Integral Group deserves thanks for housing commitment
Congratulations to the Integral Group for its perseverance in building affordable housing buildings at the Assembly (former GM) site.
It is rare that a project such as this survives the years of development, financing and construction in a redevelopment scenario. Too often, the good intentions of the original developer get lost or forgotten or outvoted or just overlooked during the lengthy process of redevelopment. Integral deserves a hearty handshake for its continuous commitment to the residents of the area. The opening of Veranda at Assembly should make the company very proud.
ANNE TEDDLIE, STONE MOUNTAIN
Biden and Harris have done more harm than good
Despite what Geoff Duncan claims, this country unquestionably was much better off during the Trump administration.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have done more harm than good, starting with the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and the border catastrophe — which continues and worsens. Oh, and by the way, the so-called “border bill” would have done absolutely no good, no matter what the Democrats insist. The “undocumented” still would be coming.
JUDITH McCARTHY, ATLANTA
Reader not confident in election security this year
A Sept. 19 AJC front-page headline proclaimed that Georgia voters are more confident of a fair, accurate election. I am not among them.
We did have fair elections in Georgia until the lie of a stolen election was promulgated and believed even by many members of our own Georgia government who refuse to believe otherwise.
Since then, numerous steps have been taken under the guise of rendering our elections “fair.” As I see it, these measures have been taken to more easily ensure a specific outcome — namely, the reelection of a certain candidate!
Gerrymandering districts, passing suppressive voting laws, allowing anyone to challenge outcomes and the creation of last-minute rules by the majority partisan State Election Board can skew election results and create chaos at the polls, thus delaying certification. Even allowing people to cancel registration online carries the risk of some hack doing so and canceling mine and thousands of others. Who among us has not received a letter or two informing us of a breach of our personal data from companies who deemed their data “secure.” No, I have a lot of angst about what could happen this November!
JOAN IMMERMAN, DUNWOODY
We must demand our legislature fight for climate concerns
The Sept. 18 AJC article “Ga. Power gets OK for wood-burning process” raised two critical points.
1. The Public Service Commission’s mission needs another instruction. Currently, the PSC is “to ensure that consumers receive safe, reliable and reasonably-priced electricity and (other services) from competent providers.” Because biomass burns dirtier than coal, clearly we should add this one: “New power plants must lower greenhouse gas emissions.”
2. Georgia utility monopolies (Georgia Power) have become inefficient because they do not compete with other producers in a marketplace.
Why it matters: To avert worsening climate disasters, we must lower carbon dioxide and methane. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication’s 2023 opinion studies indicate a clear majority of Georgia citizens worry about global warming.
We, the people, must demand that our state Legislature:
1. Require Georgia utilities to steward our environmental concerns.
2. Democratize the grid. Reconfigure pricing so that the lowest cost and cleanest energy plants compete.
Our kids’ future depends on it!
BOB JAMES, ATLANTA
