Viewpoints on topics in the news

Some thoughts on toll lanes, workforce development and SNAP food assistance programs.

This week, we present the ideas of three Atlanta writers, offering their opinion on issues in the news that will impact metro Atlantans, Georgians and, if seen in a reasonably broad sense, Americans.

It’s been two weeks now since the Georgia Department of Transportation opened the latest addition to the growing network of toll lanes around metro Atlanta. The Northwest Corridor Express Lanes are intended to offer commuters a more reliable way to travel more quickly through the congestion that’s common on our roads. That faster ride requires paying a variable toll, or using transit or vanpools. GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry offers his thoughts on this project and the thinking behind it.

Also today, an Atlanta business executive offers thoughts on an aspect of workforce development — a topic that’s perennially discussed in the private sector as companies struggle, at times, to find qualified workers. The writer focuses on the need to improve literacy in Georgia. A more literate workforce is a necessity in an age where work is becoming increasingly complex in many instances, and constant learning a necessity to adapt to changing marketplaces.

The third piece today stresses the importance of the SNAP food assistance program to disabled people in Georgia, and across the state and nation. The authors urge Congress to find a way to maintain the SNAP program as a bulwark against hunger for those with disabilities and others, including children, the elderly and some veterans.