Boundless Resources
In "Making America Better" [March 26-April 2], it was refreshing to read about what America can learn from other countries, even a small kingdom like Bhutan ["Smoke-Free at the Top of the World"]. I was interested to see that handgun control in Japan appears to result in lower crimes like murder and rape ["More Stressed, but Still Safer"]. Nationally sponsored and paid for medical care seems to have resulted in greater longevity and lower infant mortality in some countries like the United Kingdom ["Free Health Coverage for All"]. Holland's approach to drug addiction-treatment versus incarceration for addicts-appears to have merit and costs less ["Abuse as a Disease, Not a Crime"]. We in the United States tend to brag about our democracy. I am proud of my country, but we can learn from others, and they'll like us better for a little humility.
ETHEL W. STOCK
Pennsburg, Pa.
Before I read "Making America Better," I had certain expectations. I anxiously awaited an article that profiled optimistic strides in the global south. As I carefully combed through the articles, I was pleased to see that the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Bhutan were recognized. However, I believe that the article was remiss in one respect-there was no mention of any country in Africa. In contrast with the consistently negative press about the antics of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the soaring HIV rates in sub-Saharan Africa, ethnonationalist conflict in Sudan, and dwindling biodiversity, this article would have been the perfect opportunity to shed some light on the overlooked progress being made in the "Dark Continent." Do nations in Africa have nothing to teach, or is it simply that we are not willing to learn?
JAIRA HARRINGTON
Spelman College student
Atlanta
I was interested in your cover story, "Making America Better," about how things are done in other countries. I have a little anecdote that supports your observations about the French in "Where Talking Is a World-Class Sport." When I was a student in Paris, two uncles invited me for lunch in a Quartier Latin restaurant. At another table, there was a well-known Frenchman, Georges Bidault, who was prominent in the French Resistance and was many times French foreign minister and even prime minister after World War II. He had ordered a slice of melon and was talking and talking. We ordered lunch, had our conversations, and left after being in the restaurant more than an hour. When we left, Bidault was still talking, his slice of melon still on his plate untouched.
GEORGE NANICHE
Moraga, Calif.
"Below Sea Level? No Problem" lauds a high-tech Dutch flood control model without questioning whether that model is sustainable. After spending billions of dollars armoring the Netherlands against floods, even the Dutch are re-evaluating the long-term wisdom of continually building higher dikes, particularly in light of climate change. That the undisputed flood protection experts are setting back levees and restoring flood plains where possible makes a powerful statement about the value of natural flood protection. New Orleans and other communities should learn from the Dutch experience, but we should be sure to use the most recent lesson plans.
JOYCE WU
Program Associate,
Natural Flood Protection
American Rivers
Washington, D.C.
advertisement