Truce means both sides stop Re: "A truce in culture wars as voters focus on economy," Dec. 29 Michael Barone gleefully says the truce on the abortion issue that Indiana Gov. Daniels called for is a reality.

Truce means that combating parties temporarily cease fighting, but NARAL is trying to eliminate pregnancy centers that help poor pregnant women keep their babies, the American Civil Liberties Union is trying to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, the Obama administration is trying to force physicians to perform abortions despite their moral objections, and President Obama is trying to increase the funding for abortion both at home and abroad.

No truce there! In the 2010 elections there was no truce, with more voters voting the abortion issue as their most important issue than previously.

Pro-life activists are never going to observe any truce while innocent, defenseless human beings are being killed -- never.

Any politician who can't work to defend human life and simultaneously work to solve our economic problems doesn't deserve to be in office.

John Naughton

Silver Spring

Tablet PC should be provided to each K-12 student

Maine now provides laptops to students in grades seven to 12 and plans to extend it to lower grades soon. Also, about 2 million $200 "One Laptop Per Child" laptops have been provided to less developed countries around the world.

The OLPC project will have tablet PCs in about a year; they will cost less than $100 each.

These should be provided to each K-12 student in the United States. Get rid of books and paper materials and save money while providing interactive computers for better learning practices instead.

Tablet PCs can be used any time in any place on any path at any pace to help students learn more efficiently at less cost than current education practices. They involve students directly and include embedded testing to ensure students have learned the material.

G. Stanley Doore

Silver Spring

Socialism rooted in brute force

Capitalism is the only truly moral economic system because only capitalism is based on free choice. Socialism is the philosophy of thugs who exploit the brute force of government.

Under capitalism men are free to either deal with one another or not. Businessmen cannot legally take your money by force or compel you to do anything. Only governments do that.

America's abundance wasn't created by socialist thugs, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests in making their fortunes. Capitalism gave people better jobs, higher wages -- and cheaper goods with every new technology they invented -- and the country moved forward, profiting, not suffering, as a result.

Economic power is exercised by offering an incentive, a payment, a value. Political power is exercised by the threat of fines or imprisonment.

The businessman's tool is values. The bureaucrat's tool is compulsion, force and fear.

Robert Wassman

Vancouver, Wa.