Future Work

To the Editors:

In your otherwise splendid story on the new economy [May 30], TIME should have pointed out that the number of sophisticated jobs likely to be created by high technology is going to be disappointingly modest. According to Labor Department projections for the '80s, the U.S. will need 1.3 million additional janitors, nurses' aides and orderlies, but only 150,000 new computer programmers. For the majority of American workers, the high-tech age will further reduce the level of skills required.

George W. Bonham New Rochelle, N. Y.

The best form of protectionism for the U.S. is to insist that our allies share the cost of global defense. If Japan and Western Europe picked up their part, then their industries would start making tanks and planes instead of automobiles and electronics. Diminishing our defense commitments would result in higher employment in this country and a stronger alliance with our free-world partners.

William H. Davis Baton Rouge, La.

Our new economy appears to favor peripheral wants instead of basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care and transportation. Economic development should be concentrated in areas that produce essentials. Once these needs are satisfied, we can then devote ourselves to the high-tech fields as a way of fulfilling our desire for novelty and whimsy.

/. Gordon Berry Laurel, Miss.

In describing the scene at last month's United Auto Workers convention, you noted that some delegates wore buttons declaring RESTORE PLUS MORE IN 1984. This attitude is self-defeating and will only ensure a further flight of jobs from the U.S. Gone are the days when wage increases could result merely from the passage of time. Raises must now be tied to worker productivity. American labor must also realize that in this era of expansive global trade, this country cannot sit back and simply wave the flags of protectionism.

Norman B. Cregger Mount Pleasant, Mich.

High technology cannot compensate for poverty of the spirit. We must not sacrifice the arts and the humanities for our desire to be the greatest industrial and military power on earth.

Bob and Susan Holtz Santee, Calif.

Iconoclastic Scientist

More than any other science writer, Stephen Jay Gould [May 30] has assisted my biology students in gaining insights into the joys of natural history and the intrigue of evolution. His writings have also increased my understanding of God.

David A. Harbster Flagstaff, Ariz.

It is interesting that Stephen Jay Gould's theory that "evolution moves not with geological slowness, as Darwin has insisted, but in abrupt fits and starts, interspersed with long periods of no change in species" has put him at odds with the prevailing Darwinian doctrine. Gould's thesis is simply a way of getting around the absence of the necessary fossil record. In fact, evolution, whether through "geological slowness" or "fits and starts," remains a flawed explanation for all of existence.

John S. Klipple St. Petersburg, Fla.

Gould should know that a basic tenet of scientific method is that phenomena must be repeatable and verifiable through observation. The law of gravity is easily verifiable; the concept of evolution remains only a theory precisely because it cannot be repeated and verified through observation.

Charles Beck Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Stephen Jay Gould appears to accept the popular charge that Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was involved in the conspiracy behind the Piltdown man forgery. Gould's accusation, however, has not been accepted by experts. J.S. Weiner, who first uncovered the hoax and then the hoaxer, dismissed Gould's account as worthless. British Scholar Kenneth Oakley, who originally supported Gould's contention that Teilhard faked the Piltdown fossil as part of a youthful prank, later changed his mind. After being shown evidence that contradicted Gould, Oakley declared that the basis of Gould's charge against Teilhard "has now been proved to be completely untrue."

Thomas M. King, S.J. Washington, D.C.

Secret War

The attempt to justify the morality of America's covert activity in Nicaragua has become irrelevant. As is evident from your article "Uneasy over a Secret War" [May 16], U.S. operations in Nicaragua have clearly and irreversibly ceased to be covert. To engage in secret actions and be caught is one thing. To persist in this conduct after it has been exposed is something else. The Reagan Administration's policy in Nicaragua may not only be a failure. It also flies in the face of what Thomas Jefferson once described as "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind."

William Harshbarger Arcola, III.

As a Catholic missionary working in Latin America, I have firsthand knowledge of anti-American sentiments among the poor. These feelings are the result not of "Communist propaganda" but rather of U.S. covert operations, which have supported repressive military regimes for decades.

Joseph Fedora

Maryknoll Fathers

Lima, Peru

U.S. actions in Latin America are outrageous. Not only are our principles of honor and justice being dragged through the mud, but our conduct is an insult to every democracy.

Joanne Gutreimen Los Angeles

Second Opinion

I was appalled by the letters of Messrs. Webster and Kootnikoff [May 9]. The former eulogizes the Sandinista government's supposed popularity, and the latter claims that Nicaragua is a remarkably free society. As an American businessman who lived in Nicaragua for 15 years, I protest. If these readers are correct, why have the Sandinistas not opened the country to free elections? Why were business leaders thrown in jail for criticizing the government? Why was I advised by our State Department not to return to Nicaragua after testifying before a congressional subcommittee on the Nicaraguan situation? The Sandinistas are terrorists who use coercion, incarceration and assassination to achieve their goal.

R. Bruce Cuthbertson Miami

Swords into Plowshares

Your Essay "Pacifism's Invisible Current" [May 30] speaks to the heart of the sad dilemma of the use offeree. The point of your article could have been said another way: A kind word and a gun will always get you more than just a kind word. Eugene L. Grossman Englewood, Colo.

In discussing pacifism, your article describes how Poland's General Wojciech Jaruzelski "decapitated, atomized and demoralized" Polish society by sending in the tanks in December 1981. Yet recently, 60,000 Poles attended the funeral of a 19-year-old victim of police brutality. Even after 18 months of intimidation, the Polish people refuse to accept either Jaruzelski or his methods.

Rita Gatton Cincinnati

While TIME may be right in saying that pacifism has not done well at solving conflicts, your Essay should have gone on to explain that the use of force has all too often been catastrophic. Instead of deriving a perverse satisfaction from the weakness of pacifism, you should have been terrified about the future.

Don Lago Columbia, Mo.

Women at the Bar

After reading your story "The New Women in Court" [May 30], I realize that female lawyers are as bad as the males. Our legal system was established to determine innocence or guilt. All these women lawyers want is to beat their opponents.

Rod Huron Canton, Ohio

Your description of Boston Criminal Lawyer Rikki Klieman's attempt to polish up the image of her client, the alleged kingpin in a truck-hijacking operation, was disturbing. If women lawyers have to cozy up to clients in order to con a jury into an acquittal, then feminism is making no progress.

Nancy Ellen Abrams Santa Cruz, Calif.

Tuition Troubles

It is sad to read in your piece "Dear Dad: Send Lots of Money" [May 30] that state universities are raising their tuition to exorbitant rates. For many aspiring students, Dad can play no role in coping with this problem. In these cases, high tuition means no school.

David J. Mas Ha Atlanta

I was successful in being admitted to both Stanford and Harvard. Yet my chances of attending either are slim. These institutions, as well as the College Scholarship Service, determined that I could afford to finance my education. As it now stands, the rich can manage. The poor are helped along. But those of us in the middle class get squeezed out.

Jack Nagler Calgary, Alta.

Fresh and imaginative ideas must be introduced if Americans are ever going to overcome the skyrocketing costs of higher education. For example, states should sponsor a lottery to provide for scholarships. More private industries should start awarding scholarships in exchange for a work commitment after the student graduates. And finally, a national scholarship pool should be created that would allow for tax deductible contributions.

Franklin W. Y. Liu Boston

Shunning the Sun

After a very rainy spring, a bright, warm day finally appeared. I rushed poolside with a sugar-free soda, a salt-free snack and TIME. To my dismay, I started reading about the harmful effects of the sun [May 30]. One more pleasure in life that I will have to do without! On second thought, I decided just to give up reading.

Joan Me Intosh Norman, Okla. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.