Letters

Outraged Over Campaign Funding

Regarding Godfrey Sperling's column "A November Vote for Outrage" (Oct. 27): I have been a registered Republican all my life, but I just changed my registration to Independent. I deplore President Clinton's behavior, but I am going to vote for a Democratic representative and senator.

Why? Because I deplore the Gingrich/Lott immorality on campaign financing more than I deplore Clinton's sexual immorality. All the hearings on campaign finance were directed at the Democrats and the "horrors" of their fund-raising. Then these two "leaders" stood adamantly opposed to campaign reform because they knew that the same tactics they condemned the Democrats for using are more beneficial to Republicans than Democrats. The country really needed that campaign reform bill. You can call it politics, but I call it immorality.

Rod Savoye

Huntington, Conn.

Help people to prize capital

I am glad the Monitor published an opinion essay, "Making Capitalism Better" (Oct. 26), that speaks out about the widening rich-poor gap.

The idea of employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) is a good one in principle. The problem with it, as with most wealth redistribution plans thus far devised by well-meaning idealists, is that the recipients don't know how to handle the wealth after it is handed to them. Having worked at a large corporation with a generous ESOP, I saw my friends annually sell their company stock as soon as they got it and use the money to buy pick-up trucks, boats, gun collections, SUVs, and other middle-class toys. Before wealth redistribution will work, you have to educate people to prize capital, rather than fritter the money away on indulgences.

Al Alcala

Munster, Ind.

Good reporting on youth program

As a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) volunteer and former CASA employee, I was glad to see the article "Court Volunteers Help Rescue Children in Abusive Situations" (Oct. 14). I served the CASA program in Columbus, Ohio, as both a volunteer and as communications and development director. During my tenure as the principal fund-raiser, I found that although CASA's mission and role in the juvenile court system are vital, many citizens had no idea it existed, or that the need was so great. As a result, getting funding relied more on our powers of persuasion than on a knowledge of the genuine need for CASA.

The article was very accurate, and gave one of the better descriptions of CASA that I have seen. CASA volunteers are often thought to be adult friends that play with the children they are serving. However, most CASA programs discourage this type of interaction in order to maintain the volunteers' objectivity. Your fact-based reporting about CASA is priceless - not only as a means of recruiting volunteers and setting the record straight about their role, but also in fund-raising.

Lauren Blake Crandall

Rocky River, Ohio

K-State in the limelight

I read "Turnaround Team" (Oct. 6) about Kansas State University. I am a graduate of KSU and on numerous occasions I have made my feeling known to anyone who would listen regarding the academic and athletic turnaround at K-State. Although not at all familiar with other university presidents (or football coaches), I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find two more capable and sincere individuals in their positions.

I am familiar with most of the accolades you mention but to read about my school and its accomplishments in The Christian Science Monitor really validates and, in effect, adds an exclamation mark.

Jerry Kennedy

Las Vegas

The Monitor welcomes your letters and opinion articles. Because of the volume of submissions, only a selection can be published, and we can neither acknowledge nor return unpublished submissions. Mail letters to 'Readers Write,' and opinion articles to Opinion Page, One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115, or fax to 617-450-2317, or e-mail to oped@csps.com

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