Voters' Choice

To the Editors:

The recent elections [Nov. 15] were not a referendum on Reaganomics or the President, but a determination that our system is better served by a balance of parties in office. The President will undoubtedly have to compromise, but not to the point of shedding his ideals or basic philosophy.

Peter Verniero

Durham, N.C.

The message is clear: Ronald Reagan should go home in 1984, and start packing his bags now.

Gabriel Sucker

Washington, D.C.

Considering the disastrous state of the economy, the Republicans have every right to be pleased with the election results. Voters still don't see a believable Democratic alternative to Reaganomics. The White House is up for grabs by the first person to offer a credible solution to America's economic mess.

Yale M. Zussman

Allston, Mass.

The multimillion-dollar election was a disaster for the American people and a boon to television. Most of this money was spent to produce worthless political rhetoric. If the Federal Government wants to slash expenditures, it should start by cutting campaign financing, an area that can well afford it.

Max Dennis

Williston, Fla.

I am a California voter. This November I had to elect a Senator, a Congressman, a Governor, a superintendent of schools and several other state officers. I had to decide on more than two dozen propositions as well as innumerable judges and local officials. All told, I had to make at least 50 elective decisions, of which I was intelligently informed on no more than 30. This may be blasphemy, but the political process is woefully underfinanced; $300 million is not even $1.50 per person spent on a biennial national election. Let's not confuse the total amount spent on the campaign with the quality of information needed to educate the public.

Michael Garcia

Hayward, Calif.

President Reagan's swipe at the nuclear-freeze movement is bogus. This group is as much the product of Soviet agents as the Polish Solidarity union is the result of American provocateurs.

Thomas A. Prentice

Austin

President Reagan declared that the nuclear-arms freeze won in several states because foreign agents worked hard for it. Were 10.8 million out of 18 million Americans who voted on the issue fooled by this evil group, or is the President trying to discredit those who voted their conscience?

James R. Me Williams

Glendale, Calif.

Winning Friends

By voting against Britain on the U.N. resolution concerning the Falkland Islands [Nov. 15], the U.S. has turned its back on its closest ally. We have done this in the hope of gaining friends in one of the most unstable areas of the world. The success we will achieve in Latin America with this vote is temporary; the support of the British will be lasting.

Tom Nugent

Ames, Iowa

It is unbelievable that you should call America's vote against Britain on the Falkland Islands dispute embarrassing. In the past decade our allies have voiced opposition to many U.S. proposals. Britain was one of the first to object to the U.S. embargo on pipeline equipment to the Soviet Union. It is time the U.S. voted for its self-interest.

David W. Pinters

Plymouth, Mich.

Niebuhr as Mentor

In explaining why he will help launch a new magazine called Catholicism in Crisis, Michael Novak [Nov. 8] makes dubious use of the precedent set by Reinhold Niebuhr in establishing Christianity and Crisis. True, Niebuhr founded C & C in 1941 to overcome the appeal of pacifism then pervasive in the Protestant churches. But 25 years later, writing on the Viet Nam War, Niebuhr addressed a new set of realities: "The problem of indiscriminate pacifism ... has given way to the problem of curbing pure force in the international realm."

Novak claims that the nation's Roman Catholic bishops "go too far when they get into specific judgments about military strategy and weapons systems such as the MX"; they are addressing matters outside their expertise. The same complaint was made when C & C condemned the use of obliteration bombing in World War II. Responding to critics, Niebuhr wrote in 1944: "Laymen are not capable of judging detailed problems of strategy, but general principles of strategy ought to remain under democratic scrutiny. The military mind is inclined to disregard moral and political factors in strategy. It is the business of sensitive citizens to bring pressure upon the civilian strategists for the holding of the military strategists in check."

Today civilians still shape our strategy, and military advisers still show themselves insensitive to moral and political factors. More power, then, to the bishops for speaking out. Catholicism would be truly in crisis if they did not.

Wayne H. Cowan

Editor in Chief

Christianity and Crisis

New York City

Liz's Life

I applaud Elizabeth Taylor's legal suit against ABC'S proposed docudrama of her life [Nov. 8]. When I watch these TV hybrids, I am so concerned with sorting fact from fiction that I can't enjoy the show.

Suzanne Muccino

Waterbury, Conn.

Someone will make a movie of Elizabeth Taylor's dramatic life. Why does she not work with that someone and make sure the story is right?

Dianne Carole Stephens

Stella, Mo.

Balanced Budgets

Your article "Living Beyond Their Means" [Nov. 8] reported that seven states, including Kentucky, "could not balance their books." With respect to Kentucky, that is not true. For the 1982 fiscal year, we had no deficit and actually ended the year with a $42 million surplus.

George E. Fischer

Secretary of the Cabinet

Office of the Governor

Frankfort, Ky.

While I cannot speak for the other six states you said could not balance their books, the reference to New Jersey is inaccurate. At the close of the fiscal year 1982, New Jersey showed a budget surplus. Like most states, New Jersey has revenues that are currently running below anticipated levels. However, strict constitutional debt-limitation provisions require that the state finish its fiscal year with no budget deficit.

Kenneth R. Biederman

Treasurer, State of New Jersey

Trenton

Grade School Computers

In your article "Peering into the Poverty Gap" [Nov. 15] you express the opinion that people will need early exposure to computers in order to achieve success in modern society. The primary skills that will be needed in any profession, computer-related or not, are understanding English, familiarity with high-level mathematics, and the ability to comprehend situations and solve problems. Computer programming is not a basic requirement. Modern computer science was developed by scientists and engineers who were not exposed to computers until after the seventh grade.

Gary Cohen

Santa Clara, Calif.

Seal Figures

We are grateful for being recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of equipment that provides tamper-proof seals. However, in your story "Tylenol Legacy" [Nov. 1], you reported that Pillar Corp.'s 1981 sales were $2 million. The figure should have been $20 million.

Ernest C. Goggio

President

Pillar Corp.

Milwaukee

Campus Conservatives

The conservative diatribe found in campus journalism [Nov. 8] comes from the mouths of a handful of affluent brats who were spoon-fed through the '70s. Put them on an ethnically more diverse campus, rather than a Princeton or a Dartmouth, and then let us see how long their newspapers survive.

David Simons

Northampton, Mass.

I am a freshman who arrived at college to find a liberal atmosphere fostered by professors who make Tip O'Neill sound like Barry Goldwater. It is encouraging to know that I am not alone in my fight against teachers who insist that a liberal interpretation of facts is the only right way.

Joseph Ingram

Carbondale, Ill.

Phallic Symbol

I am not impressed by Architect Helmut Jahn's design for the Houston tower [Nov. 8]. The only thing the proposed skyscraper lacks is King Kong swinging from its phallic spire.

Joseph G. Neuwirth

Neenah, Wis.

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