PHONY WAR

Even after the big yawn Bob Dole got from the drug issue in 1996, House
Speaker Newt Gingrich seems to think he can squeeze it for some
election-year mileage ("Winning the War on Drugs,"Commentary,may 4-10 edition).

The drug cartels take in over $400 billion per year. So far the federal
government has only been willing to spend $16 billion on the drug war. Now
Gingrich pretends he's going to accomplish something by adding .01 billion
to some "Drug-Free" program and asking all True Americans to wear a colored
ribbon.

A government cannot control what its people do to themselves on purpose in
private. How much more money will we throw at the drug war before we notice
it doesn't work?

Bob Ramsey Irving, Texas

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett