Gwinnett Forum -- Feedback for your innovative ideas to make people think

Below you'll find recent comments by Gwinnett Forum readers about issues of the day:

2/27: North Gwinnett student message on hope on the money!

Editor, the Forum:

Recently I wrote to the North Gwinnett High principal to express my appreciation to North Gwinnett Senior, Steven Peele, for his succinct article in the February 22 AJC on the HOPE Scholarship.

As a Dad with one at Georgia Tech and one at Duluth High, I've been doing all I know how to save this very valuable program. Steven's article hits all the buttons I've been trying to push. It's refreshing to see a student speaking out on important issues. I fear that parents are not aware of the magnitude of the impending decisions being made in the Legislature.

-- Brian Luders, Duluth

2/27: Re-financing student loans has unfair consolidation aspect

Editor, the Forum:

Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, a borrower is only eligible for a consolidation loan if he or she has never previously consolidated. This creates a "one-time consolidation"? rule, and bars student borrowers from refinancing their consolidation loans, locking those student borrowers into the market interest rate at the time of consolidation, regardless of whether rates fall later on. Most student borrowers are unaware of this rule at the time they consolidate, and only find out that they can't refinance when they try to take advantage of lower interest rates. We were locked in years ago at 8.25 percent.

In 2003, various bills were introduced in Congress purporting to remedy this unfair rule, all of which now sit in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

The Higher Education Act HR2505 & HR2504 provides the most relief from high interest rates to student borrowers, who are not trying to get out of paying debt, but should be able to take advantage of the market's lower interest rates.

-- Chris Connelly, Snellville

2/24: Not having good manners part of our problem as a country

Editor, the Forum:

I hope everyone read Jan Kennedy's comment on good manners. (Forum, February 20.) I feel fortunate to have had good manners drilled into my head as a child, and I still follow them. That's not so for a lot of people today. That's part of our problem as a country today. Thanks, Jan.

-- Kathy Gestar, Snellville

2/24: Help Line generates 16,000 calls in Gwinnett during 2003

Editor, the Forum:

In 2003, United Way 211 received more than 16,000 calls from people in Gwinnett County looking to find or give help, an increase of more than 3,000 calls from 2002. Calls from Gwinnett represent more than six percent of total calls made to United Way 211 and have continued to increase since the inception of the information and referral service in 1997.

Marina Peed, executive director, Gwinnett Housing Resource Partnership, says: "We're receiving over a thousand calls a month from people in our community requesting assistance with their housing situation whether it be a homeless person who needs a place to stay or a homeowner who just lost their job and needs help with their mortgage." She adds: "211 is a way that people of our community can find us and receive the help they need."

United Way 211 strengthens the community for residents of Gwinnett by offering referrals for emergency food, shelter and clothing, job placement, after school programs, childcare, summer camp information, and other counseling services.

Recently United Way 211 received accreditation from the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS). This accreditation process recognizes the organization's demonstrated excellence in meeting the Standards for Professional Information & Referral. It is the only such service accredited in the state of Georgia.

-- Christina Lennon, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Duluth

2/20: Another problem that would have befallen escape route

Editor, the Forum:

You had an interesting tour of duty in the military! ( Forum, Feb. 17.) The hardest part of leading military wives those 50 miles to safety would have been all the times they'd have stopped along the way to go shopping. Would have taken forever.

-- Bo Spalding, Atlanta

2/17: Says smoking ban about rights, not about health

Editor, the Forum:

I have grown up to believe that America was about freedom and opportunity… For the first time in my life I am questioning if this is being taken away. For government to dictate whether or not smoking should be allowed in a private business is overstepping boundaries and taking away our freedom of choice.

Smoking is unhealthy - that is a proven fact; but that is NOT the issue here. A restaurant owner takes the risks, buys the food, and pays the rent. If they "choose" to provide for a smoking section or even to allow smoking in the entire restaurant, that should be their "choice". As Americans you can "choose" to go or not go to that restaurant. It is all about choices and government has no right to dictate those choices.

I hear Americans talking about protecting public health. I hear Americans saying: "There is no such thing as a non-smoking section in a restaurant." Don't go to that restaurant. There are plenty of restaurant owners who have "chosen" to make the entire restaurant non-smoking. Again, their "choice"…

I also said that America was about opportunity. The people that "choose" to risk it all and open a restaurant, or a bowling alley, or a pool hall,