01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Bill Felkner is quite naive in expecting anything but a liberal majority in the world of social work ("Professor, is there room on the right?", news, Nov. 14).

I have had my Master of Social Work degree for almost 30 years, and have met few conservatives or libertarians in this field. The great conservative wave that swept into this country with the presidency of Ronald Reagan changed the sensibility of the populace from "Ask not what your country can do for you. . . ." to "He who has the most toys wins." One is not going to acquire many "toys" with a degree in the low-paid world of social work. So the field tends to attract us liberals.

I commend Mr. Felkner on studying social work, but one must wonder about his thinking. There aren't enough "do-gooders" and charities to make a dent in the social problems in this country (much less the world) without aid from the government, and anyone who thinks that there could be is a Pollyanna. The increase in tax benefits to the wealthiest Americans since the Reagan era has nowhere near been matched by a commensurate increase in charitable contributions. And the conservatives aren't flocking to volunteer for many social programs.

It is Jimmy Carter who has spent his post-presidency helping others throughout the world -- not Nixon, Ford, Reagan or Bush Sr., and I don't expect to see Dubya working in a soup kitchen when he leaves office.

It is admirable that Mr. Felkner wants to help, but without broad social change and government intervention, poverty, illiteracy, discrimination, etc., will continue to increase. Maybe he should re-examine either his career choice or his political philosophy, or he will be in for one frustrating life as a social worker. It is frustrating enough for us liberals, who strive to see things change in Washington.

DON JACKSON

North Providence