When Mr. Bradley and Mr. McCain shook hands in New Hampshire and pledged not to use "soft money" (back-door big money donations) in the upcoming general election, it was a very good day for America.
Bill Bradley is right when he says "money in politics turns everyone into an interest group. You are either a gun owner, or a trial lawyer, or a tobacco company, each with it's own fundraising machine -- or you're in the great ranks of non-givers without a voice."
How do we change that? By banning soft money, establishing public financing of elections and providing free television time to candidates in the campaign's last six months.
A vote for Bill Bradley or John McCain on March 7 will make money much less important in Washington and ideas, character and experience count for much more.
Grason Eckel
Cambridge
City College standards aren't all that demanding
The Sun recently reported that City College high school requires student-athletes to earn a 70 average overall and a 60 average in three of four courses ("City Col. resumes stricter eligibility, Feb. 17).
That amounts to a low "C" average and three "Ds."
If this is a higher requirement than other city schools have, their requirements must be four "Fs" and a warm body.
Academic standards? Someone must be joking.
Michael Holden
Chestertown
Museum of dentistry harbors pleasant surprises
Thank you for the article by Gerald Shields about Baltimore's National Museum of Dentistry ("Revolutionary dentures," Feb. 21).
As an occasional docent at the museum, I find that the George Washington exhibit garners the most interest.
The article did imply, however, that the museum is for people in the profession of dentistry. But truly the museum is for the public -- for by experiencing the past can one really appreciate what dentistry is like today and what the future may bring.
Almost every group, whether young or "mature," is very pleasantly surprised at the learning experience of visiting the site on Greene Street.
Fred Magaziner
Rosedale
