For-profit medical industry needs restraining
AJC education reporter Cassidy Alexander (“Rising healthcare costs are crippling Georgia school systems,” AJC, July 4) clearly illustrates the stranglehold the medical industry has over Georgia.
Can you imagine the outrage if government policy were the leading cause of bankruptcy or if it crippled education? That government would be voted out of office.
However, since the medical industry is in the private sector, it is sacred and seemingly beyond our control. Politicians are terrified to cross the insurance giants for fear of being labeled “communist.”
What kind of people are we that give these corporate bureaucrats, private-equity vultures and other medical predators such control over us? Are we so slavishly obedient to “the market” that we equate our health care to any other product, like cars and concerts? When will we demand — demand — leaders that forcefully rein in the for-profit medical vampires sucking us dry?
And do we really believe that a billionaire health care executive is going to lift a finger as governor to stop this plundering of the public?
ROBIN MCDOWELL, ATLANTA
Is Georgia ready for AI energy plants?
The AJC’s reporting on the proposed “pop-up” power plant for a Covington data center highlights a much bigger story: the AI boom is reshaping Georgia’s electric system.
Some large data centers are building their own power plants instead of relying on the electric grid planned through the Georgia Public Service Commission. In effect, some AI companies are becoming energy companies.
That raises an important question: Are our laws and regulations ready for this new reality?
Georgia has an opportunity to lead. Instead of responding with more fossil-fuel power plants alone, we should invest in a smarter, more flexible grid. Rooftop solar, home and business batteries, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources can work together to deliver reliable, affordable electricity. This “batteries everywhere” approach stores energy when it is abundant, keeps the lights on during outages, reduces strain during extreme heat, and strengthens communities during disasters.
The Georgia Public Service Commission can help lead this transition through performance-based regulation that rewards utilities for delivering better results, such as greater reliability, lower costs, cleaner energy and better use of distributed resources, rather than simply building more expensive power plants.
AI will shape our future. Now is the time to build an electric system that serves innovation, strengthens resilience and works for all Georgians.
JAY BASSETT, SNELLVILLE
CO-CHAIR, CITIZEN CLIMATE LOBBY NATIONAL ELECTRIFICATION ACTION TEAM
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