Late Senator wrong to disdain Confederate ancestor’s service
I certainly respect the late U.S. Sen. John McCain for his service to the U.S. Navy and our nation, but I also have a certain level of disgust for him. McCain rightfully bragged about the military service of his father and grandfather, but by ignoring and disdaining the military service of his great-grandfather’s service to the Confederate States of America for selfish political reasons, my respect for Sen. McCain is diminished. Private William Alexander McCain died in 1864 while serving as a Confederate soldier. I have more respect for Private McCain than I do Sen. McCain.
ERNEST WADE, LOGANVILLE
Clifton Corridor’s success shows need for transit line
Thanks to Bill Torpy for “For the love of MARTA, factions within region take up daggers,” (Metro, Sept. 13). More than a slice of pie to be divided, the Clifton Corridor is the healthiest portion of what Atlanta needs to compete for national funding as the largest employment center in Atlanta not connected to MARTA’s rail system or an interstate.
Clifton Corridor is not an isolated destination, but a point of departure that will connect thousands of people in and around Atlanta who are today delayed, deterred and detoured by a lack of options to get to work, make doctor appointments on-time, and access critical services.
This light rail line will serve 40,000 current employees, plus more than 2 million patient visits to Emory University Hospital and the Atlanta VA Medical Center. It will be built for people already living, working, studying and saving lives here.
It’s little wonder that, in the More MARTA survey, “increased mobility to employment centers” is the highest-voted guiding principle for allocating the $2.5B funding.
BETTY WILLIS, SENIOR ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, EMORY UNIVERSITY
Support of healthcare for all will drop when bill is due
Regarding Jay Bookman's column, "Majority agree that health care is a right" (Opinion, Sept. 16), if health care is a right, given that all need food and shelter to live but fewer than all need health care services, presumably food and shelter are also rights. It seems highly likely a similar poll with respect to food and shelter would reach the same "right" conclusion. Are food, shelter and health care to be basic, mid-grade or even high quality? Where does the socialism line get crossed? A few have noticed we have some problems funding our entitlement programs. Perhaps here's a better question: How many believe health care should be provided for all if it will be annually, fully paid for by those provided coverage, with all paying for it on an equal basis or pro rata basis, based on income? I think the poll's "right" conclusion would be quite different.
ALLEN BUCKLEY, ATLANTA
Climate change demands truth, not false science
The importance of honesty and powers of discernment cannot be overstated. Without integrity and access to facts, all societal interactions will break down. My thanks to Leonard Pitts for his excellent column, “Both-sideism presents more than journalistic problem” (Opinion, Sept. 16). It is well understood that science has proven climate change is real and human-caused. There is no reputable science on the other side. However, there is a shortsighted opinion to the contrary, largely based on a desire to preserve the status quo and not disturb the revenue stream of a small minority of fossil-fuel industrialists. Certainly both sides have a right to express their opinion, but to make a false claim about science is unconscionable and simply not correct. It is the responsibility of a free press to present the unbiased truth. This truth includes the fact that climate change, global warming, is very real and must be addressed.
KATHERINE MITCHELL, ATLANTA
