THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 17, 1996 TAG: 9609170001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 25 lines
Excuse me, Miss Ivins, is anybody home? Your recent column (``A school voucher system just when we're running out of nuns,'' Sept. 12) criticizing Catholic schools shows how you totally misunderstand (or is that distort?) the issue.
Molly Ivins criticizes Catholic nuns because they are underpaid. I think she has missed the point. A person voluntarily enters the religious life to dedicate their life to God and to serving the community. I think Miss Ivins objects to the God part. Would Miss Ivins heap the same scorn on a Peace Corps volunteer?
Miss Ivins' columns praise publicly funded, government-controlled, secular organizations such as the Peace Corps or Americorps while criticizing privately funded religious (often conservative) organizations such as Catholic schools. Miss Ivins wants the government to control our children's education. She cannot defend the performance of our government-run schools so she tries to discredit the alternatives.
JOE BUCK
Moyock, N.C., Sept. 12, 1996 by CNB