Dear Ann Landers,
You are right when you say.the horrendous problems of today's teens are mind-boggling. The bomb hangs over them by a hair, and the globe has become a sewer. But at the heart of the matter is morality. No matter what happens, each person is re-sponsible for his or her actions. Unlike you, Ann, I would love to be 20 again. Portsmouth, N.H.: Thanks for your column comparing today's kids with the youth of the Depression years. I know several high school kids who are working two jobs. I see them all the time, too tired to stay awake in class. And what are they doing with the money? Plenty, but they certainly are not saving it for college. They are supporting a sec-ondhand car or a motorcycle and buying records and tapes, VCRs, makeup, funky clothes and junk food. Pensacola, Fla.: Pm a 15-year-old who can tell you it's no fun to be a teenager today. In my crowd, if you don't do drugs, you are weird. Last month, a "good" kid at our school hanged himself. Guns seem to be everywhere. When you were a teenager, Ann, were you afraid of get-ting shot? Well, I am. Stoughton, Wis.: If "Feisty Michigander" thinks children today have it soft, he should visit a shelter for the homeless and see 2-year-olds who don't smile, 3-year-olds who can't talk and 4-year-olds who don't know how to play. Maybe instead of whining about his tax dollars buying breakfast and lunch for schoolchildren, he should visit their homes and see what they're eating for dinner. For many of these youngsters, subsi-dized school meals are the only decent food they ever get. Detroit: I agree that the pitfalls for the young are deadlier today. We didn't have much in the way of material things-no TV or electronic toys, no designer clothes-but it was safe to play games outside, to jump rope, play hopscotch and skate. We used our imagi-nation and made things from scratch. The girls sewed doll clothes, and the boys made scooters and skateboards. We had plenty of exer-cise compared to the couch potatoes of today. And we actually walked to school! We were also taught respect for parents, the police and teachers. If we got in trouble in school, we were in plenty of trouble at home. Times have sure changed and, I'm sorry to say, not for the better.

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