Gorbachev Era Comes to an End

Conrad’s cartoon (Dec. 12) is an insult to the people of the Soviet republics. He appears to imply that the conditions he outlines are as bad in the United States as they are in the former Soviet Union. There is no condition listed where the situation for Americans even closely approaches the dire situation found in the republics.

For Americans, the question is “Where do I go to get help?” because help is available. There is no question that food is obtainable, that shelter is available, that welfare payments are available, that jobs, while not immediately available for all who wish to work, are expected to be so within a future, the horizon for which is at least a glimmer, and that unemployment checks are available to those who qualify.

In the Soviet republics, employment is not a certainty, unemployment benefits and welfare payments, if available, are paid in a currency nobody wants, and even if the money is accepted there is no food to buy. Worst of all the future has no horizon. There is no certainty as to a government to which to turn.

JAMES S. McBRIDE JR., Laguna Beach