Dear Ann Landers,
I just read the letter from the woman who asked her daughter's friends to do charitable good deeds rather than bring gifts to the girl's birthday party. She said she didn't want her daughter to grow up to be materialistic like the previous generation. Well, OK, so her daughter won't be materialistic. Big deal. She will grow up to be a good little socialist instead. I say let the kid get presents. My generation may have been materialistic, but we aren't nearly as screwed up as today's touchy-feely generation. -- Hal in Texas

Dear Hal,
You're out of the loop. Touchy-feely is old hat. The trend is now toward the materialistic and the acquisitive. Check the online crowd, and you will see what computers have done to our society. There are so many goodies to be had, and people want more of everything. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: "Things are in the saddle and ride mankind." If Emerson came back today, he would get an eyeful. Gem of the Day: A wonderfully consoling thought about marriage is that when you look around, you will always see someone who did worse.