Economic Bill of Rights

With his Economic Bill of Rights, President Reagan again replaces his duty with fantasy. He appears lost in the glamorous, oh-so-satisfying role that he enjoys so much, ignoring deep-seated pockets of serious difficulty. Meanwhile, Americans borrow and spend and indulge their pleasures, following the example of government.

It is alarming to see this wealthy nation moving steadily toward eventual economic collapse and social degradation simply because its leadership refuses to face the costs and disciplines of good management.

Stingy Reagan is not alone. Our Congress, our bureau chiefs and our business and professional leaders are almost as short-sighted and callous toward the steady erosion of national institutions and toward the plight of the disadvantaged.

It’s as if they were unaware of the drug-crime problem, AIDS, street people, obscenely crowded penitentiaries, tardy justice, fear on the streets, ineffective education, farm failure, de-industrialization, obsolescence, pollution, shrinking energy reserves, profiteering, (even in health care), neglect of the elderly, widening economic gaps, and the waste and inefficiency of a government that money can buy.

We the people tolerate all this because we hate taxes and know that America is still the greatest . . . and tomorrow will, somehow, take care of itself.

RUSSELL T. CONNORS

Shell Beach