Votes for a Vision

To the Editors:

Jerry Ford ran his campaign primarily on his record. Unfortunately for him, Jimmy Carter ran on what he will do, and the American people have decided they want to pin their hopes on a man with a vision to get America moving again [Nov. 15].

President Ford has nothing to be ashamed about. Morally, he gave us what we needed at the time he assumed office. But what America now needs is a change--an energetic, thoughtful man --and America has chosen Jimmy Carter.

John Hill Columbus

I voted for Carter. My team won and I should be rejoicing. But suddenly I have this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Mrs. James P. Dunn Summit, N.J.

With the election of Jimmy Carter as President, our long national sleepwalk is over.

Robert K. Fessler Pittsburgh

The only bright spot is the prospect that Mr. Carter will conform to the age-old political practice of not living up to his campaign promises.

Donald R. Merucci Pleasanton, Calif.

I am glad to see that the American people will still opt for the challenge in the hope of a change for the better, as they did 200 years ago when our nation was founded.

As I see it, the people who voted for Ford on Nov. 2 would have been the Tories in our fight for independence, clinging to safety, while those voting for Carter would have been the Whigs, accepting the challenge because they knew that a change was desperately needed for survival.

Linda J. Zaleski Pittsburgh

I am prepared to eat crow for a while, but I will never, ever eat peanut butter again.

Mary G. Wallace Greenwich, Conn.

Just what this country needs: a vague, big-spending, fast-talking hillbilly redneck in the White House. May God help us.

James Helmer Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Now that Carter has been elected President, his first order of business should be to declare a state of national emergency.

We certainly have a disaster.

Bill E. Hess Whiteriver, Ariz.

Revenge for Watergate

Finally, the American people got their revenge against Richard Nixon for Watergate, and to get it they crucified a good, decent man whose only mistake was to pardon another human being for making a mistake.

I hope the crucifiers are now feeling much better.

Jose-Gerardo Becerra Los Angeles

Rather than President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, it was the American electorate's defeat of Gerald Ford that has finally put the Watergate affair behind us.

Gene Kaufman St. Paul

Watergate gave Ford the presidency and Watergate took it away.

Victor E. Hogg Weston, Ont.

The End of the War

Maybe this is the end of the Civil War.

Clancy W. Pollock Hagerstown, Md.

The South's revenge: Carter.

Margie Thompson Rockford, Ill.

Once again the wishes of those of us who live in the Western portion of our country have been subordinated to those of the powerful voting coalitions in the South and the East. Their problems will continue as long as they maintain the illusion that more federal spending can solve their economic woes. A balanced budget is the only solution to these problems. Perhaps the states west of the Mississippi should secede and allow the socialists to continue their movement in the East.

Linda Stow Longmont, Colo.

Keeping Betty

Although I am an avid Democrat, attended the Democratic Convention and voted for Jimmy Carter, it almost broke my heart to see Betty lose.

Noel D. Hollis New Bern, N.C.

Isn't there a way to keep Betty?

Bill Revill Middletown, Conn.

Black Votes Won

Please inform President-elect James Carter that he still doesn't owe Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo anything. It was the black vote that gave Carter Philadelphia and, in turn, Pennsylvania. For better or worse we did it for Carter, not Big Frank.

Albert Smith Philadelphia

What an irony that some 85% of the blacks in the South voted for Jimmy Carter when they cannot worship in his church. I find that incomprehensible.

William L. Lockwood East Lansing, Mich.

Who Are Leaders?

Your article on leadership [Nov. 8] is encouraging in that it shows a willingness to raise important questions rather than merely to report answers. But I detect an imbalance in your choice of conference participants.

Creative people like artists, playwrights, novelists and writers in other forms of fiction were excluded in favor of bank presidents and politicians. But are they not also leaders in our society?

Rick Chittum Churchville, Va.

Picking up on one sentence by Richard Lyman, president of Stanford University, who detected "a pervasive unwillingness to take the time to understand the institutions we have developed," I would like to point out that students and faculty who have tried to understand the institutions and bring about changes have been labeled dissidents and troublemakers.

The peace movement is a fine example of attempting to understand the institutions and, after discovering the horrendous dilemma, trying to do something positive about it.

Pat D 'Alessandro Menlo Park, Calif.

In your article on leadership you included Elizabeth Hanford as one who had moved upward from Federal Trade Commissioner by marrying Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Robert Dole. Marriage is not ordinarily considered a job change--upward or downward. Does her status decrease now that it appears her husband will not be the Vice President?

Your implication is that for a woman, marriage to a public candidate is a much more impressive job than holding a position personally.

Susan Glazer Horse Creek, Calif.

Your excellent article on leadership was quite incomplete. You gathered together a bunch of successful Establishment heroes and wrote about their opinions. Unfortunately, many of the real leaders in our present society are not in the Establishment but are often at odds with it.

If you really want to explore the concept of leadership, assemble a similar conference--only this time staff it with the leaders of street gangs, prison uprisings, wildcat strikers, guerrilla bands, terrorists, organized crime, etc.

Leadership that involves brute force is a very real, often too real, aspect of human society, and deserves as much, if not more investigation as the more elegant maneuvering of your gentle crew.

Donald A. Windsor Norwich, N. Y.

None of the so-called leaders even suggested that the entire U.S. socioeconomic structure hangs precariously. The threat of anarchy, easily precipitated by a natural or contrived catastrophe (food crisis, energy shortages, inability to communicate, epidemic disease, confiscation of private property by Big Business and/or Government, atomic blackmail by organized or unorganized crime) apparently remains remote to most leaders.

Are there no leaders who will at least acknowledge this powder keg over which we live?

Earl A. Schreiber Winona, Minn.

Prize for Sanity

Even the Nobel Peace Prize is not a high enough award for Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan of Belfast [Oct. 25].

How many of the previous Nobel winners ever risked their lives or those of their families on behalf of peace? They were usually government officials.

Betty and Mairead have, instead, the prize of worldwide admiration for their attempt to introduce sanity in another arena of fratricidal murder.

Herbert Maza, President Institute for American Universities Aix-en-Provence, France

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