Tax Credit for Children

Your Column One article on Head Start (June 20) points out what has been common knowledge for almost 20 years. There is no evidence of long-term benefits for the children involved. Benefits are strictly short-term and with a budget of over $2 billion in 1992, supporters are trying hard to cite other advantages to the communities receiving funds.

Liberal support is simply head-in-the-sand let’s spend more money on the poor, while conservative advocates are using political window dressing as a palliative for not having any interest in a population control program. Once a child gets through Head Start, the conservative approach is to cut spending on programs that could make a difference such as school lunches, child care, medical care and general welfare programs that negate anything Head Start may have accomplished if continued on a long-term basis.

BOB KERBER, Oceanside