Letters

THE WAR BETWEEN THE CANDIDATES

It isn't very often that a person can say with certainty he voted in an election that will be a chapter in the history books for 100 years, 500 years or as long as this Republic endures. But that's true of the vote for our 43rd President [ELECTION 2000, Dec. 4]. It's pretty heady stuff! HERB LAFAIR Santa Monica, Calif.

I am for every vote's counting. I am not sure, however, that every ballot is a genuine vote. The canvassing boards were put in the position of determining whether a hole was punched out or not. If you and I actually think votes don't count, we are less likely to vote. It seems as if many people believe that, or voter turnout would have been greater. DONNIE McLEMORE Round Rock, Texas

Systematic errors in machine reading of ballots almost universally result in undercounting. They occur, for example, when a chad does not separate from the ballot card or when a mark on an optically scanned form is too faint. Manual counting in precincts that use machine voting thus increases the number of votes tabulated for both parties. Machines do not favor one candidate or the other, and the percentage of votes obtained by each party usually remains the same after a fair manual recount--unless extra ballots turn up. A manual recount using different standards to decide voter intention can be exceedingly unfair. We should avoid manual recounts or insist that they have uniform standards in all precincts. JOHN S. NISBET State College, Pa.

This election has shown up so many critical weaknesses in the American electoral system--inconsistent voting procedures from state to state, early declarations of the winner and partisanship of breathtaking proportions. Surely a set of statutory rules about the counting and recounting of votes could have saved the U.S. all this embarrassment. The new President must ensure that America never again faces this sorry situation. NEIL ROXBURGH London

REPUBLICAN RAMPAGE?

In his report "Mob Scene In Miami," about the Republican-backed protests against recounts [ELECTION 2000, Dec. 4], your writer Tim Padgett attempted to make a story where there was none. The whole article had an indignant tone, castigating the G.O.P. for orchestrating a protest. As if demonstrations aren't always staged. Get over your sanctimony. Parties organize--that's their purpose. NICK SLEPKO Seattle

The facts are that no one was arrested after the lawful protest in Miami, no one was injured, and at least one member of the canvassing board has denied that the board felt intimidated. No complaints were made to the police who had no trouble holding back the "screaming" Republicans. They must have been menacing indeed in their khakis and penny loafers. DAVID W. TOWNE East Lansing, Mich.

Does anyone, anywhere, truly believe that if the positions of the two candidates were reversed, these same G.O.P. protesters would not be arguing for additional hand counts with the same vigor with which they protested the recounts? JOE CONDO Chicago

ORDER IN THE COURTS

In his Commentary "Our Imperial Judiciary" [VIEWPOINT, Dec. 4], Charles Krauthammer decried the Florida Supreme Court and all courts for "trampling the prerogatives of elected legislatures and elected governments." While I do not agree with a number of the rulings that the Florida court and the U.S. Supreme Court have made in recent years, I defend their right to make them. We absolutely need a court that will protect individual rights from majority rule and help interpret laws with conflicting provisions. I find that the Florida legislature has enacted laws that allow for manual recounts but do not provide deadlines with enough time to do such recounts. Perhaps the Florida Supreme Court is rewriting election laws, but someone must deal with the flaws that the Florida legislature has left us with. RONALD R. BRUCE Orwigsburg, Pa.

Krauthammer hit the nail squarely on the head. If we need to talk about the Electoral College or how voting is carried out, it is equally important for us to discuss the roles of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Are they, in fact, equal? BILL BROUWERS Middlebury, Ind.

VOTE COUNTING, AMERICAN-STYLE

In Florida, only ballots that were not punched at all, nicked or partly punched should have been set aside [ELECTION 2000, Dec. 4]. Then those ballots should have been evaluated and recounted by hand and the total of valid votes added to the original machine count. This process should not take more than 48 hours. (It would take less than 24 hours in Canada!) Anyone objecting to it and finding legal reasons for multiple delays and a total recount is a partisan who has a vested interest in the result. If there is serious concern that the machine counts could be so bad that every ballot must be manually recounted, then all the counts by such machines are faulty. RODOLPHE MALTAIS Quebec City

What happened in the presidential election in Florida was a statistical aberration that the system will survive. The more important story is that American democracy is turning into a plutocracy. The best predictor of which candidate is going to win any political race is who spends the most money. DIANELOS GEORGOUDIS San Jose, Costa Rica

Only one reason explains why a dimpled chad next to a candidate's name does not demonstrate a person's intent to vote for that candidate. The voter, at the precise moment he was halfway finished punching the ballot, changed his mind and stopped. The situation is much like the classic movie scene in which the good guy faces the cornered villain and the dilemma of whether to shoot. The hero slowly pulls back the trigger to within a nano-inch of firing, hesitates--and stops. Makes great fiction, but do we really believe that happened thousands of times in Florida? DREW SUNDBERG Brussels

Democracy must invent something more intelligent. No Electoral College should be able to override the popular vote. The U.S. should provide a real model for democracy. As things stand now, millions of Nigerians believe that there was vote rigging in this election. MOSES IDA-MICHAELS Abuja, Nigeria

TAKE THE "A" TRAIN

In reading your story on Amtrak's new Acela train [BUSINESS, Dec. 4], I sadly noted continued ignorance about why America lags behind the rest of the world in developing high-speed trains. The explanation lies in Washington's lack of a balanced transportation policy. Europe and Japan place intercity rail on an even playing field with other transportation modes for federal assistance. Washington, however, treats Amtrak like a bastard child that receives billions in "subsidies" while aviation and highways receive blessed federal "investment." Amtrak needs the same financial commitment enjoyed by the airlines and highways. DONALD SHAW Bloomfield, Conn.

Congress should consider levying a 1[cent] tax on gasoline that could be used to support Amtrak and put it in the black. Just that penny could make Amtrak one of the finest systems in the world. E. BUD NELSON Racine, Wis.

TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

In your Special Report on Innovation [INVENTORS & INVENTIONS, Dec. 4], the article "A New Factory for a New Age," about an advanced powder metallurgy press, contained some inaccuracies. Although the new metal powder compacting system developed by Mii Technologies that you focused on is a genuine breakthrough, it was wrong to characterize the compacting presses currently in use as "remarkably crude." They are light-years away from that description. Today's presses are computer-monitored precision-production machines that can produce high-quality products at a fast rate. You were also wrong to state that current powder presses are the size of a tractor trailer and demand "the ministrations of at least 200 people to keep them running through a workweek." Many conventional compacting powder presses are certainly much smaller than a tractor trailer, and often they can be handled by just one skilled production worker. PETER K. JOHNSON, MANAGING EDITOR International Journal of Powder Metallurgy Princeton, N.J.

The text you ran under the picture of my Chilly Dog snuggle bed must have been printed by mistake. You wrote about an air-conditioning system to cool dogs left in a hot car. But my invention has the opposite goal: to keep dogs warm. I own dachshunds, and they used to shiver at night from the cold weather. They couldn't keep a blanket on, so I developed the ultimate snuggle bed, which is sort of like a sleeping bag with a built-in pillow and blanket. People who buy these beds say their dogs love them! Readers can find out more about them at our website, www.chillydogs.com JO WIDNESS Ashland, Ore.

We were pleased that the PRS 400, our miniature X-ray source, was included in your Inventions 2000 report, but we want to clarify one point for your readers. Our device is a valuable tool for radiation treatment given in the operating room at the time of tumor removal and for the treatment of brain tumors for which radiation is used instead of surgery. At the present time, it is not a replacement for standard radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Clinical trials are under way, however, that could prove that treatment during surgery using our device may be the only therapy needed. EUAN THOMSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO Photoelectron Corp. Lexington, Mass.

WHAT THE MARKET WILL BEAR

I find it appalling that Tiger Woods feels he is entitled to a piece of the PGA's profits, as reported in Robert Sullivan's piece "Show Them the Money" [BUSINESS, Dec. 4]. Sure, the PGA is making money off Woods' talent, but he is earning dough by playing in PGA tournaments. And if he's entitled to a share of the profits, why doesn't Woods take it a step further and request a payoff from the television stations that broadcast the matches? And how about a cut from the electric companies that supply the power to TV viewers who watch the most boring sport on the planet? TERRENA SHEA Westbrook, Conn.

Sullivan doesn't get it. Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams and shortstop Alex Rodriguez have unique talents and skills. So much so that people willingly pay to see them in action and buy the products they endorse. If Sullivan doesn't think the athletes should be allowed to bargain for their compensation because they "get to play," then who should get the extra money that a Tiger or an A-Rod attracts? The team owner or league president in the corner office who has none of the talents or skills that fans pay to see? STEPHEN VELIE Norwalk, Conn.