If they are criminals, send them home Conservatives are wrong to attack Newt Gingrich’s proposal for a more measured response in dealing with illegal aliens. His critics accuse him of proposing amnesty, but a better solution might be to put illegal aliens on probation for entering the country illegally.

Workers should know they are appreciated I’m grateful to the professionals who responded quickly on Thanksgiving Day to help my neighbor who had fallen off his roof. After putting in a call to 911, it took only a few moments for the crew to arrive from Atlanta’s Fire Department (Station 19), and one of Grady’s ambulances was right behind them.

Founding Fathers and the art of compromise With reference to the failure of the supercommittee to reach an agreement, this is yet another sad demonstration of our dysfunctional Congress. Where are the far-sighted and courageous congressional leaders we need to bring our nation through these difficult times? Those who constantly invoke our Founding Fathers as their role models should consider how leaders like George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin worked for the compromises that ultimately enabled our Constitution to be ratified and our young nation to prosper.

Georgia, Florida and Alabama can do more The sensible thing for the tri-state area (including Alabama and northern Florida) to do is to require the immediate retrofit conversion of water flow devices (such as toilets, shower heads and aerators) to low-flow variants.

Damage to students can’t be calculated in dollars Regarding “The high cost of test cheating” (News, Nov. 20), kudos to the AJC for shining a light on the dollar cost of the recent test cheating scandal and the corruption that led to it.

City’s officials focus
 on the wrong things Regarding “Costly payouts pile up for Atlanta” (ajc.com, Nov. 21), I find it ironic and disappointing that Atlanta City Council members Michael Julian Bond and Joyce Sheperd are just now pretending to show concern over the costs of poor maintenance of city infrastructure.

For best sports writer, a reason to be grateful Today, I’m thankful that one of the biggest benefits of my learning to read was that Furman Bisher was already the premier sportswriter of my generation. I’m thankful for the home delivery of newspapers and being able to turn first to Bisher’s column.

Nonbelievers would be open to harassment The recently proposed legislation in Georgia concerning the “In God We Trust” vehicle license plate discriminates against at least one in 10 Georgians (“Georgia license plates could sport “In God We Trust,” ajc.

Cagle needs to answer to voters for his actions Regarding “Lobbyists pay for Cagle outing” (ajc.com, Nov. 16): This article demonstrates why we need newspapers. Who else is going to be the watchdog of our politicians? Cagle should be ashamed and embarrassed by the response of his office to this article.

Keep your cats, dogs inside, or risk tragedy Regarding “Homeowners group OKs plan to deal with coyotes” (Metro, Nov. 14), we desperately need to rid our communities of coyotes. They are carriers of rabies and other diseases and are definitely having someone’s outdoor cats and dogs for “lunch.

Pro-choice backers not against public schools Jay Bookman’s “Public schools favored” (Opinion, Nov. 13) misses the point. I would suggest to Bookman that if he investigated the issue more completely, he would find most non-public school advocates truly support a strong public school system.

Businesses fail to step up, lead way to growth I went to make a deposit at my “big bank” recently, and was informed that the drive-through was closed for lack of staff and to please come inside. Later, I hastened to get a car emissions inspection and was told they would get to it — but they were understaffed that day.

Police Department, Hall deserve thanks I wanted to extend thanks to our Zone 5 police officers and Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall. The weekend of Nov. 5, vandals targeted my condo complex, causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

We all should follow demand of protesters After reading Thomas Friedman’s piece comparing protesters in India with Wall Street occupiers, I began to think: What should their message and demands be (“Two governments have many parallels,” Opinion, Nov.

Tax evasion weakens economy, country Jay Bookman’s piece on the European debt crisis (“Watching Europe’s financial crisis from afar, and hoping,” ajc.com, Nov. 10) pointed out a factor that is certainly crucial to the financial situation in Europe and, to some extent, here in the United States: evading taxes.

Meltdown is Obama’s fault? That’s funny I read with some amusement “It’s time for president to shoulder the blame” (Readers write, Opinion, Nov. 10), from the writer who believes that President Barack Obama is responsible for the current economic debacle.

Misguided to compare
 this offense to an affair Regarding “We’re tired of these bedfellows” (Opinion, Nov. 6), someone else will probably say it better — but how dare AJC columnist Kyle Wingfield compare sexual harassment and affairs? One is unsolicited — the other is consensual.

Republicans continue to deny the undeniable Regarding “Everyone makes mistakes; leaders learn” (Readers write, Opinion, Nov. 8): For the past few years, I have listened to Republican legislators (and subsequently their supporting base) vehemently deny culpability regarding today’s poor economic state.

Best way to say thanks is by a hiring campaign On Veterans Day, Americans honor our brave men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line for our country. We also remember those who did not make it back home. Many veterans are returning home to face various hardships.

No one will ever fill Andy Rooney’s shoes For as long as I can remember, the treat of the weekend was at the end of “60 Minutes” in the words and persona of Andy Rooney. His talent at diverting our attention for a moment was as marvelous as it was simple.

Bullies leave defense alone, pick on the poor It’s clear that fraud is low-down, rotten and Americans don’t like it. The Republicans are interested in saving money by cutting funds to federal programs that have been defrauded by our citizens.

Do more to fight No. 1 killer among cancers No one deserves to bear the burden of lung cancer. This devastating disease is the single leading cancer killer of men and women in the United States — yet it remains largely overlooked. There are an estimated 7,200 lung cancer cases in Georgia each year.

Atlantans wonderful during a time of grief My husband passed away recently, and my family traveled to Atlanta to bury him there. The evening before the service, we all went to dinner at a local Uncle Julio’s. The food and service were very good, but the considerate way the staff handled a problem needs to be commended.

Columns by Sanchez, Sowell worth reading Recent columns in the AJC reflecting different political views should both be required reading for concerned citizenry and voters — regardless of their political persuasion. In understandable language, “Time to work within political movement” by Mary Sanchez (Opinion, Nov.

Luckovich must learn how people really feel Mike Luckovich’s adoption of Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan as a way to pile on, with the rest of the mainstream media, was so very funny (AJC cartoon, Opinion, Nov. 1). But let me inform Luckovich of the painful truths.

Krauthammer makes blood pressure go up I can barely read a Charles Krauthammer column without a spike in blood pressure. But his “Dictator deserved ‘Libyan crossfire’ ” (Opinion, Oct. 28) is right on. Those who would have preferred a more humane end for this man just don’t live in the real world, where repression at the hands of a dictator bring out the worst in anyone.

Troop pullout good for the country, military Now that President Obama has announced that U.S. troops will pull out of Iraq by year’s end, there has been a storm of criticism from the GOP. Even Mitt Romney has jumped on the bandwagon. It’s about time our troops came home to their families.

WAR IN IRAQ The other option: What if Saddam were alive? Leonard Pitts’ column saying we should never have gone to Iraq raises a question neither he nor his ilk will answer (“We should not have been there,” Opinion, Oct.

TRANSPORTATION

Metro Atlanta shouldn’t put brakes on Beltline “Atlanta Forward?” How about, “Throw it in reverse”? By the tone of “Waving a yellow flag” (Opinion, Oct. 23), it appears the AJC is pushing continued sprawl over smart growth.

Georgia still in need 
of federal oversight The article “Georgia seeks to strike down Voting Rights Act” (ajc.com, Oct. 25) states that Georgia has submitted its new congressional and legislative maps for approval, and seeks to strike down Section V of the Voting Rights Act, which calls for government approval before redistricting can occur.