STARK RAVING MAD

• "Hour of Lead'' and "Our Family's Story'' by Amity Shlaes in The Wall Street Journal for Wednesday, December 20, 1995 p A14, tells of the attack on her family by New York City lead bureaucrats.

As a result of playing with a vacuum cleaner with lead dust contamination, her two-year-old son's blood levels rose to 25 micrograms per deciliter - higher than the 10 µ/dl now considered acceptable by lead bureaucrats, but not higher than the national average for American children in the 1960s and lower than the 1960s median level of 30 µ/dl in Chicago. Her son's level dropped back below 10 µ/dl after he was no longer allowed to play with the vacuum cleaner.

Nevertheless, the family is being required to do tens of thousands of dollars of work rebuilding their house to the satisfaction of city officials. Amity Shlaes also relates other similar stories of the activities of the burgeoning lead-in-children industry. This industry has been made possible by recent lowering of acceptable lead standards to enviro correct levels which include the blood levels of a great many children.

Events are following a now familiar pattern: Some lead levels in a few children are much too high, and the causes need to be corrected. For "safety'' reasons, standards are set far below the scientifically determined harmful quantities. Then, with a profuse outpouring of crocodile tears, the usual gaggle of opportunists takes over.

• "Geniuses From Abroad'' by George Gilder in The Wall Street Journal for Monday, December 18, 1995, p A14, discusses Congressional efforts to reduce legal immigration into the United States.

As Gilder illustrates, a large part of current American technology has been brought into existence by foreign-born scientists and engineers. Many of our past accomplishments, such as the moon program and the nuclear energy industry, depended upon immigrants. The entire history of the United States teaches the incredible productive power of a melting pot of the world's best and brightest people - especially those with the personal ambition to seek the best national environment. Nevertheless, Congress seems determined to interfere.

Perhaps Congress isn't "mad.'' The politics of this may help keep them in power, and we get to pay for their pensions when they retire. We, however, are "stark raving mad'' to let them do it.