Colin Powell

Re “Colin Powell, a President for All Seasons” by James P. Pinkerton, Column Right, Oclet. 6:

I strongly agree with Pinkerton’s idea that we need a government work program large enough to get “a million kids out of the ghetto and into the fresh air.” He correctly points to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps as a fine example of a government jobs program that worked. (Incidentally, the CCC did not offer a job for anyone who wanted it. Only unmarried, unemployed young men were eligible for the work force.)

If the government can find tens of billions of dollars to build and maintain new prisons, surely it can find the money to finance an adequate jobs program for young men and women rotting in idleness, frustration and bitterness in our inner cities. Many have chosen crime and gang activity as a way of life, feeling they have nothing to lose if sent to prison. The choice of a decent job could be an effective crime prevention measure.

I would vote for Colin Powell or any other well-qualified presidential candidate who would make jobs for the disadvantaged the centerpiece of their campaign.

JAMES C. MOSLEY

Laguna Hills