Provides the latest RSS feeds for US Editorials. For more headlines on Breaking, National, Business, Finance, Sports and World News, visit our home page Atlanta Leader.com http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/cat/09c0947bd4eaa867/ en-us Thu, 23 May 2013 03:17:51 -0400 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:17:51 -0400 30 Next week, education and business will merge on Mackinac Island, as both educators and businessmen acknowledge the vital link between the two. A look at the agenda of this ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707345/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:44:32 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707345/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The meltdown of the Pontiac School district is about to show up on the tax bills of property owners in several Oakland County communities. The district in January lost a $7.8 million lawsuit filed by the health insurance arm of the Michigan Education Association, and unless another source of money is found quickly, a 3.5-mill court-ordered property tax levy automatically will kick in the first ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707344/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:44:32 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707344/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 My nomination for American hero of the 20th century is someone who lived half his life in disguise and the other half as the ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707346/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:44:31 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707346/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Whose money is it? How about the taxpayers rainy day fund? Return the surplus to its rightful owners, the taxpayers who paid it. Stuart Marc Left, West ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707347/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:44:29 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214707347/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: It's time now for your letters, and we got many about our coverage of the tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma. Several were praise for our story yesterday about survivors who lost most of their possessions but considered themselves lucky. ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706242/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:42:03 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706242/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Margery Eagan completely misses the mark in her column ("There’s just no more road to share," May 21). The problem is not that there are too many bicyclists, it is that there are too many cars. Boston’s streets were never designed to accommodate the volume of automobile traffic they endure today on a daily basis. And the reality is that bicycles are much more adept at ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706243/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:15:38 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706243/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Lt. Gov. Tim Murray yesterday gave the people of Massachusetts his two-week notice, thus drawing a curtain on one of the most underwhelming tenures of a statewide office-holder in recent Massachusetts history. And that’s saying something.Murray is trading the privilege of elected office for what amounts to a bigger salary and a shorter commute, resigning with nearly two years left in his ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706246/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:15:37 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706246/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 She suggested she only found out about the possible targeting of Tea Party groups from press reports in February and March of 2012. That turned out to be a complete fabrication. She was briefed on the "Be On the Look Out" list on June 29, 2011.And two days before her ABA "apology," she appeared before Congress and was asked about the status of the investigation into tax-exempt ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706245/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:15:37 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706245/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 On days when the president is coming, the White House press room, the East Room and even occasionally the Rose Garden are ornamented with dozens of objects that perform the decorative and utilitarian purpose of potted plants.They are members of the prestigious White House press corps (a gaggle in which I also plied my craft for many years). These elite journalists are there ostensibly as key ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706244/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:15:36 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706244/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 WASHINGTON - Early in an opinion issued recently by a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Judge A. Raymond Randolph says: "Although the parties have not raised it, one issue needs to be resolved before we turn to the merits of the case." The issue he raised but could not resolve - that is up to the Supreme Court - illuminates ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706247/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:15:36 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214706247/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 I spent two innings in the Gulag. The Saints tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, only to lose it in the 10th. Despite the loss, I had hope in the Gulag that the ship would crash deeper into center ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704226/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 22:24:33 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704226/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 After several years in absentia, bipartisanship returned to the Minnesota Legislature in 2013, in varying degrees. As a result, the common good was served. It wasn’t always pretty, but in the end it ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704225/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 22:24:33 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704225/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Attorney General Eric Holder is questioned about the Justice Department secretly obtaining two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press, during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday, May 14, ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704227/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 22:24:31 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704227/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 As usual, there is no good news to share in the case of Susan Cox Powell's disappearance. The only glimmer is that the West Valley City Police Department finally has decided to release tens of thousands of pages of reports and related documents, while declaring that the investigation now will be considered a cold case. Police work is difficult. It involves more than accusations based on ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704228/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 22:14:28 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214704228/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 One of the most remarkable public health achievements over the past 30 years has been the sharp decline in the number of Americans dying each year because of drunken ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703096/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 21:14:54 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703096/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Like the individual tax code, the corporate version doesn't work. Apparently it has come to the attention of certain U.S. senators that Apple Inc. has been abiding by the law and acting in its shareholders' best interests. Members of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations excoriated the company this week for using such tactics to avoid billions of dollars in taxes. They should ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703098/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:59:20 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703098/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Back in 1986, when we faced a similar corporate tax mess, Ronald Reagan and Congress took action. Record high corporate profits. Record low corporate income taxes. That's what we've been seeing for the past several years. It's not right. My ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703097/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:59:18 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703097/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 We asked on Twitter how communities can better prepare for devastating tornadoes like the one that hit Moore, Okla. Comments are edited for clarity and grammar:My town in Oklahoma recently purchased an automated citywide calling system that alerts everyone about a warning.-- @Frogster_15It's hard to be ready. It's hard to predict when a tornado is coming. -- @elviobrAll schools in ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703100/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:59:18 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703100/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Comments from Facebook:Prayers and admirationThe massive tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., on Monday caused utter devastation, killing at least 24 people. Ironically, disasters like this can bring out the best (or the worst) in human character.While heartbroken viewing the tragedy, I found myself awe-inspired by the courage of the local people. The initial responders were residents, ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703099/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:59:16 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703099/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 To encourage cable and satellite companies to offer "a la carte" pricing for TV services, Sen. John McCain introduced a bill in Congress this month. Comments from Facebook:I would welcome unbundled services, but I'm disappointed we can't as consumers make this happen. Ideally, instead of getting channels a la carte, we should be getting shows a la carte. It's just silly ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703101/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:59:15 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703101/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Los Angeles gave a big victory to Eric Garcetti in Tuesday's election for mayor - a big victory and a huge challenge. For the next class of L.A. leaders, the overarching challenge will be to restore confidence and participation in the city's government. This goes for Garcetti, new City Attorney Mike Feuer, new City Controller Ron Galperin and a City Council that will feature seven new ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703103/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:46:13 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703103/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 It's welcome news that Congress has passed House Resolution 258, the federal Stolen Valor Act, inspired by the case of a lying Pomona official. The House vote in favor on Tuesday was 390-3. The Senate on Wednesday passed by unanimous consent the legislation by Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Paul Cook of Yucca Valley. The bill now goes to President Obama. Xavier ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703102/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:46:13 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214703102/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Immigration is vital to providing Washington the workforce necessary to grow our economy, according to guest columnists Don Brunell and Mike ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214701888/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 19:50:37 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214701888/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 SANLIURFA, Turkey - I’ve been traveling to Yemen, Syria and Turkey to film a documentary on how environmental stresses contributed to the Arab awakening. As I looked back on the trip, it occurred to me that three of our main characters - the leaders of the two Yemeni villages that have been fighting over a single water well and the leader of the Free Syrian Army in Raqqa province, whose ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214701889/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 19:50:36 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214701889/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Muller attend the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service last ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214700521/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 18:41:36 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214700521/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Times like this show that America still has faith. Much has been written about the secularization of America, and in some ways that is the case. Pew Research found ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214700520/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 18:41:34 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214700520/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Ask a great inventor to invent, and that's exactly what he'll do. Sometimes the ideas pop out like cannon bursts: "consider this ... " or "maybe this?" or "Wait! How about THIS!" Ben Franklin did that with balloons. In the 1780s, Franklin was America's ambassador to France, living in Paris, where all over town, people were experimenting with balloon ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214699158/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 17:44:49 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214699158/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 We will work to stay focused on that which unites us. The Boy Scouts of America is part of the fabric of this nation. Our focus is on working together to deliver the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. Somehow, Scouting has become one of the focal points in the debate on homosexuality. However, it is not the role of the Boy Scouts to ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214699159/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 17:32:21 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214699159/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Donald Gale has dreams, big dreams, dreams so big they can only be properly expressed by writing about this super serious dreams to change society with an ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214697719/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 16:27:55 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214697719/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Yesterday Apple Inc. CEO was called before a congressional hearing as to why Apple failed to pay $30 billion in taxes last year. But did they do anything wrong? Legaly, no, most opinions from around the web ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214697718/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 16:27:54 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214697718/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The U.S. Senate is on the verge of debating comprehensive immigration reform, and there are signs Republicans and Democrats are cooperating to finally pass a substantial bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s 13-5 decision Monday to send the measure to the floor is a big deal, and though I support equal rights for same-sex couples (and this ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214697720/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 16:22:17 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214697720/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The nation’s biggest banks are waging an outrageous fight against a bipartisan Senate bill seeking to protect taxpayers from bailing them out. Renewed interest in curtailing reckless financial practices was sparked by Attorney General Eric Holder’s admission earlier this year that he is afraid to prosecute the banks that brought about the worst downturn since the Great Depression. ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214696279/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 15:26:46 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214696279/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 I am glad the Utah Department of Transportation made a thorough decision and listened to the many people behind the huge public outcry supporting the Glover's Lane option over the Shepard Lane option for the West Davis Corridor. The current decision ensures that homes are saved from unnecessary destruction when an alternative through unpopulated areas is ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214696281/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 15:15:57 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214696281/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 For the college students who will be paying for a four-year bachelor’s degree long after graduation day, here’s some consolation: At least it didn’t take you six or eight years. College is expensive, yet unpredictably so. Some students pay little for degrees from elite private institutions, after tuition discounts and financial aid. Many of their peers, however, will pay far ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694596/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 14:13:19 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694596/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 which writer Raj Ranade says has set a high bar for other contenders at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It's true enough that ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694991/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 14:10:08 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694991/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Intellectual property theft is a growing problem that the government needs to crack down on for the good of American companies, says Huntsman and ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694598/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 14:03:24 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694598/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The continuing examples of the Obama administration’s targeting of journalists is advancing a new front in the war on journalism, according to Jonathan S. Tobin ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694597/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 14:03:24 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214694597/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The video for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's newly released song starts by re-creating the conditions of his captivity during the 81 days he was held in police detention in 2011, later dissolving into a dystopian ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214693197/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 12:56:35 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214693197/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 returning via Netflix? Just another old-media brand reviving itself on new media. The TV show, which originally ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and unveils new episodes on Netflix next weekend, finds itself in splendid company. Radiohead, Louis ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691398/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:43:50 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691398/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Must religion be embodied in a god or gods, such as Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture? We all know how the battle lines shake out: evangelical vs. scientist, believer vs. atheist. The culture war defined as science vs. religion is so overheated that it seems to be more of a caricature than a coherent, useful discussion. Unless, that is, someone is trying to stretch beyond the ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691399/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:43:49 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691399/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 In the war of businessmen against the people, the businessmen seem to have won the battle for collecting sales tax on products purchased from out-of-state ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691400/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:37:10 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691400/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Lisa Hamm, sister of slain Monroe Corrections Officer Jayme Biendl, reacts after a Snohomish County jury recommended the death penalty for Biendl’s killer, Byron Scherf. At left is Biendl’s father, James Hamm. Lisa’s husband, Paul Crosby, is at right, and Biendl’s brother James. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times) The person who killed the guard at the Washington State ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691401/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:31:18 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214691401/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Director Steven Soderbergh had been looking for a way to frame a film about the extravagant entertainer Liberace for years when a friend recommended the ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689813/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:30:55 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689813/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 As a senior, I am due to finish my high-school career in a number of weeks. After 12 years of schooling, I am on to a university. I was blessed with great teachers every year, but there is something I wish to address. There have been such significant budget cuts recently, and while the whole state is feeling the stress of the country's deficit, I am curious as to why it is the education ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689815/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:18:18 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689815/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 new Brookings Institute study that concludes a lack of affordable housing has led low-income households to move outside Seattle city limits. In particular, the last line in the article caught my attention: "We should create and re-create economic opportunities for people in South King County, but we should also be working to give them access to homes and jobs in higher-opportunity parts of ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689814/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:18:18 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689814/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The scandals seem to be getting closer to the White House. Who knew about the IRS scandal? The comics have a few thoughts about that. Vote for your favorite punchline at ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689816/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:17:50 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214689816/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 What’s the difference between keeping President Obama "updated throughout the night" on a deadly terrorist attack in Benghazi and keeping him "updated throughout the night" on a deadly tornado in Oklahoma?The president could have actually done something about Benghazi.Have you been watching the president the past 36 hours or so? Lots of photos of him calling officials in ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214686887/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 07:35:34 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214686887/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 An air tanker drops slurry on the Waldo Canyon fire near Colorado Springs in June 2012. (RJ Sangosti, Denver Post file) With ample spring snowfall and recent rains, it's easy to forget about wildfire season. But soon enough the days will heat up, fuel sources will dry out and Colorado - and other Western states - will once again be faced with serious wildfire threats. To that end, it's ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214682791/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 03:06:43 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214682791/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Lily Raymond, 17, rushes to embrace her brother Ethan Raymond, 11, as a teacher escorts him away from Briarwood Elementary school after a tornado destroyed the school in south Oklahoma City on Monday. (Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman) ( | ) As we grieve for those who lost so much in the monster tornado that struck Oklahoma on Monday, we also find ourselves buoyed by emerging stories of heroism. We ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214682792/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 03:06:42 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214682792/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Folks, deep breath time. This is not the end of the Obama presidency. It's a bad stretch with an unfortunate confluence of unfortunate events. None of which will make the first paragraph -- not even the first page -- of the account of the Obama administration in the history books.Let's tick through the trifecta of scandals and what they tell us -- about the foibles of this ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681820/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:20:24 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681820/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 The illegal abortion trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell horrified the nation. Gosnell was found guilty of delivering late-term live babies in abortion attempts and then killing them by snipping their spines. A co-worker said that, after aborting a 30 week fetus, Gosnell joked that the child was so big it could "walk to the ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681821/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:18:02 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681821/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 In the war of businessmen against the people, the businessmen seem to have won the battle for collecting sales tax on products purchased from out-of-state sellers. A federal law sponsored by state business interests will require the appropriate state sales tax to be collected on Internet purchases. The state governments see this as a windfall because the voluntary sales tax doesn't seem to ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681822/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:18:01 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681822/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Dan Liljenquist's gleeful recounting of adversity in the Obama presidency is unfortunate ("Chaffetz's search for truth in Benghazi paid off," May 16). Extremism on the left and on the right is much the same. Salient in both are fear and hate of an "other" and detachment of reality. Where extremism errs is in its rigid dichotomy of paired opposites, like friend and ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681823/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:18:00 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681823/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Everyone expects the government to step in and help the victims of this most recent tornado as it has in the other recent natural disasters. I applaud the quick response of our government — the purpose of government is to protect its citizens. But according to the ranting and raving of a few, that does not include protecting them when illness occurs. Please explain to me the difference ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681824/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:17:59 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681824/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 India and China together account for about 38 percent of the world's 7-billion-plus population. Because these Asian giants share a border, the whole planet holds its breath if they are at each other's throats, as they were again earlier this ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681825/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:17:58 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681825/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 For a century, the Boy Scouts of America has provided the young men of Utah an unparalleled program of character development through outdoor adventure, leadership training and service. The state's communities have benefited enormously — not just from the untold hours of service — but from the values of the Scout Oath and Law that have been instilled into the hearts of so many. ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681826/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 02:17:57 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214681826/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 It is time for Michiganians to have a real conversation about both value and values. Do we want to protect corrections officers or produce fatter CEO paychecks? Are we trying to give our kids the cheapest possible education or the best? Do our veterans and the health care workers who care for them deserve more than empty promises? Sometimes you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, it looks like ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214680822/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 01:09:43 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214680822/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Although there’s still a great deal to be learned about the scandals and controversies swirling around the White House like so many ominous dorsal fins in the surf, the nature of President Obama’s bind is becoming clear. The best defenses of his administration require undermining the rationale for his presidency."We’re portrayed by Republicans as either being liars or ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214680823/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 00:50:07 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214680823/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 David Beckham spent six years in the U.S. with the LA Galaxy before returning to Europe earlier this year. The most unforgiving criticism in sport is directed at any athlete who fans believe is celebrated too excessively above his true talent level -- especially those stars who are gloried because they're such pretty people. To wit: As David Beckham retires, so much attention is ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214679806/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Wed, 22 May 2013 00:07:05 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214679806/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Two seemingly unrelated stories in the news - marriage equality and Angelina Jolie’s preventive mastectomies - have a connection for some Minnesotans. Many members of state’s adoption community have sought for decades to regain the right of adult adoptees to have access to their original birth certificates. Our attempts to restore this right, which was taken away in the 1940s under ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214678756/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 23:00:46 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214678756/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Last week, I decided I wanted a Reuben sandwich, and I was missing sauerkraut. For my Reubens, not just any sauerkraut will do. So I got in my car, strapped myself in, drove to the co-op that carries it and paid an ungodly amount for The Best Sauerkraut In The World. I got home, laid out my ingredients, and started drooling at the prospect of my delicious, most-craved Reuben. And then I ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214678757/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 23:00:45 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214678757/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Mark Dayton and DFL leaders are wasting little time to extol their "accomplishments" of this year’s legislative session. We, not surprisingly, have a different take and a lot of questions. Why did legislators raise permanent taxes by more than $2 billion to resolve a $627 million short-term deficit? They could have adopted a balanced approach by going through the budget line by ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214677780/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:50:25 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214677780/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Monday's tornado wasn't even the strongest to hit this same suburban community. The pictures make you wonder how anyone lived through the monster tornado that devastated an Oklahoma City suburb on Monday. Neighborhoods scraped to the foundations. ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214677782/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:34:26 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214677782/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 "Every Okie accepts that atmospheric instability is a part of our legacy." The Oklahoman,Oklahoma City, editorial: "Now come the sad stories, the heartrending deaths of young and old, the miracles and the survivals, as the black funnel wraps itself in grief. Now come the recovery, the selfless deeds, the sacrificial giving and the comforting words. This is a time when patience is ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214677781/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:34:26 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214677781/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Minneapolis police chief, she told the Star Tribune Editorial Board that her priorities for the department included transparency. In fact, the motto "Commitment, Integrity, Transparency" appears on most correspondence from her office. Earlier this month, she faced one of her first big tests in community relations. Two Minneapolis police officers were shot and two young men died ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676707/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:41:20 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676707/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 SNOHOMISH County Executive Aaron Reardon’s voluntary departure from his elected post should be acknowledged by more than a startling paragraph in a routine speech. Two months ago in a State of the County address, Reardon announced he would step down May 31. That was pretty much it. He owes county residents a more formal, and pragmatic departure. Reardon should not compound a string of ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676708/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:47 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676708/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 A few weeks ago I received this email from a frustrated teacher: "I retired several years ago from teaching high school. I still sub. On Monday I was supposed to supervise peer editing of a research paper on the Industrial Revolution. The students had two weeks to write. I had five classes and about half the students did not have their papers. ‘I don’t like to write’ or ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676709/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:46 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676709/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 THE U.S. government has expressed interest in possibly instituting a new border-crossing fee at land borders. At this stage, the proposal is just a request by President Obama’s administration to study the effect of collecting a crossing fee for pedestrians and passenger vehicles along the Canadian and Mexican land borders. A fee would help recover the costs of upgrades on the northern and ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676710/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:45 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676710/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Hospital charges vary widely from one part of the country to another. The Affordable Care Act requires hospitals to tell patients how much a procedure will ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676714/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:23 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676714/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 But blocking tactics aren't the same thing as providing proof of supposed administration abuses. Never lacking chutzpah, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Chief Obstructionist of the Party of No, turned up on Meet the Press Sunday to denounce the Obama administration for creating ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676712/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:23 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676712/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it would take up a case about whether prayer should be allowed at government meetings. We asked our readers how they would rule. Comments are from Twitter and Facebook:Should prayer be allowed at government meetings? Absolutely! Politicians need all the help they can get. -- @VILLARREAL_14Pray at home or church. Not everyone is a Bible-thumping Christian. We ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676711/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:23 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676711/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 James Oliver, left, hugs his brother and fellow Eagle Scout, Will Oliver, who is gay. In February, Will and other supporters carried boxes filled with a petition to end the ban on gay Scouts and leaders to the Boy Scouts of America headquarters in ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676713/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:23 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676713/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 It's clear by this point that the Internal Revenue Service should not be in the business of figuring out what constitutes political activity and just how much of it is engaged in by any particular group claiming tax-exempt status. The easy solution to the scandal embroiling Washington is to revoke the 1959 IRS regulation that says social-welfare groups can engage in political activity, so ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676715/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:12:52 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676715/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Seven in 10 Latino high school graduates entered college last year, the first time the rate has ever been higher than that of whites and African-Americans. That, in its way, is the good news. It's not a matter of pitting one American ethnic group against the others; it's more that such success among a group that is made up primarily of immigrants, so that most of these new college ... http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676716/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867 Tue, 21 May 2013 20:12:51 -0400 http://www.atlantaleader.com/index.php/sid/214676716/scat/09c0947bd4eaa867