Letters

Person Of The Year

"Choosing George W. Bush is like writing a restaurant review after you've ordered your meal but before it has been served." SUSAN J. BERLIN Atlanta

I realize that TIME doesn't always choose a good guy--there are newsmakers of every stripe--but this time you've gone too far [PERSON OF THE YEAR, Dec. 25-Jan. 1]. Your selection of George W. Bush proclaimed to the world that anyone can become President of the U.S., even if he has to resort to stealth and theft to get there. JEANNE SMITH Mount Laurel, N.J.

I am eternally grateful that we now have a President in whom I can find strength of purpose and moral conviction. Yes, the next four years remain to be seen, and I hope Bush does well, but I would much rather put my faith in his leadership than in Bill Clinton's or even Al Gore's. In addition, your article gave me one more reason for backing Bush: peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches are one of his favorites! BRENDA JACKSON Mesa, Ariz.

You chose W. as your person of the year for his potential, not for the impact he has had on the past year's events. You changed the rules. LYNNE MORGAN Nashville, Tenn.

So the winner in a race between two of the lamest presidential candidates in history was selected Person of the Year? I can only surmise that you didn't want to name Yasser Arafat again. FRED SCHECKER Chicago

Your articles on Bush provided exactly the kind of information that I as a Democratic voter needed to read after the bitter battle for the presidency. You helped me see more of the person beyond the politics. If anyone can move us away from the partisanship that stagnates our growth and well-being as a country, President-elect Bush seems to be the man. KRISTIN LEAH ANELLI Shrewsbury, Pa.

Thanks for picking up an idea from MAD magazine. That cover photo of W. lacks only the "What, me worry?" line. EARL M. WESTER Wyomissing, Pa.

American voters should have been your People of the Year. They shaped the presidential election into one of the most intriguing and controversial events in U.S. history. You have to admit it rekindled a passion for the political process we haven't witnessed in decades. LIDJ LEWIS New Rochelle, N.Y.

You did a good job in revealing sides of Bush that were not evident during his campaign. I'm looking forward to his presidency and am hoping he will follow through on all his promises. Let's give him half a chance and see what he can do. LEE BERRY Ashburn, Va.

The media keep carping about Bush's IQ and inevitably end up comparing him with Bill Clinton, who is said to have the best memory in Washington. But Clinton, despite his prodigious intellect, didn't have the brains to keep his pants on in the Oval Office. There is more than one kind of intelligence. RICHARD A. DUNN Providence, R.I.

Wizardry Of The Printed Word

You were right to choose author J.K. Rowling as a runner-up [PERSON OF THE YEAR, Dec. 25-Jan. 1]. Through her Harry Potter books, she has had a huge impact. Harry is seen in bookshops all over France, and the invasion has just begun. He is bringing back the joy of reading to French kids. But the French grudge against things foreign still exists, and Rowling may not get the full attention she deserves. That's a shame, as only Harry has the power to overcome the resistance of kids to reading. The French just won't admit it. NICOLAS DIDIER Grenoble, France

Rowling certainly meets the standard of having a worldwide impact, since her books are being read by millions of children and adults in a number of languages. In a culture saturated with TV, movies and video games, Rowling's books have opened up a new world of imagination through the printed page. DENISE GODBOUT-AVANT Modesto, Calif.

Not Very Choice Choices

In his Commentary on spinning the truth [VIEWPOINT, Dec. 25-Jan. 1], Michael Kinsley confused Hobson's choice (no choice at all) with Odysseus' choice between Scylla (the six-headed monster) and Charybdis (the whirlpool). However, a cynic might feel that both Hobson's and Odysseus' predicaments aptly describe the quandary faced by the electorate. HOWARD BARTON Northridge, Calif.

Judging The Court

There is a possible explanation for the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial ruling ending the Florida recounts and allowing Bush to prevail [PERSON OF THE YEAR, Dec. 25-Jan. 1]. Perhaps the court did this to spare the nation further turmoil. Many Americans were alarmed by the subjective nature of hand counts in selected Florida counties. The images of canvassing-board members squinting to discern voter intent is unfortunately burned in our memory. The court's ruling brought closure to chaos. RANDALL FOUTCH Farmington Hills, Mich.

Your reports failed to emphasize the 7-to-2 Supreme Court decision that was based on the issue of equal protection. Here the much more united court held that in the absence of objective ballot-counting standards, further "recounts" would violate the equal-protection guarantees of the 14th Amendment. Without clear standards, there was no way that the court could agree to further recounts. GEORGE NEIIENDAM Costa Mesa, Calif.

Despite the shameless Republican spin since election night about vote counting, and the hypocrisy of wanting ballots counted when it suited the G.O.P. and not wanting them tallied when it didn't, the simple truth is that the Bush team prevented a proper recount on the presumption that it had lost Florida and therefore the presidency. Aided by a partisan Supreme Court decision, Bush is now President-elect. He may have the largely ceremonial public endorsement of his former opponents, but this does not make him a legitimate President. Politically speaking, the Republicans got away with murder. JOE MANRESA Schiedam, the Netherlands

Big Bucksball

Re Alex ("A-Rod") Rodriguez's $252 million deal [SPORT, Dec. 25-Jan. 1]: There have always been players whose salaries seemed to break the bank, and there will continue to be inequities in Major League Baseball's competitive balance. You neglected to mention how some teams are able to afford such players. Here in Boston, it's hard to be a Red Sox fan when the team has just signed Manny Ramirez for $160 million while trying to hit up Massachusetts taxpayers for $312 million to replace beloved Fenway Park.

Yes, there's money to be made in professional sports. But it's the owners, players and developers who are winning this game, not the fans. ERIKA TARLIN Somerville, Mass.

I find Rodriguez's $252 million 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers obscene. To put the issue in perspective, please note that 16% of the people in Texas live in poverty.

I'm not suggesting that the Rangers should give their quarter of a billion dollars to alleviate poverty (although it would be a world-class move), but I decry the values of a team that shells out vast sums of money to a 25-year-old athlete while its neighbors are desperately trying to meet their most basic survival needs. Surely we can find a better balance between maximizing profits for professional sports teams and seeking social justice. BARBARA H. BERGEN Los Angeles

One Boob Tube Is Enough

Thumbs up to writer Eugenie Allen for not buckling under to pressure to provide television sets for her children's rooms [PERSONAL TIME: YOUR FAMILY, Dec. 25-Jan. 1]. We also do not let television divide our family. More parents need to take a stand and preserve the time the family spends together.

One teenager I know has friends who believe she is disadvantaged because her family has only one television set. She and her father have a couple of special programs that they enjoy together each week, and she sits down with her parents to watch shows that interest and entertain. And this teen is involved in worthwhile artistic and volunteer activities. Ultimately, the parents must decide who will run the home--the parents or the television set. LISA ROSE Bellingham, Mass.