Democratic vision cannot be obscured by Starr's report

The cloud of smut issued by Republican prosecutor Kenneth Starr has humiliated the president for sexual antics, but Democrats must cut through the gloom to emphasize the ideals and principles of their party.

Democrats are responsible for creating and maintaining nearly all government programs that help meet needs such as income security, health care, education, environmental protection and protection from consumer fraud.

It is the party committed to civil rights, the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, the minimum wage law, updated periodically for inflation. It supports unemployment compensation for workers who have lost their jobs through layoffs or downsizing.

The Republican Party, which is practically owned by big corporations operating in a global economy, complains about "big government" programs that help citizens struggling for a decent quality of life. Only big government can deal with the big national programs and needs.

After the Republicans gained control of Congress in 1994, they produced a budget that would have crippled the Medicare program. They proposed to eliminate federal regulations that protect the health, safety, and quality of care in nursing homes. ,, They also proposed to repeal the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the clean air and water laws. They wanted to slash federal education programs.

Fortunately, a veto pen wielded by a Democratic president prevented severe damage to important federal programs. It is no wonder that Mr. Starr and his Republican political allies have been so eager to destroy President Clinton.

Raymond S. Gill

Crownsville

Clinton must be punished for his false testimony

President Clinton's proclivity to cover his missteps in life with lies is dangerous to our country. He now has the unmitigated gall to tell the citizens of this country that lying under oath is not perjury.

Perjury is a criminal offense, an offense.

Regardless of the status of his presidency and regardless of the status of any possible impeachment hearings to determine if his presidency should be terminated, he should be punished for giving false testimony under oath.

William L. Engle Jr.

Ellicott City

Conduct has offended the American people

I believe the independent counsel's report presents a credible case that the president has offended the American people with his conduct and is not to be trusted. I find his contrite appearances and statements to be insincere, contrived to present the proper image in response to the coaching of the White House staff and the Democratic leadership.

Even if the contrition was sincere, it would not be enough. The American people must hold the president and other elected officials to a higher standard because of their positions in our government. The conduct of which the president is accused exceeds the threshold at which most of us would experience serious legal, financial and personal consequences.

The president, as a servant of the American people, is not immune from consequences of his action; there is only a different mechanism required to impose accountability. I submit that his resignation or constitutionally authorized removal from office by impeachment are the only proper means to hold him accountable and restore the dignity of the office of the president.

Calvin Langford

Bel Air

Congress is the branch guilty of public immorality

I, like many others, would like to register outrage at recent events in our nation's capital. Being a mature individual, however, unlike many members of the press, I distinguish between personal morality that should be treated as a private matter and public morality that deserves public scrutiny.

By public morality, I mean behavior or actions that harm the public or government, often for personal gain. One recent instance of public immorality, in my opinion, was the defeat of campaign finance reform by Congress, allowing the continuation corrupt practices by our government. Another was the conspiracy between members of the Senate and tobacco industry to defeat tobacco-control legislation, exposing thousands of our teen-agers to the threat of cancer.

These are truly immoral actions that jeopardize the proper functioning of government, do harm to many Americansand should influence how Americans vote this November.

Jack Kinstlinger

Baltimore

Panel is refreshing change from commentator blather

Congratulations to The Sun and Dan Rodricks for the new initiative, the People's Panel.

It is very refreshing to hear the thoughts and analyses of reasonable and sincere citizens on the sensational topic of Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. Too many of the pundits we read in print, listen to on radio and watch on television are engaged in so much blather and posturing. Our society and political system benefit from major media outlets give citizens a chance to express their views.

It is my dream to have a regular forum on local on local television that would affirm the voice of the people and provide a place for the thoughtful exchange of views by active citizens. If this does come to be, we could rely more on conclusions that are based on real dialogue and ignore the views of pundits and commentators, the usual suspects.

Luke F. Frazier

Baltimore

Rather than impeachment, give him Medal of Honor

While much of the focus of the Starr report is whether to censure or impeach our president, I think he should get the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Aside from the fact that he cheated on his wife (which while bad, is between him and Hillary Clinton), I think Mr. Clinton has done this country a great service. He has made us all more aware of our sexuality. He has dealt a serious blow to the "moral majority" who try to pretend that sex is something we should avoid.

The acts described in the Starr report are acts that take place in bedrooms and hallways of all of our homes. It is healthy for the country to know that our leader has an active and imaginative sex life.

Lonnie Fisher

Baltimore

Wonderfully written story on Johns Hopkins surgeon

What a super excellent article about orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Ain, who stands four feet, three inches ("Stature of surgeon is not about height," Sept. 6).

"Dr. Michael Ain, giant among men" would have been my headline for Jonathan Bor's wonderfully written warmth of feeling article.

"Never have I met anyone like him", said a high school tennis star who was treated by Dr. Ain. In addition to being a skilled and gifted surgeon, Dr. Ain truly cares for his fellow man. He exudes a passion and ardency for helping people.

My grandson Yisrael was born with a pronounced curvature of the right foot that severely impairs his gait. He was seen by Dr. Ain last year when he and his family were visiting my wife and me from their Jerusalem home. Dr. Ain established a strong rapport with my 20-month old grandson and put him at ease during his examination.

Accordingly, our gratitude to Dr. Ain is very great. It is my fervent hope that he will have the health, strength, courage and wisdom to continue his noble work for many years to come.

Avrum Samuel Shavrick

Baltimore

Classes on Election Day expose children to danger

I believe your editorial missed the boat when it asked that schools be open on Election Day ("School's out for wrong reason," Sept. 14). As a kindergarten teacher, the last thing I want are a few hundred or a thousand strangers milling around the building or outside.

It's sad that we need to consider this, but a certain percentage of pedophiles and psychotics are in the general population. In a day and age when a total stranger, for no reason, will walk into a schoolyard and open fire, we don't need to make it any easier.

At back-to-school night, I always tell my parents that the second most important part of my job is to educate their children. The most important part is to protect their children while they're with me, and return them safely at day's end.

Ken Shapiro

Randallstown

Pub Date: 9/23/98