To the editor:
Most Americans would like to live together cooperatively and equitably, with a minimum of suffering and a maximum of civil liberties, while investing in the future well-being of us all.
However, we are faced with many serious problems, including:
The proclivity of the US to engage in warfare;
Environmental degradation, including pollution, global warming, depletion of natural resources, including water;
Decline of protection of civil liberties;
Government restrictions on personal decisions, such as whom to marry, abortion, and use of contraceptives;
Economic instability, inadequate regulation of the financial system;
Hunger and homelessness;
Health issues, such as excessive costs, inadequate preventive medicine, obesity, insufficient exercise, addiction;
Growing inequity, facilitated by inadequate protection against economic exploitation, and excessive compensation to some;
Inadequate education, exacerbated by funding cuts;
Vulnerability to crime, exacerbated by funding cuts;
A growing class of idle rich, facilitated by our heritance system;
Declining upward mobility.
The U.S. is rich enough to greatly reduce these problems, most of which have obvious solutions, but our government is not addressing them effectively.
When you vote, you would do well to consider what the candidates propose to do about them.
MILT LAUENSTEIN
Gloucester and Exeter, N.H.
