I am appalled by the letter from Eugene Elander from Dahlonega that appeared in Wednesday’s Times stating that the governor’s Amendment No. 1 is “wrongheaded.”

Elander professes to be a critical thinker because he has taught it “for many years,” then launches into a tirade against the amendment by mentioning the governor’s “cronies” and the “greedy education privateers” who will “gouge their schools with larger classes and ancient textbooks in order to make a profit.”

I wonder why he didn’t use some of his critical thinking to propose solutions to our problems with our chronically failing schools instead of just slinging mud at the people who are offering new approaches to solving them.

It sounds like Mr. Elander is more interested in maintaining the status quo than solving problems. Critical thinking should have loftier goals than that.

I’m voting yes on Amendment 1.

Jim Waldrep
Lula