Letter writer was partly right

On October 6 you printed a letter criticizing two members of our school board. The only sentence in the letter with which I agree is the last, "Our community and our children deserve better."

Columbus is fortunate to have Frank Myers and John Thomas on the school board. Despite consistent opposition, these men are working diligently to improve our system as promised when they ran for office. Their efforts to achieve transparency and accountability for spending are vitally important, and I cannot understand why others on the board don't agree. If expenditures are as they should be, why do they object to scrutiny? Those who resist being transparent give the impression they are hiding something.

It's my understanding there are $50,000 and $15,000 limits for various types of expenditures by the superintendent. I feel these limits should be much lower, and I would like to see more accountability as well as cuts in discretionary spending. Because we have a grandson in Special Education, we have a vested interest in how funds are spent.

Over the years, we have questioned spending decisions by the school board and felt more wisdom should have been used. One prime example is the building of the "Taj Mahal." As the other writer said, "Our community and our children deserve better."

Susan Adams

Columbus

Absurd opposition

It seems the fight for and against medical marijuana legalization has reached Georgia. Those against speak of people getting high and staggering down the streets of Columbus -- like those who have one too many at the local bars. We are not talking about recreational marijuana. We are talking about what may be the only means of pain relief for terminally ill patients. Breaking news: In some cases medical marijuana is being used in cancer patients! Horrors! Relieving pain with some illegal drug! Some people find it easy to get prescription pain relievers, and if you search the lockers in some of the best high schools (and unfortunately some elementary schools) you will find a veritable pharmacy. Remember -- if you take a prescription medication that is not prescribed for you, that is as illegal as marijuana.

As an RN, I was once employed in a DoD school system and responsible for drug education, as well as other subjects. The students had access to more drugs than I did. Is legalizing medical marijuana any worse that giving Demerol or codeine to a patient recovering from surgery? Taking a drug as prescribed by a licensed physician is not illegal, nor is it drug abuse unless things get out of hand. Sometimes medical marijuana is a better alternative than hard-core narcotics, particularly in patients suffering from cancer.

Who among us is qualified to say you have to live with the pain because the drug that could help you is on the banned substance list? Medical marijuana is rarely smoked, but rather ingested. You can get more smoke walking down Broadway on a Friday night.

L.M. Tryon

Columbus

Glaring omission

Our local Chamber of Commerce just endorsed Mayor Tomlinson's drive to remove the property tax freeze that protects individual property owners from incessant and unwarranted tax increases. What wasn't said was that the Chamber if Commerce has its very existence at stake should the mayor and council decide to stop funding if with tax dollars (in excess of $1,000,000 annually I have been informed by a very knowledgeable source). Shame on the L-E for not mentioning this fact.

Hal A. Kirven

Columbus

Undeserved penalty

I moved to Columbus just over 5 years ago to start my studies at Columbus State, and Uptown has always been one of my favorite attributes. It's a pretty awesome gig for a college girl like me, and my complaints run skim.

Except maybe a few.

Parking is a problem on any day. But if you work a morning shift, better watch where you park. and have someone watch your tables while you move your car so you don't get a ticket. One day is significantly more awful than any other, and that's Market Saturdays.

Don't get me wrong, I love the uptown market, and even arrived early downtown this past Saturday to enjoy the market before work. This was no average Saturday It was the Tuskegee vs. Morehouse game. I followed a line of cars into a parking area close to the Suntrust building on 13th. I went back to move it before my shift. To my dismay, I was completely blocked. I trusted the universe, and walked to work.

Bad move. My car was towed Saturday afternoon, and according to the privately contracted tow man, he had seen me walk to my car to move it, then towed it not ten minutes after. This cost me $160 I honestly did not have. All because I wanted to enjoy the Market before work.

It's truly not fair to downtown workers that we are constantly at risk of being ticketed or towed. There needs to be reform in the parking system, more parking spaces built, and maybe some leniency on crazy days like Tuskegee-Morehouse.

Also, that tow guy was a total crook. I should submit his company name and misspelled sign poorly displayed in the parking area, but I believe what goes around comes around two times over.

Maria Lauriault

Columbus

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Letter writer was partly right ."