coin-operated machines that were being used illegally.

There are more than 6,500 convenience stores in Georgia that provide employment for more than 70,000 of our citizens. The vast majority are operated lawfully. …

Continue reading Video gambling picking up? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

The General Assembly was still debating a bill late Thursday that would allow guns on college campuses and in churches. But no matter what happens this session, it seems the debate will continue among residents. Today, two Georgia Tech students argue the issue.

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Give students chance to defend themselves

By Andrew Mullins

No matter which college campus you visit, the question of firearms carry is a hot-button issue. At urban schools like Georgia Tech and Georgia State, the debate revolving around campus carry is especially relevant, as students are vulnerable to crime in dangerous parts of downtown and Midtown Atlanta. Most of the objections to campus carry come from student government associations, which cite a higher likelihood of suicide, accident and crime.

Georgia Tech has a crime issue. The realization that opponents to campus carry fail to confront is that criminals will attain and use firearms whether or not they are …

Continue reading Guns on campus »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

A political war is being waged for control of Fulton County. Republicans in the General Assembly have filed bills aimed, they say, at getting the county to rein in spending and improve services. The county argues the proposed legislation will force traumatic cuts to libraries and Grady Memorial Hospital. Today, a House leader writes that the county is trying to scare citizens in order to avoid sound fiscal management. The county commission chairman counters that the bills are more divisive than helpful.

Commenting is open below.

Dear Fulton, cut your waste

By Jan Jones

As a 30-year Fulton County resident, I’ve shared my neighbors’ frustration with an unwieldy county government lacking competence on critical services only it can perform — and that nearby counties perform well.

No wonder residents voted overwhelmingly to create the cities of Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton and Chattahoochee Hills. The result: better service levels at lesser …

Continue reading Fighting for control of Fulton County »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

A local pastor writes about keeping the spirit of compassion alive in our public policies and laws.

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By Joanna Adams

One of the familiar Bible stories of the Christian tradition has to do with a man who was beaten within an inch of his life.

The poor fellow had been traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when, according to Luke, he “fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him for dead.”

After being ignored by two passersby, a man from Samaria came along and had pity on the man in the ditch. He bandaged his wounds, carried him to an inn and paid for his lodging in advance.

Even then he was not through.

He said to the innkeeper, “Listen, if I haven’t given you enough money, I’ll come back and give you whatever more you spend.”

We are not told where the Good Samaritan went after he left.

Perhaps, he went on about his business, having done one very good deed and being …

Continue reading Put good of whole before self »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Fulfill HOPE with service stint

By Michelle Nunn

Georgia’s HOPE scholarship is one of the largest merit-based college scholarship programs in the United States, but it could be so much more. By rewarding both good grades and volunteer service, the HOPE scholarship could teach the rest of the nation how to produce educated, engaged citizens who know how to give back.

By requiring service, the HOPE scholarship would build on the legacy of the G.I. Bill, arguably one of the most successful and popular government programs in U.S. history. By the end of 1956, roughly 2.2 million World War II veterans used G.I. benefits to attend college. Giving veterans an education in return for their service helped create the “greatest generation,” building our country’s unparalleled economic strength and enriching our communities.

We recently increased the academic requirements for the HOPE scholarship in response to our state’s fiscal constraints. Today, high …

Continue reading Make service a component of HOPE »