I believe in the power of prayer and all it can do. At this point we will take any help we can get. However, what frustrates me the most is that once the photo opportunity in Washington was over, the urgency of this issue seems to have been forgotten. The inept political environment and policy makers in control have returned to doing nothing concrete as usual.

Sonny Perdue evidently has come to the end of his bagful of tricks and feels that if he calls for this "pray for rain" session it will appear to his constituents that he is really doing something worthwhile. Who elected this fool? Better yet, who still believes he is smart enough to deal with the issues we are confronted with in today's environment?

Unfortunately, we will all suffer long and difficult years for the mistakes he and other politicians have made. No wonder we have all lost faith in our leaders.

Linda Sartore
Gainesville

Using turn signals is smart, courteous
Whatever happened to the law that requires the use of a blinker when turning? The last time I checked, which was recently, the law was still active. Why then do so many people not use their blinkers?

Imagine this scene: You are driving home. You reach the turn-off for your neighborhood, a small turn lane on the right. There are two vehicles in front of you. The driver of the first vehicle turns on a blinker and pulls into the turn lane. The second vehicle slows down and remains on the street, while you turn on your blinker and pull into the turn lane, and begin to ease toward the first car.

Suddenly, car No. 2 begins to turn right without turning on a blinker or pulling into the turn lane to warn you, the driver behind them, of their intentions. You honk your horn to let them know they nearly hit you; they think it's a game and slam on their brakes. You've nearly hit this person, and unfortunately, if you had in the eyes of the law, since you were the person to the rear, you would have been responsible.

I just experienced this little incident. Needless to say, this person refused to use their blinker the entire trip through our neighborhood.

Do people not realize that neglecting to use blinkers puts everyone at risk? The use of blinkers allow those behind you to be prepared for a change in traffic flow. Not using blinkers is discourteous and downright dangerous, especially at night. It is difficult to judge distances at night, and having a driver choose to turn without forewarning others is an invitation to disaster.

Another thing to consider: What kind of message do we send to our children, the next generation of drivers, if we teach them that obeying the law doesn't apply on the roads? I think this teaches our kids that it's OK to break the law. That kind of attitude is what pervades our society today.
Let's be considerate of other drivers and use our blinkers to warn of our intention to turn, and teach our children that courtesy is still important, even on the road.

Darlene Bennett
Gillsville