Socialism

To the Editors:

TIME'S article "Socialism: Trials and Errors" [March 13] presents an excellent defense for our present socioeconomic system against socialism. No nation, however, has adopted socialism as a result of victories in debates on the subject. Throughout history, the basic human rights have been the opportunity to obtain "food, shelter and clothing." When the existing system in a nation becomes unable to sustain those rights adequately for the majority of the people, history shows, some form of socialism inevitably has followed.

The foregoing facts obviously point to what is the basic necessity for preserving capitalism.

Peter J. Gurklis Lake Jackson, Texas

It seems unfair to judge socialism by the standards developed by capitalism to evaluate itself. Marx and Engels saw socialism as an outgrowth of capitalism. Initially, therefore, socialism cannot but manifest many of the characteristics, however undesirable, of the structures that gave it birth. It also seems unfair to judge the achievements of socialism so soon. It was to be only after several generations, the founders thought, that socialism would come into its own.

Ignacio L. Goetz Hempstead, N. Y.

Jordan may not be an Athenian democracy, but we surely rate better than the index score of 17 on political freedom that you accord us on your map of the world's economic systems. Jordan has never had a political execution, and His Majesty King Hussein has repeatedly pardoned those who have attacked him. No one in Jordan needs to fear for expressing his political beliefs. Free speech is a national pastime in Jordan.

You owe it to your readers to explain how Freedom House arrived at its conclusion for such wildly varying estimates of political rights.

Shehab A. Madi Office of the Crown Prince Amman, Jordan

Freedom House, whose widely respected annual survey was used for our evaluations, defines freedom as it is understood in constitutionally democratic states. In judging political rights, it considers whether the leaders of a country are chosen in an open voting process, whether there are multiple political parties or at least a significant opposition, what share of the political power is exercised by elected representatives. In evaluating the civil liberties, it considers, among other things, whether there is a free press and an independent judiciary, whether censorship is applied in defense of a ruling party, to what degree the security forces respect individuals' rights, and how many people are arrested for opinions rather than violent or criminal acts.

I am somewhat surprised that you made no mention at all of Israel's experiment in social democracy, which has certainly played a major role in successfully reshaping Jewish society in its country. The kibbutz, Israel's collective farm, is perhaps the most original and certainly the most successful working model of a socialist idea.

People who know Israel will fail to understand how your Political Freedom Index could give it a lower rating than any country in the West. In spite of all threats to its security and very existence, Israel has for 30 years succeeded in maintaining its way of life as one of the freer societies in the world.

Zalman Shoval, Member of the Knesset Jerusalem

Although they look good in theory, both capitalism and socialism have glaring weaknesses in practice. Both seem to fail because of human insufficiencies. Adam Smith would be just as disappointed in the failures of capitalism as Karl Marx would be in the tragic disasters carrying the label socialism.

Michael L. Smith Scituate, Mass.

Considering that the U.S. opens mail, taps phones, kills demonstrators, gives LSD to unsuspecting individuals and still gets 100 on a scale of political freedom, makes me glad I don't live under an oppressive regime!

Jim Hussey University Heights, Iowa

In your report on socialism, you repeatedly refer to the "free" social services (health care, higher education, etc.) available to citizens of socialistic countries. Of course these services are not free at all, since they require the use of the country's scarce resources. Rather than relating cost explicitly to an individual's use of these services, the cost is spread compulsorily across all taxpayers.

H. Landis Gabel Charlottesville, Va.

Your comment that capitalism "provides the most efficient allocation of the globe's scarce resources" epitomizes your bias. Perhaps it is efficient that the largest share of the globe's resources ends up in the U.S., but is it fair?

Daphne J. Innes Oakland, Calif.

Not Kipling's Lines

You're right! "Only one man could have written those bully lines" that prefaced R.Z. Sheppard's review of Angus Wilson's The Strange Ride of Rudyard Kipling [March 13]. It was not John Wayne. Neither, unfortunately, was it Kipling. The poem is by Sir Henry Newbolt, who hymned the public-schoolboy officer to Victorian England in much the same manner as the better known Kipling glorified the private soldier.

William P. Phenix Detroit

Bully lines they are, these from "Vitai Lampada," and Sir Henry wrote many other songs calculated to make men and women of British stock take pride in their heritage.

Kenneth W. Porter Eugene, Ore.

Sir Henry Newbolt's lines from "Vitai Lampada," beginning "There's a breathless hush in the Close tonight," were so persistently dinned into us by school coaches and chaplains back in the '20s that we were driven to scabrous parodies, the mildest of which ended, "Throw up! Throw up! and throw the game!"

Oscar Maurer Austin, Texas

Kipling wrote many bully lines, but he sure didn't write "Play up! Play up! and play the game!" Any English school child could quote them as the work of Sir Henry Newbolt.

I was convent educated and could recite Newbolt, but Kipling was a little raunchy for the nuns of my day.

Marjorie Vanzant Mena, Ark.

California Taxes

Rather than being a "monster," as Governor Jerry Brown warned, the amendment to limit property taxes that Howard Jarvis is promoting [March 13] could be just what California needs to stop excessive government spending.

Last year we survived the drought by learning not to waste a drop of water. Now it's time for a new California drought: a scarcity of the tax money to be drawn from irate homeowners. Let the bureaucrats cut back on their bloated budgets and practice fiscal conservation. Tax money can be just as precious as water when the sources dry up.

Jack Pope San Francisco

Grass-roots campaign? You neglected to mention that Howard Jarvis is employed by the local apartment-owners' organization. How many of them will cut rents when their taxes go down 60%?

T.R. Donahue Bellflower, Calif.

The Empty Teacup

Your story "Numbers Game" [March 13] reported my estimate that 50 quadrillion snowflakes fell on Boston in February's great snowfall.

To anyone who has ever watched a sky filled with snowflakes falling steadily for more than 24 hours, it must be even more awesome to realize that the number of molecules of air in a single "empty" teacup is about 100,000 times greater than the number of snowflakes that fell on Boston that day.

Jack Tessman Tufts University Medford, Mass.

The Marijuana Run

Your story "Pot Smugglers' Paradise" [March 13], about drug runners in Florida points out that the good guys are losing, and losing big. All American taxpayers foot the bill for Government's role in this game, and pot consumers (by and large taxpayers also) pay the bill to organized crime for the "insurance" made necessary by the DEA and other Government agencies.

Since the Coast Guard uses a Prohibition-era statute, it should be aware that prohibition does not work.

Michael Kemp Knoxville, Tenn.

What Average Person?

In your article "Sweet Risk?" [March 13], I found Bernard Cohen's calculations impressive--but not the suggestion that we can equate the cancer risk from using saccharin with an average reduction in life expectancy of two days.

Where in the world is there an average person? The sad fact is that either you get cancer or you don't. For the unlucky ones, it can be a very painful and traumatic experience.

Why not suggest willpower as an alternative to sugar and saccharin?

Robert F. Shoring San Francisco

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