Guns, disasters, tragedies, heroic teachers and carpooling in today’s letters to the editor.

Giles County’s school closure in today’s The Burgs letters.

Pick of the day: In not the finest tradition . . .

Once Congress voted on the fiscal cliff, President Obama observed that it seems that our legislators always wait until the very last second to act on important matters.

This comment disturbed many of his opponents. But the president was right.

In fact, when our very first Congress, meeting in Annapolis in 1783 under the Articles of Confederation, was faced with an impending deadline to ratify the Treaty of Paris with England, ending the Revolutionary War and recognizing the young nation’s independence, Congress delayed and delayed.

Only a parliamentary sleight of hand, proposed by Thomas Jefferson, spurred on ratification of the treaty, which was sent to England just in time to meet the deadline.

Is this any way to run a government? No. But it seems to be the way we do it.

All the talk has been of a fiscal cliff. Perhaps what we saw, and sadly may continue to see, is a long series of “cliff-hangers.”

EDWIN DOOLEY

LEXINGTON