Leave well enough alone

I read with dismay the article concerning Reese Road and the Planning Department's ideas about "improving" this road. Please leave Reese Road alone. The Planning Department has the unchallenged abilities to ruin any street on which they set their lack of foresight. Consider the horrible result on Linwood Boulevard where trees have been cut down, broad traffic lanes have been narrowed considerably, and a wide "pedestrian" space on one side of the road has been created for the use of the few pedestrians and bicyclists who might use such an oversized space. I thought that the main purpose of a road was for the safe, efficient moving of vehicular traffic. Linwood Boulevard was fine until the Planning Department ruined it with poorly conceived, short-sighted "improvements."

Reese Road was repaved a few years ago and is in excellent condition. Yes, there is a bridge that is narrower than new bridges, but two cars approaching each other easily cross the bridge simultaneously. The road is wide enough to accommodate safely vehicular traffic, and I speak from experience as I travel along this road every day.

I shudder to think what the Planning Department might do to Reese Road just as I cannot imagine their current plans for compromising 13th Street

by changing lanes into friendly pedestrian space. Such plans make me believe that the Planning Department is staffed by amateurs who give no real thought to their plans for so-called improvement and betterment.

Breathing room

Thank you for your editorial of April 21 on air quality. The Lung Association’s State of the Air report citing improvements in air quality underscores the progress the Clean Air Act has made in cleaning up the air we breathe and saving lives.

Muscogee County received a grade of A for both ozone pollution and particle pollution, which is good news for the community. Improved air quality is tied to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards and enforcement of regulations. These results demonstrate that growth and improved air quality can go together. And it means the Clean Air Act is very important.

It is distressing to hear that the Clean Air Act is under attack at the federal level and proposed funding cuts threaten the EPA. As a mother and grandmother, I value the need for healthy air, both now and for the future. To continue the progress our nation has made, the Trump Administration, EPA Administrator Pruitt, and members of Congress, including our own Senators Johnny Isakson, David Perdue and Representative Sanford Bishop, must fully fund, implement and enforce the Clean Air Act for all pollutants, including those that drive climate change. We cannot afford to take a step back now.

Poor example

With all the talk about our young people and bullying in the schools and on social media, I am appalled at the ads I have seen recently on TV by one of our school board members for his business. He seems to be proud of the fact that he has been called a bully, and has profanity bleeped out. What type of example is this for our young people?

What has become of our society that we accept ads like this as a norm? I have heard quite a few people talking about the ads, and not in a positive way. I feel compelled to speak out against this type of behavior.

How can we expect our young people to act in a responsible way if we do not set a good example for them to follow? We cannot say do as I say but not as I do. Actions speak louder than words. These are old clichés, but still are so true today. I sincerely hope we as a community speak up and not condone such behavior in our elected officials. Let’s band together to be good examples for our young people rather than negative ones.

Still swampy

What does the President have to hide and why is Ferguson helping him?

As a Republican and former elected official, I believe in really draining the swamp. I strongly advocate for term limits as well as restricting lobbying and campaign money. We need to clean up Washington and both parties are guilty of inaction.

When Trump campaigned, he said he would clean up the mess. But it was obvious to me that he was a hypocrite. Otherwise, he would have released his tax returns. Even Nixon released them.

Now I find that my representative, Drew Ferguson, has voted 7 times against resolutions mandating that Trump provide his tax returns. Be ashamed!

With the revelations about General Flynn and Russia, this failure of Ferguson and others on the far right to perform their duty is unconscionable. How are we to know how Trump’s business dealings are affecting his foreign policy or his placing of Flynn as National Security Advisor despite strong warning from both the acting AG and the former President? Was he playing footsy with Putin because he has Russian investments and he knew Flynn was tied to them?

We need answers, not obstruction, and people like Ferguson are obstructionists.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Leave well enough alone."