Archive for the ‘Quality of Life’ Category

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Commenting is open below.

By Kenneth Brigham and Michael. M.E. Johns

The current trajectory of Medicare costs cannot be sustained. Politicians propose a variety of solutions, all of which intend to cut the cost of care for people who have a disease. While some of those solutions are creative and might work in the short run, there is a major flaw in the rationale: The cost of disease care will continue to increase. We cannot afford disease care for all who will need it unless we can decrease their numbers. Halving the incidence of chronic disease would save over a trillion disease-care dollars.

To accomplish that, we must change the paradigm. The concept of “predictive health” — health rather than disease and prediction of health status rather than diagnosis as the focus — is a radical shift that can decrease the burden of disease. Much of the knowledge, science and technology that make this possible exists, and more is on the way. The barriers are the …

Continue reading Health care vs. disease care »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Nothing disrupts our quality of life on a personal level more than problems in our neighborhoods — noise pollution, junk collection, rude residents. In a large city, the frustrations are magnified and can become explosive, especially when police are not present. Here is a story from a teacher coping with his urban landscape, and the Atlanta Police Department’s response.

Commenting is open below George N. Turner’s column.

Residents deserve police response, too

By Anthony Elder

I am growing tired of living in the city of Atlanta. My decision to move to the Vine City neighborhood six years ago was motivated by the fact that I work in Coweta County and my wife works in Alpharetta, so downtown was a viable location considering our respective commutes.

From a logistical standpoint, Vine City is an attractive place to live. It is less than 10 minutes from the interstate, directly across the street from the Georgia World Congress Center. I can walk to various …

Continue reading Police responding to residents? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Louie Giglio, the evangelical pastor of Atlanta’s Passion City Church, was originally selected to give the benediction today at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. But he withdrew after it was discovered that he once delivered an anti-gay sermon. Below, two members of his church denounce our culture’s unyielding political correctness, while a religion historian writes that the pastor made the right decision.

Commenting is open below Gary Laderman’s column.

When our diversity becomes intolerance

By Ruth Malhotra and Jennifer Keeton

We wish we could say we were shocked by Pastor Louie Giglio’s withdrawal from President Barack Obama’s Inauguration today. Giglio was invited to deliver the benediction based on his commitment to justice and inspiration to our generation, and we are certain that his prayer would have been characterized by grace, humility and wisdom.

We have been profoundly impacted by Giglio’s teaching and leadership and have witnessed …

Continue reading The pastor and the inauguration »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

By Ricardo Azziz

What would you guess are the biggest threats to the health and longevity of Americans? Cancer? Infectious diseases? Heart disease?As top causes of death in the United States, these are certainly strong contenders.

What about lack of health insurance? It’s one of the biggest threats to our health as individuals, and to the health of our nation’s economy.

Some 48.6 million Americans lack health insurance, and millions more are under-insured, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 19 percent of Georgians are uninsured, far exceeding the national average and placing us among the top-10 states for uninsured residents.

Georgia is among the top five states with the highest number of premature deaths due to lack of insurance.

But before you say, “It’s not my problem,” let’s take a closer look. Uninsured citizens depress our collective ability to grow the state’s economy – driving up the cost of health care, reducing the number of …

Continue reading Uninsured cost us all »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

A recent AJC series on human trafficking questioned the claim that metro Atlanta is one of the nation’s leading capitals of child exploitation. But experts say the human trafficking problem still exists. Today’s contributors point out that the underworld nature of sex slavery and its powerless, often foreign, victims make it difficult to quantify. Yet great strides are being made to combat this growing evil.

There are three columns today. Commenting is open below Sharon Simpson Joseph’s column.

By Sally Quillian Yates

Last week, a local sheriff’s deputy made a routine traffic stop on I-20 for speeding. The 29-year-old driver had a 17-year-old girl in his car. Ordinarily, the deputy would have ticketed the driver, and the driver and young girl would have been on their way.

But the deputy had recently received training from the GBI’s Human Trafficking Unit and was attuned to indications of possible trafficking. The deputy separated the young girl from …

Continue reading Human trafficking »

Bipolar culture shares blame

By David Gunn

There is one question that unites most Americans today: What’s to be done about gun violence in our country?

The liberals want to get rid of guns, and conservatives want more people to have them.

We may either ban assault rifles or arm teachers, but the winds of change do seem to be blowing.

But then again, we might get distracted by a scandal and forget about the whole thing.

Who knows?

I don’t believe it matters whether you ban or permit guns. It doesn’t matter if the government hands them out to everyone.

It seems to me we’re rather bipolar about the whole issue, which has led us to our current unhealthy state.

We send a mixed message concerning violence to our citizens, particularly to our young people.

We condone violence in all aspects of our society, then weep when it actually happens. We allow it to exist everywhere — especially in our movies, music and games.

Then, when someone actually commits the same act that we pay to see …

Continue reading Our violent culture »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

An activist against domestic abuse says our justice system is ineffective with cases like that of Donna Kristofak, who was killed last month allegedly by her ex-husband after he was released from jail early for threatening her with a knife. Two judges respond that protective orders can work, but greater vigilance from agencies and the public are needed to protect victims.

Commenting is open below following the column by Stephen D. Kelley and Peggy H. Walker.

Waiting for the bad guys to do more

By Stacey Dougan

I read with anguish the article describing Donna Kristofak’s public pleas for help just two months before being murdered, allegedly by her ex-husband. In court last October, seeking protection from the man who earlier had tried to stab her in a Wal-Mart parking lot, Donna requested that the “record reflect” she feared for her life.

Cobb County Judge Adele Grubbs struck a sympathetic tone, responding that a protection order coupled with the threat …

Continue reading When protective orders fail »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Congress appears likely to tackle some form of new gun-control legislation in the aftermath of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Today, a right-to-carry proponent writes in favor of arming school teachers and administrators, arguing that a gun-free zone designation did not, and could not, prevent the tragedy. On the other side, a local commentator says our country’s gun fundamentalism makes it impossible to create and police effective laws.

Commenting is open below Kelly Kennett’s column.

Gun jihadists spur fanaticism

By Parthiv Parekh

The Arab world has jihadi fundamentalists. We, in America, have gun fundamentalists.

Steeped in their convictions, and willing to die for it, the jihadis are indifferent about the damage they are causing to the image and spirit of Islam. American gun fundamentalists are just as indifferent to the damage they are causing to the image of America and its promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of …

Continue reading Gun jihadists or armed defenders? »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

A Georgia congressman says faulty voting machines are a problem all over, and election officials are not necessarily to blame for Fulton County’s election-day problems. But Georgia’s Secretary of State disputes that claim. He will hold a meeting next month to address the county’s lack of preparation, which resulted in long lines and other problems during the primary and general elections.

Commenting is open below Brian P. Kemp’s column.

By Hank Johnson

Reports of serious errors occurring Election Day in electronic-voting machines in Fulton County demonstrate the urgency of passing legislation to verify the accuracy of our voting systems.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp called Fulton County’s election administration a “debacle,” noting that this is yet another example of “the constant and systemic nature of election failures in Fulton County.”

During this summer’s primary elections, several Fulton County precincts also reported a substantial …

Continue reading Voting flaws »

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

Unions are in the news, as calls continue for MARTA to privatize services and Michigan enacts right-to-work laws. Today, a Georgia union official writes about the benefits union workers bring to our state, while an expert from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School says right-to-work freedoms are needed for states to remain flexible in the new global economy.

Commenting is open below Ray Hill’s column.

Unions fight for dreams of all citizens

By Charlie Flemming

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom organized by A. Philip Randolph, vice-president of the AFL-CIO, we are reminded of Martin Luther King Jr’s 1961 fight against anti-unionism. “In our glorious fight for civil rights,” King said, “we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining.”

Despite his warning, …

Continue reading Unions fight for Georgians »