Daylight saving year-round makes no sense
Sen. Rick Scott reintroduced legislation to make daylight saving time year-round. Though I agree we need to stop the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, I believe the senator is wrong.
Daylight saving time adds an hour to the evening, costing an hour in the morning. Children need an earlier sunrise in the morning for a safer commute to school. Workers could also use that hour in the morning for a safer trip to work.
Farmers need extra sunlight in the morning to do their chores.
I do not understand the logic of switching to daylight saving time. Can someone explain it to me?
DAVE FEDACK, DOUGLASVILLE
Let Atlanta’s inspector general do its job
Here we go again! Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms had a good idea to install a city inspector general. Both federal and local investigations and convictions proved the need for this function — by someone. Now, five years later, the Atlanta “establishment” wants to handicap that office from enough independence to allow effectiveness in cleaning up government corruption.
The appointment of all members of an “oversight board” over the inspector general by a current mayor is an immediate reinvigoration of Chicago-styled corruption in city government. It’s like telling someone to clean up with a bath — but disallowing the use of soap.
Living in denial does not resolve problems. The Rice Street jail is full of problems — many not yet admitted by the sheriff, even after a long federal investigation proved the realities there. Contractor kickbacks in Atlanta allegedly have been rife.
Taxpayers deserve better government. Let the inspector general operate properly. Stop these blockades obstructing justice.
TOM STREETS, ATLANTA
Best gov’t system is where people have liberty
Competing letters to “Readers write” that alternatively criticized and espoused capitalism versus socialism have both missed the points with their arguments. Capitalism is based on free market conditions, and socialism (often confused with communism) has more centralized economic planning (think China).
Many variations of these approaches are found in the world. Pure unregulated capitalism with greed at its core leads to oligarchies and extremes of wealth and poverty. That’s where some say the United States is currently headed. The United States has many positive socialistic aspects, such as Social Security and transfer payments. With the prevalence of money, propagandized media, gerrymandering, etc., in politics, the United States has had its democracy and capitalism increasingly corrupted.
What should be measured is in the Declaration of Independence: liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The happiest countries are found mostly in capitalistic/socialistic Europe; the U.S. rating is 23rd. We can do better if we adhere to our ideals.
JOHN W. SHACKLETON JR., ATLANTA
