Letter: Kennedy legacy

Sir: I am an American college instructor, visiting England, who would like to set the record straight on the Kennedy legacy in the US. The death of JFK Jnr has given columnists in Britain a chance to bring up all the Kennedy family problems without reviewing the positive things that President John Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy have provided.

President John Kennedy restored hope to the United States after the repressed decade of the 1950s. He was willing to examine issues such as racism and poverty that had been ignored by the conservative Eisenhower administration.

Senator Edward Kennedy has served in the Senate for over 30 years. Recently he has introduced legislation to reform the US health care system, one of the worst in the industrialised world. He has worked tirelessly for civil rights, tax fairness and other important issues.

John Kennedy Jnr, despite the family wealth, spent his life working and continued to support the efforts of the common person. His death has been a big shock to the average American and should not be used by conservative British columnists to promote their own agenda.

RICHARD SHERIDAN

Oxford