LETTERS: IF THERE IS A NEED, THEN WE NEED TO HELP

To the editor:

In his Dec. 28 commentary, "Gore bullish on government ... ," David Limbaugh criticizes some of the vice president's campaign proposals strictly on the basis that they would be implemented by the federal government. Yet is there any real alternative?

A child born into poverty starts school at a disadvantage and never catches up. Studies show that 35 percent of poor children who receive preschool education from birth through age 5 will go to college, while only 8 percent of those without such benefits will pursue higher education. Clearly, the benefits of this program far outweigh the costs, since college grads pay far more in taxes than it will ever cost. This is free enterprise at its finest, with an enormous return on investment.

If Inglewood High School has only three advanced-placement courses while Beverly Hills High offers 11, is that really fair? If your answer is no, then we must do something. No wonder blacks and Latinos have trouble getting into Cal and UCLA. Gore's plan would help level the playing field.

As for health care, free enterprise has failed to give us an efficient health-care system. Costs ballooned out of control under the old fee-for-services system, while managed care denies lifesaving treatments to many people. Plus, of course, 45 million people have no health insurance at all. Gore's plan to insure them through a phased-in approach, with children first, makes the most sense. Should people die or go broke just because they have no health insurance? If your answer is no, then we need to do something to help them.

Just as the stock market has been far more bullish during Democratic administrations, Democratic programs have proven far more beneficial to our country. Mr. Gore is merely carrying on this legacy.

STEPHEN S. SCHADE

Mount Prospect, Ill.