The following was written on December 22, 1998 in response to an article on the front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Please note all words/sentences in brackets were edited out by the T-D staff.

Richmond Times-Dispatch
P.O. Box 85333
Richmond, VA 23293
Attn: Editor of Editorial Page

{Dear Sir,}

{I trust this letter finds you well. Once again I find myself compelled to write to your editorial page to express my views on a matter of import.}

{On the front page of the December 22, 1998 issue of the T-D was an article from the Associated Press. This article chronicled the rise in the poll numbers for Bill Clinton’s job approval rating.}

Newspapers opening paragraph - [The December 22 article, Ratings Continue to Climb, chronicled the rise in the poll numbers for Bill Clinton’s job-approval rating.]

Okay, here goes - Can anyone please explain to me exactly what it is that Bill Clinton has done FOR America!? I fancy myself to be politically astute. I read the paper, listen to the news, and cull information from myriad sources. Yet I find myself at a loss to understand what it is that people feel he has done for the country. In fact, when I press the issue with those who are willing to talk with me about it I can never get a specific answer {from them}.

the only thing they can {sputter about} is the economy doing well (forgetting of course about the role Alan Greenspan plays). Is that all that matters {the economy doing well}? I challenge anyone who cares to take the time to look back on the great civilizations throughout history. Look into the causes of the fall of those civilizations. I would wager that not one of them ceased to be because of a poor economy. Rather it was moral and cultural decay that brought down one after another.

I will anxiously await an answer to my questions. You will understand if I don’t hold my breath while I do so. {Just thought I’d ask!}

Sincerely,

Floyd C. Bayne