President Clinton may or may not have come close to crossing the line of what can be done legally to raise money, but I think it’s worth keeping in mind that it was still $50 or $100 million less than what the Republicans raised. I’m tired of hearing the Republicans’ holier than thou sound bytes on the evening news.

The implication is that the President traded something for the money. Again, it’s worth keeping in mind that one of the first things this administration did was raise taxes on the rich by a huge 25 percent — from a top tax rate of 31 percent to 39.6 percent, while giving much of it to the working poor by way of the Earned Income Tax Credit. That means most of the fat-cat contributors to the Democratic Party favor goals that — far from holding out the prospects of lining their pockets — actually COST them money. I think there is a fundamental difference between the tobacco industry’s long-time big-bucks support of Bob Dole, who — coincidentally? — often supported legislation profiting that industry, and the kind of support Clinton has received from anti-tobacco activists, who don’t stand to personally profit from the restrictions on selling tobacco to children that the President has put into effect.

Charles Godwin

Davenport, Ia.