'America the Conservative': Readers speculated about what it would mean for Barack Obama to lead a center-right nation. "How might a President Obama govern? One thing we can agree on, whether liberal or conservative, is this country will never be the same," one said. Another wrote, "Depending on the issue involved, the reality is that most everyone is both to the right and left, pro- and anti-government programming." But some fretted about what a Democratic sweep would not mean. "One-party rule doesn't work no matter what side controls it."
On 'Just Saying No to Abstinence Ed': "Doesn't it seem better for young people to have safe sex before marriage when they're ready, rather than marry when they have little idea what to expect from matrimony except guilt-free sex?"
Lareign Ward
Ft. Smith, Ark.
Dawn of a Progressive Era?
It's hard to believe the premise of the Oct. 27 cover story, "America the Conservative: How a President Obama Might Govern a Center-Right Nation." Do not the election of 2006, and quite possibly the election of 2008, conclusively demonstrate that the United States is no longer a center-right country, but that conservatism has been found wanting by the American people, who have moved decisively to the left?
Eric Orlin
Seattle, Wash.
Conservatives are defined by Jon Meacham as "those who value custom over change [and] worry about the erosion of the familiar" and who are "driven by a fundamental human impulse to preserve what one has and loves." This unfairly characterizes conservatives as people who simply don't want change. In fact, we are a group who truly believe that this country became the greatest in the world because of the principles upon which it was founded, that we have strayed too far from those principles and that returning to them provides our best hope for the future.
James J. Caruso
Newtown, Pa.
The whole liberal-versus-conservative thing, the us-versus-them mentality, serves no useful purpose but to keep divide-and-conquer politicians in power. Why not judge each issue on its own merits? As for me, I'm an atheist pro-lifer who supports gay marriage and the right to bear arms. That makes me an American.
William Wright
Antioch, Tenn.
Jon Meacham's article "It's Not Easy Bein' Blue" was enlightening. As a South African now living in the United States, I see some parallels between this election and ours in 1994, when we elected our first black president, Nelson Mandela. I'm sure Barack Obama will move toward a position "just right of center" as Mandela did, and with far greater ease, because our situation was way more extreme. As Obama will, Mandela proved to be a cool, rational, dynamic, patriotic, religious and unifying leader who reached across party lines. We entered a period of unprecedented economic growth that continues to this day. The right, as Christopher Buckley believes, has lost its way. A united move to the left now will be seen to be "right" in the long run, just as it was for us.
Hamish Davidson
Fairfield, Iowa
Leonard Bernstein, Appreciated
Yes, Leonard Bernstein definitely loved two things: music and people ("The Original Culture Warrior," Oct. 27). In the summer of either 1983 or '84, my late husband and I attended the Jones Beach Marine Theater the day before the Fourth of July. Bernstein was conducting the New York Philharmonic, playing a medley of his Broadway hits. At the finale he led the orchestra through the 1812 Overture, with the fireworks synchronized to the music. As is common with venues such as the Jones Beach theater, there was a wide screen showing off Bernstein in all his glory, waving that baton. He was so moved by the reaction of the audience, he had tears running down his cheeks. I have never in my life witnessed anything so moving. Women were crying, men were shouting and whistling. We were all so mesmerized by that magnificent evening.
Ann Difrancisco
Las Vegas, Nev.
It Adds Up for Girls
My only complaint with Sharon Begley's excellent article "Math Is Hard, Barbie Said" (Oct. 27) is its exclusive focus on girls who demonstrate extraordinary natural math ability. Even those girls who have not been singled out as gifted can get really good at math through early exposure to educational toys and books and the encouragement and support of their parents. Many high-school girls who can read all their other textbooks with confidence and understanding will not even attempt to read their math textbook simply because they have never had the experience of self-study in mathematics. Getting our daughters to read age-appropriate math books when they are young will greatly increase their chances of academic success later on, regardless of what our culture expects of them.
Matthew Collins
Barrington, R.I.
Young People and Abstinence
Abstinence-only education ignores the reality facing most young people. As mentioned in "Just Say No to Abstinence Ed" (Oct. 27), 95 percent of Americans are not virgins when they marry, and in 2007, 48 percent of high-school students reported that they had had sexual intercourse. But in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 39 percent of sexually active high-school students did not use a condom the last time they had sex. Not surprising, then, that almost half of all new sexually-transmitted-disease infections occur among people 15 to 24, and 12 percent of all pregnancies occur among those 15 to 19. It is therefore incredibly irresponsible for us as a society not to teach comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education. Evaluations to determine if such programs are working should also be made paramount; otherwise we are being willfully negligent to the future of America's youth and only hoping that things work out for the best. Abstinence should remain part of the curriculum, but it should not be the whole lesson.
Katie Fidler
Portland, Ore.