The Great Arctic Grab

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As a university student of ecology and evolutionary biology, I would prefer that the Arctic remain largely untouched and unspoiled [Oct. 1]. But since profit-driven exploitation of this increasingly accessible area is inevitable, substantial fees should be imposed on corporations and nations that profit from what ought to be considered world heritage. Moneys collected could aid biodiversity conservation and ameliorate poverty. But it's more likely that we will see the traditional unholy alliance of nationalism, greed and business as usual.
Fred Drumlevitch, TUCSON, ARIZ., U.S.

It is a shame that our world leaders, when faced with an imminent crisis, can think only of their wallets. The rapid melting of the Arctic ice cap is the most obvious consequence of a global climate change that has the potential to cause increases in species loss, infectious diseases and extreme weather events. Instead of focusing on how to solve this impending tragedy, politicians are fighting to exploit it.
Elina El-Badry, GAITHERSBURG, MD., U.S.

Who owns the Arctic? It belongs to mankind as a whole, not to the region's border states. Devising a treaty to enforce that is very simple: you just have to copy and paste the basic agreements of the Antarctic Treaty System, which has kept greedy people off that continent for decades.
Jean Lehouchu, NICE, FRANCE

Setting the Record Straight
Re "The Real Running Mates" [Sept. 24]: I am very disappointed that TIME would publish incorrect information from another publication that stated that I never worked outside the home. Never was I interviewed for TIME's article, but it was certainly written to imply that I had been. For the record, after receiving my law degree from the University of Kansas, I was a research attorney for a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. Later I accepted the position of an assistant vice president and trust officer at a bank. After our first child, I worked again in a trust department until shortly before the birth of our second child. Simply put, I have worked both in the home and outside of the home, just as a vast majority of American women have. Thank you for letting me clear up these errors so they don't appear in print a third time.
Mary Brownback, TOPEKA, KANS., U.S.

Edwards Edges Toward '08
I guess we know whom Pooley is voting for [Oct. 1]. Could he have let his political leanings color the story? Nah. If Edwards is elected President, Pooley can just keep soaking in that sweet-tea voice while Edwards raises taxes again — and again and again.
Eddie Tencza, SAN ANTONIO

It is outrageous for Elizabeth Edwards to attack Hillary Clinton's electability. After all, the Clintons have a long track record of winning tough elections by comfortable margins. John Edwards wasn't even re-elected as Senator in North Carolina.
Reba Shimansky, NEW YORK CITY

Growing Up on TV
James Poniewozik's cleverly perceptive essay on the new CBS reality series Kid Nation made this baby boomer choke back tears for the good old days [Oct. 1]. Back in the 1950s and early '60s, it was neither unlawful nor uncaring for adults to say that children should be seen but not heard. Kids got to be kids as they ran around outside playing hide-and-seek under the stars without worry of being snatched, molested or organized into youth activities, while parents sipped beer or pop while playing Yahtzee with their pals after hand-washing the dinner dishes. Nobody felt slighted, and nobody called child protective services. How sad and ironic that television — primarily responsible for making a mishmash of family life — should inadvertently be the one to call attention to the current sorry state of affairs by dragging the poor little ones off to a ghost town all by themselves. Don't adults get it? Kids nowadays live in ghost towns without ever having to leave home.
Greg Joseph, GLENDALE, ARIZ., U.S.

Is the uproar over kid nation about abuse or fear that the children will succeed and put parents out of a job? We cannot hold our children's wings all their lives and then expect them to know how to fly when we let them go. Kids need parents, but they also need the freedom to learn and grow. Let them experience the sting of failure and the joy of success. And trust them!
Danica Conway, LONGMONT, COLO., U.S.

Poniewozik's article was a quick yet deeply gratifying read. In one page he managed to sum up the rationale and angst we "helicopter" parents have about our parenting style. On the one hand, we feel it is right to sacrifice deeply for our children, and on the other we have a nagging suspicion that there is a good reason no previous generation raised children this way. It doesn't take a sage, however, to know that children aren't designed to raise themselves. I pray that CBS has taken adequate precautions to protect the children involved.
Dorothea Dougboh, CARTERET, N.J., U.S.