Dear Editor
Mr. Bullocks, a Brit who spent seven years in Russia, states that Russians have been on a 50- year bender. They are drinking themselves to death. He comes up with some very startling statistics. Both men and women consume alcohol in excessive quantities. They consume alcohol in the morning on the way to work, while they are working and very much so during their leisure time.
Russian life expectancy during the 1960s was 69 years, close to par with the rest of Europe. Since then it has dropped to 63 years, by far the lowest in the industrial world.
Russians are five times more likely to die a violent death than the rest of Europeans. Causes of death are murder, suicide, car crashes and many other violent forms.
The birth rate is far below replacement level. According to my sources, the average Russian woman has seven abortions in her lifetime. Russian population has fallen from 148 million to 141 million.
It is very obvious that Russian errors have paved the way to self destruction Mr. Bullock reasons it this way. If you deny people hope, love and friendship they sicken and despair they end up with a tendency to drink themselves to death.
(In writing this letter my source of information, in part, has been Maclean's Magazine.)
George E. Hickie
Waldron
