Surveying the letters appearing in The Oregonian about the recent shootings in the city of Springfield reveals a deep division between writers who place responsibility for misguided children exclusively on parents and those who see society and the schools as needing to recognize and treat troubled kids.

It has been said before that there is plenty of blame to go around, but some of the letters clearly do not reflect much thought, or are self-serving or both. For instance, the letter from Frank Stallon of Waldport (Org., 5/25/98) says at least one parent should be at home when kids get out of school. Mr. Stallon might be unaware that around half of the children in public schools have only one custodial parent, but I doubt it. I think Mr. Stallon just doesn't want to feel partly responsible himself for failing to support funding for Oregon's public schools and mental health services which could identify mental illness among students such as Kip Kinkle.

While parents bear the primary responsibility for the upbringing of their children,the role of voters who selfishly withhold taxes for mental health care and research, and who reject the wisdom in Hillary Clinton's book, It Takes a Village, must be recognized. They have refused to accept a fair share of the responsibilities that go along with membership in a civilized community. Mr. Stallon has a lot of company among the letter-writers who take this position.

There is another Oregonian named Sizemore who belongs on this list. The uncivilized behaviors of some teenagers may not be so much a direct result of mental illness, but rather reflect the anti-social values being preached by prominent community leaders. Many,like Sizemore, reject funding for mental health but enthusiastically support harsher sentences and far more spending for prisons.