Congress still holds the nation’s purse
Virtually all Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing could be done lawfully if authorized by Congress. Don’t Republicans control Congress?
There is absolutely no constitutional authority for an executive order, and the Supreme Court needs to take on the issue instead of continuing to dodge it.
Republicans need to find enough spine to exercise the constitutional authority granted them by the Founding Fathers.
ALLEN BUCKLEY, SMYRNA
Trump brings business practices to government
Donald Trump is a businessman. He is bringing business practices to the federal government. Many businessmen bring in outside consultants to evaluate their business and advise them on how to improve the business and reduce costs. That is the position President Trump has brought Elon Musk into.
Have any of the Democrats looked at their own news clips to see how foolish they look to the American people? What a way to destroy a political party!
JOHN BRYAN, GAINESVILLE
Make data centers power up by solar
With Georgia data centers using more and more electricity, it seems those companies receiving lucrative state tax breaks should be required to install solar panels or allow the installation of solar panels by others on their acres of flat roofs. Solar panels could also be installed over the acres of parking lots at the sites.
The same requirements to provide some of their own electricity could also apply to any large development that receives state tax breaks. It’s past time to give residential customers a break.
STEVEN HAYS, ATLANTA
Data centers don’t warrant tax credits
Thank you for Riley Bunch’s article about data centers and Sen. Chuck Hufstetler’s investigation. He is one of the few public servants in Georgia who shows any real interest or knowledge of economics.
As far as I can tell, a data center uses power equivalents of 1,000-2,000 homes. Apparently, residential customers pay for power plant construction and distribution infrastructure costs plus generation costs, including fuel.
Most analyses I could find indicate that large users, like data centers, pay only the marginal or extra costs of generating power, mainly fuel. Since the generating plants, etc., are already paid for, large users get to use the system for free. Hence, their rates are about half that of residential customers.
Barely mentioned is cooling water usage, equivalent to 1,000 or so homes, even as water shortages are looming. And I have read many reports of noise generated audible up to a mile away.
I can’t see any advantage for Georgia to warrant giving tax money for data centers here. If they want to come to Georgia, they should pay the extra costs, not Georgia taxpayers.
JERRY M. LITTLEFIELD, ROME
Protection of Swamp is up to Kemp
The beauty of the Okefenokee Swamp takes my breath away. But I fear its loss for its own sake as well as ours.
The Okefenokee uses nature’s greatest gift, photosynthesis, to buffer us from the impacts of climate change. But the threat from titanium mining to the Okefenokee is real and well-documented. Draining water from the swamp during mining makes it more susceptible to catastrophic fire, destroying vegetation that cleans our air, releasing carbon and contributing to more warming. Twin Pines says they will not harm the swamp, but last year’s AJC investigation found more than 70 violations in Georgia and three other states.
We cannot trust Twin Pines. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have been fighting for years as part of a bipartisan effort to save our swamp. But Gov. Brian Kemp continues to remain silent on the issue. Now, only he can protect the swamp so it can do its job. Will he?
JANET METZGER, DECATUR
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