This is in reference to the coverage of the countywide alcohol vote in Lumpkin County. As an alcoholic of days gone by, it upset me because of the personal experience I have encountered. I drank alcohol because of bad choices, and these choices led to first-hand experience with the destruction of my morals, health and judgment of life.

The coverage upset me because it tried to justify the use of alcohol based on the "good" it would produce through tax revenue and the tourist trade. It never mentioned the bad consequences of consuming alcohol, especially in public.

When a person is allowed to walk in an establishment and consume alcoholic beverages, that individual has got to get home somehow. I know that there are commercials aired and articles written telling everyone to "drink responsibly," but once alcohol is consumed, responsibility and reason are diminished; the more one drinks, the more that reason is destroyed.

A doctor has to attend medical school for years to know how much medication one needs to benefit them. Yet with alcohol, the person administering this mentally altering substance has very little training in how much is enough without harm being done.

The compelling drive of the one serving the alcohol is the bottom line, the need for more money or business profit. When the drinking person leaves the establishment under the influence of alcohol, that person's reason and responsibility have been altered. The consequences too many times have wound up in death either for that person or some innocent human being.

How much revenue from taxes or how much profit for a business would it take to pay for that human life lost? If a life is not lost but an accident occurs, how much tax revenue would help pay for the damages and the need for involvement by county police, medical professionals, the courts, insurance companies, lost work time, rehabilitation and so on?

Seems to me that the small amount of taxes collected from one night of drinking by one person could in no way pay for services needed for such an event. The only way for tax revenue to be beneficial is to promote more people drinking in these establishments and paying more taxes, but this adds to the statistics of more accidents. Where is the intelligent reasoning in that?

If a person chooses to consume alcohol, why involve the whole community? Let him go to the liquor store, buy his controlled substance and take it home to drink there. Stay off the roads and quit making me a part of your insanity and sin.

The Bible clearly teaches that "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1). Have we become so deceived that we as a society are not rational in our thinking? Has the love of money become the driving force of our decisions? Are we so drunk on pride that we think we are smarter than God Almighty?

Please wake up. I am not out to destroy a business' income or the state's income, but the devil is out to destroy us all. It seems to me that the devil is devouring our society by convincing us mentally that devouring alcohol is all right. It is a destroyer and history proves it in every generation.

Larry Kendall
Dahlonega

America's standing in world begins at home
Don't you just love the election season? It is a time when we hear some of the greatest speeches ever imagined. The key word here is imagined. Especially by the Democratic candidates.

I don't really care much if they did drugs way back in college; I just wonder what they are smoking now. Do they think this is the time for all Americans to put their brains on a shelf and mindlessly believe that they will soon bring us Utopia?

Lower taxes for people who don't pay taxes anyway; health care for free; and raise taxes on the people who create most of the jobs in America. They paint a picture of this country as being the worst place on the planet, but it will be the greatest the day they are sworn into office. I don't know if we are ushering in a new presidency or the second coming of Christ. If you have been around a few years, you know not to believe much in any of these campaign promises.

There is one point that is mentioned quite often in these speeches that I take issue with. They would seek to re-establish the credibility of the U.S. in the world.

I am not questioning the fact that America does not need a public relations face-lift. I am questioning the reasons why. It is not because we started a war in the Middle East without the OK from the rest of the world. America is slipping in the world because America is slipping at home. We honor people that won't work with handouts. We honor criminals with easy time, even if they kill their own children. We honor women with the right to kill their own unborn babies. But we do not honor God.

Four things will help America and it does not matter who is in the White House if we do them.

1. Term limits
2. Fair Tax
3. Line item veto
4. Repent, 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Jarl Echols
Alto

Illegal immigrants may become a new majority
Recently, it was published that in 40 years, the demographics of our nation will take a radical shift. There are many problems associated with illegal immigration. But perhaps the most troubling is the population explosion.

There is no wonder Mexican officials and supporters here are so united in the fight to keep the flood coming. Once we are a minority, we will be out voted and lose control over our government and its decision making. Who will this new majority try to benefit once it controls the most productive and powerful nation in the world?

Huge amounts of illegal immigrant income is sent back to Mexico already. How and where will our economic resources be directed 40 years from now?

I am supportive of legal immigration from all nations. I am totally against being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants and my children and grandchildren becoming a minority.

James Staub
Dahlonega

Dawsonville Highway is worse than it was
The recent construction on Dawsonville Highway may have left us with the worst new road I have ever seen. There are massive potholes, ridiculous markings that swerve around in the lanes, and bumps suited for a 1940s Edsel.

One can only hope the Georgia Department of Transportation is not calling this "complete" and is planning on adding an additional topcoat. If not, we taxpayers deserve our money back for this pathetically shoddy work.

Jason Shreeram
Gainesville