‘Fragile Planet’

Because I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial, I was surprised that front-page article “Reagan Era, What Will History Say?” (Aug. 21) failed to even mention the abysmal environmental legacy of the Reagan Administration. Just consider the eight-year accommodate-big-business-and-do-nothing-on-environmental-issues philosophy that has given us absolutely no national energy policy, no progress on acid rain, a lack of leadership on ozone-layer protection or fossil-fuel use reduction, and a failure to institute an oil-import tax as an equitable means of financing air-quality protection measures.

Apparently, the Republicans believe in “screw the future” as candidate Bush promises no new taxes which implies that environmental issues will continue to be ignored. Why haven’t environmental issues emerged as major campaign issues? Are we all so engrossed in President Reagan’s “restoration of American self-confidence” that we no longer care if today’s children inherit an earth capable of sustaining life? At this rate, history won’t say anything about the Reagan era because there won’t be anyone left to record it.

DONALD E. GERWIEN

Burbank