(MONEY Magazine) – May's special report, "Today's Key to Success: Self-Reliance," stirred your pride and your compassion. Dozens of readers who wrote to Money praised the report for showing how self-reliance will be the key to future success and retirement security; they said that seeking self-sufficiency was a worthy challenge for the country. Many letters also commended the report for explaining the myths that may trigger reductions in financial assistance for the nation's poor people and end up hurting us all. You were particularly moved by the article "A Personal Viewpoint: Our Future Depends on How We Treat America's Children," which pointed out everyone's obligation to "the ultimate victims of poverty...children." And along with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, whose letter we are publishing here, you applauded the special report for demonstrating how a solid education can provide the surest boost up the economic ladder for everyone.

I want to thank you for your outstanding special report, especially Denise M. Topolnicki's "No More Pity for the Poor" and Richard B. Stolley's "A Personal Viewpoint: Our Future Depends on How We Treat America's Children." There has been such misinformation about the poor in America and such a mean attitude toward those in need that it was great to see the truth -- that our country did make great strides in reducing poverty during President Johnson's War on Poverty and that programs for the poor have provided much needed temporary help to millions who are now contributing to society and supporting themselves. I buy Money for advice on investing wisely for my own retirement, but it is wonderful to have a financial magazine for the middle class that does not try to make me feel better by bashing the poor. I remember a statement quoted in our church: "The average American is one catastrophe away from poverty." ALLAN D. BYRNE South Bend, Ind.

As a social worker who is pursuing an M.B.A. while working full time in the field of economic development for the homeless, I am always looking for balanced analyses of poverty issues. "No More Pity for the Poor" is one of the most concise, reasonable discussions I have encountered during the recent debates on welfare reform. It should be mandatory reading for all members of Congress who think they "know" what must be done to reform the country's strategy for helping poor Americans join the economic mainstream. JED EMERSON San Francisco

I was glad to see that the charts accompanying May's special report included statistics on the relationship between education and income. Clearly, there is a direct correlation between higher levels of education and increased income. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, a person with a professional degree on average earns more than five times the income of someone who did not graduate from high school.

I was also pleased to see that your magazine is working to raise awareness of the cost of higher education and the current threats to college financial aid. At the Department of Education, we are trying to make higher education more accessible and affordable.

Finally, one of our most important goals today is to help students meet the challenging academic standards that lead to practical job skills for the emerging and increasingly technical job market. We need to do a better job at communicating the link between learning and a career with a lucrative paycheck. For this and many other reasons, I agree with your point that the best and most effective way to rise above poverty is through a solid education. This message needs to reach the American public. RICHARD W. RILEY Secretary, U.S. Department of Education Washington, D.C.

One reason many people get angry about welfare is illustrated by your photograph of Julie Turner, who receives government aid, blowing cigarette smoke near the lungs of her children. No matter how impoverished people may be, why is it that they always seem to come up with money for cigarettes? Nevertheless, I fully agree with your article "Our Future Depends on How We Treat America's Children." Julie Turner and others in her financial condition must be aided and encouraged to help their children develop into healthy and productive citizens. TOM LONG Wawa, Pa.

I subscribe to MONEY for helpful financial information. Don't dabble in political advocacy. DARRYL CULPEPPER Garland, Texas

THE JUDGE'S OBJECTION IS SUSTAINED

I was surprised to learn from April's Money Newsline ["Innocent or Not, O.J.'s Killing the Taxpayers"] that I receive "comp time" for working beyond my "normal seven-hour day." Superior Court judges here in California do not receive comp time, and my normal workday begins at the courthouse shortly after 6 a.m. each and every morning and ends well after 6 p.m. each and every evening. I request that you set the record straight. LANCE A. ITO Judge of the Superior Court Los Angeles

MONEY apologizes for the error.

YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT

I agree with may's in your interest column ["If You Really Want Better Government Today, the Buck Stops with You"]: You can't get lower taxes and better services without making some sacrifices. It is time we realized that everything has a cost and that we must come to a consensus as to what we want government to do, then be willing to pay for it. ROBERT G. SCHLEIN Sugar Land, Texas

Your column is correct: either we're going to pull together or have anarchy. As I learned it 40 years ago, the idea was called "working for the common good." JOHN TOMASSONE Burke, Va.

The buck indeed stops with us. if we want better government, we must participate. More is accomplished by the players on the field than the spectators in the stands. Money readers are well educated and hold responsible positions. They are the people who can make a positive contribution to government by working on local boards, committees and commissions that direct the way our tax dollars are used. Candidates for local positions are usually selected from the limited pool of people who have made it known that they will serve. All too often, selections are made not on merit but on the "warm body" principle. JOHN J. WATSON Wilmington, N.C.

CORRECTION

In its discussion of the Personal Responsibility Act, the welfare reform package that Republicans pushed through the House of Representatives in late March, May's "No More Pity for the Poor" incorrectly reported the views of Robert Haveman, a professor of economics and public affairs at the University of Wisconsin. Haveman estimates that 10% to 15% of the recipients who would lose benefits under the bill would become self-sufficient. He believes another 75% or so would cope by moving in with relatives or friends and that the remaining 300,000 to 450,000 recipients who would lose benefits, the least capable of the poor, would end up swelling the already bloated homeless population of 350,000 or so to staggering levels.

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